The gospel of Chuck
Blessed are the ones who live with vigor | Despite life’s tragic comedy.
Recent Posts
Hell on Earth
Men incarcerated within Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola want relief from the prison’s extreme heat and overcrowding.
Police
Regardless of how nervous this might make a kid, everything intensifies when your family is Black and big, white, tobacco-spitting cops approach your car in the middle of nowhere.
Despite early LEAP results, state needs four months to create School Performance Scores
This year, LEAP scores came back from the state of Louisiana in record time. Do parents understand the scores? Do kids? Now, the state begins to crunch school statistics to create School Performance Scores, which could lead to charter-school closures later this fall.
Unlocking opportunity:
It’s a familiar scenario. Potential employers see criminal histories and don’t hire. In New Orleans, improvements to the city’s “Ban the Box” ordinance could better challenge employment barriers. An Oct. 11 ballot amendment could expand that protection to include housing
From jailhouse lawyer to clerk of court candidate
Calvin Duncan’s unfinished mission for justice moves to his political candidacy
Mayor pulls nomination for ethics-plagued former Sewerage & Water Board member, pledges to reappoint at later date
Kimberly Thomas, who served a decade ago on the S&WB, was given nod by a council committee last week and was slated for Council approval on Thursday
opinion
Let’s acknowledge the Alabo Wharf’s place in history
In a lawsuit about a slaughterhouse that once stood at the Alabo site, the U.S. Supreme Court first interpreted the 14th Amendment, which later became pivotal in civil rights rulings, and led to four little 9th Ward girls desegregating the first public schools in the Deep South.
The Cry That Wasn’t Heard Could Be the Cry That Lights the Awakening
That day, I could hear the baby crying. I could hear Nicholas unraveling. Then the phone went dead. Looking back, I see the baby’s death as an indictment.
No Papers! No Fear!
Artist and poet José Torres-Tama created his new Katrina @ 20 exhibition: No Papers! No Fear!, which opens on Friday, to commemorate the immigrants who contributed to an epic New Orleans rebirth — despite the city’s extreme cruelties.
Red flags at the levee board
It seems that the governor-appointed board chair was overly involved in day-to-day operations. Because of the Flood Authority’s crucial purpose, the public cannot afford to have it run by a board chair who acts recklessly.
PODCAST
Behind The Lens episode 280: ‘The licensing of Essence’
Bernard Smith on conditions at Angola as heat alerts persist across the country. Gus Bennett on Essence Fest’s rapid expansion — and questions about who it’s serving.
About the Lens
The Lens aims to engage and empower the residents of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. We provide the information and analysis necessary to advocate for more accountable and just governance.