A student at KIPP Believe sports the mantra that has made the hard-driving charter network one of the city’s most successful. Photo: Folwell Dunbar By Folwell Dunbar, The Lens contributing opinion writer | Over the years I have had an opportunity to conduct quality reviews of numerous charter schools here in Louisiana and throughout the […]
Author Archives: The Editors
Posted inCriminal Justice
Panel to tout, encourage whistleblowers
By Tom Gogola, The Lens staff writer | From Erin Brockovich to WikiLeaks, whistleblowers play a critical role in forcing transparency and accountability on corporate and public-sector shenanigans. New Orleans has had more than its share of shenanigans worthy of whistleblowing in recent years, from police brutality after Hurricane Katrina to unpacking the slippery utterances […]
Posted inOpinion
Learning from NY: Cutting mental health carries hidden costs
City officials are right to decry the cuts to mental health services that could result from Gov. Bobby Jindal’s effort to plug a budget deficit.
Posted inCriminal Justice, Government & Politics
Anxious Algiers residents seek answers to crime day after Samaritan killed in carjacking
By Kelsey Foster, The Lens contributing writer | A day after a good Samaritan was shot and killed while trying to stop a carjacking in Algiers Point, a beefed-up police presence was evident in the usually quiet West Bank neighborhood, as police cars trolled the streets and a helicopter circled above. But the efforts of […]
Posted inOpinion
Last ONE left standing? Sucker punch whacks 'citizen participation'
Office of Neighborhood Engagement leader Lucas Diaz addresses Planning Commission members at the hearing on citizen participation. (New Orleans Public Access TV) By Tim Garrett, The Lens contributing opinion writer | Tuesday’s four-hour meeting of the New Orleans Planning Commission amounted to a public showdown between two rival visions for “citizen participation” in the planning process, […]
Posted inOpinion
Saluting Occupy NOLA, a movement as quirky as our schizoid city
A march in October launches the News Orleans chapter of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Photo by Matt Davis By Tiffany Marceaux, The Lens contributing opinion writer | On Oct. 6 I arrived at Duncan Plaza for Occupy NOLA’s first General Assembly with revolution in my heart. And I wasn’t the only one. Nearly 400 […]
Posted inOpinion
Student loan amnesty would $upercharge grad-magnetic New Orleans
Lifting the debt burden on college grads would be a shot in the arm for local economies, New Orleans in particular. Photo by Jed Horne By Nathan C. Martin, The Lens contributing opinion writer | New Orleans is home to seven four-year colleges and universities that graduate thousands of students each spring, and in the […]
Posted inOpinion
Shake a leg! Physical 'movement' is also the political kind
In stride with the grassroots movement, Craig students Kingston and Coby Williams “occupy” the steps of their school. Photo by Kira Akerman By Kira Akerman, The Lens contributing opinion writer | Every afternoon, I enter the chaotic cafeteria of a middle school in Treme— a punch for a punch, a broken finger, broken jaw — […]
Posted inOpinion
Making 'Complete Streets' a policy makes complete sense
Dedicated bus and bicycle lanes are among ideas central to the “complete streets” approach to multimodal transportation systems. Photo credit: Flickr/Eurist e.V. By Matthew Rufo, The Lens contributing opinion writer | In recent years, New Orleanians have witnessed a transformation of their streets from motor vehicle speedways to multimodal havens for a variety of users. […]
Posted inOpinion
Relax oversight? How about protecting us from oil's ravages?
The BP explosion: Accidents will happen — and continue to do so. By Anne Rolfes, The Lens contributing opinion writer | Last Monday began with a bang. On my way to work I learned that Senator David Vitter and Rep. Jeff Landry were at it again — planning to meet with officials in the regional […]