Dan Bright was my brother. Death Row didn’t kill us, but it tried.
We can’t keep losing our brothers to the aftermath of injustice. We can’t call it “freedom” if we’re still dying from what they did to us.
Category: Opinion
Perspectives and reflections that challenge, question, and inspire. This category features thought-provoking essays and commentary from writers, community members, and photographers offering insight into the issues, ideas, and experiences that shape New Orleans and beyond.
Maintaining independence in levee-board appointments
As legislators debate changes to levee boards, it’s worth remembering why the levee boards were reformed, what remains undone - AND that all evidence shows that the pre-Katrina Orleans Levee Board was not at fault.
Louisiana can’t afford a mirage
“We must stick with real plans for our future,” the writer contends about the recent halt to the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion. “Every delay means more land lost, more families unprotected, more risk from rising seas and stronger storms. We don’t have that kind of time.”
Nothing is ever black and white on a plantation
The recent fire at Nottoway Plantation, which reduced the “big house” to ashes, serves as a stark reminder of the complexities we navigate to uncover the truth of our history.
Only those who have experienced jail can understand the bigger picture
In New Orleans, where incarceration touches nearly every block, jail population counts are much more than numbers – they represent families fractured, futures derailed, and communities under pressure.
The New Orleans jailbreak: crisis, blame, and a system built to break
Some of the loudest voices talking about problems that led to the jailbreak are the same ones who’ve supported underfunding and cuts to social services, education, and mental-health programs—drivers of crime and incarceration in the first place.
Working for bike safety, after suffering a severe bicycling injury
Bejasa, an avid bicyclist who spent three months in a wheelchair after being hit by a car, asks Lens readers to join her at two upcoming bicycle-safety events this weekend. See details below.
Legislature must demand that Mid-Barataria Diversion proceed, as planned
At stake is decades of scientific consensus, years of bipartisan commitment and the credibility of Louisiana’s entire coastal program.
Does the Louisiana Legislature represent us, or should we find someone else?
Last week, the state Senate Judiciary committee passed SB 74, a bill that would automatically funnel all arrested 15- and 16-year-olds into the adult court system. Yet, as Sarah Omojola notes, every single senator on that committee comes from a district that recently voted down Amendment 3.
Levee board members have no sway over Army Corps design
The Army Corps controls the design and operational procedures of flood reduction, so it doesn’t matter whether the governor selects the levee board members or if a panel picks candidates – or even if we choose the first nine people coming out of church on Sunday.
