"If there is a concept that’s at the core of American ideology, the American Dream is it, and its logic makes it easy for us to disregard poverty and incarceration as outcomes that only the worst of us reap."
"Calls to defund the police and/or prison abolition can sound scary to those just hearing about them. Understanding what these mean and how they're justified may help people grapple with what might appear frightening and too radical at first."
Author Orissa Arend recalls the Black Panthers' community policing effort in the Desire Housing Project in her latest op-ed. "Look at us now, 50 years later, experiencing a worldwide consciousness awakening to the realization that the Panthers were right!"
"I believe we could feed our fellow New Orleanians in a dignified way, rally the community behind a mission, and make sure no one goes hungry in the best food city in America," writes the founder of the Krewe of Red Beans. But he says the city's RFP has some issues.
"Escalation of aggression by law enforcement has led to deaths in other cities and could likely happen in New Orleans if these tactics continue to be used."
"The release of $1 million was a pittance, but it was also the first time in this city’s history that hospitality workers came together and won an industry-wide victory of this scale. It is now time to transition to the next phase."
"A significant portion of Louisiana’s political class has manned the barricades for the oil industry, and if successful their actions will blow a hole in the state budget that will probably have to be filled by cuts to higher education and sales tax hikes and will nudge our state closer to bankruptcy."
"The City Council’s recent non-binding resolution, which passed unanimously and urges local judges to suspend evictions until at least August 24, is a positive first step that must go further as a mandate."
"As we have seen with our patients, commercial health insurance is a defective product, like an umbrella that melts in the rain. With skyrocketing premiums, copays, and deductibles, even insured patients are forced to choose between paying for rent and food or the bills for supposedly 'covered' procedures."
"Now that a certain chapter in New Orleans history — or a section within a chapter — has come to a close, it’s a good time to pause and reflect on what we’ve just experienced."
