"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."
"Who could ever imagine that, in 'The City That Care Forgot,' and that Hurricane Katrina tried to destroy, we have yet another New Normal, which has become my New Abnormal?"
"The COVID-19 pandemic is a tragic reminder of the deadly toll racial injustice takes on families and communities... That is why we need a real and honest conversation about how structural inequity and racism persist – and how they originated."
"I knew what I was getting into when I chose infectious diseases as a specialty. I understood that we combat contagious pathogens, sometimes becoming infected ourselves in the process. What I did not know was that the job called for combating a different kind of epidemic as well."
"As a citizen concerned with the health and liberty of our fellow New Orleanians during this unprecedented time, I was outraged to learn of the City of New Orleans continued expansion of surveillance tactics and tools through unconstitutional police checkpoints and new contracts with surveillance companies. These irresponsible choices divert funds and attention from assisting those most affected by the intersection of COVID-19 and existing structural inequalities."
