ACTIVISM

CRIME

According to Nola.com statistics, 2015 ended with 164 homicides. This indicates a rise in murders following a previous two-year decline.
We ended 2016 with a murder rate of 175; the highest in four years.
At the beginning of January 2018, New Orleans is already at 19 homicides.
Per capita, New Orleans has exceeded Chicago in shooting incidents.

One homicide is too many.

Louisiana is ranked as the worst public school system in America.
After Hurricane Katrina, the State of Louisiana took over the public school system and transformed nearly all public schools into charter school systems.
Schools are highly segregated in terms of race and income.
Studies have shown that schools that serve mostly poor children of color have "fewer resources, more inexperienced teachers, and limited access to rigorous coursework."

Hurricane Katrina not only devastated lives and property, but also the mental health of both low-income and Black communities.
Research from The Center of Disease Control states that more than 50% of New Orleans residents showed signs of needing mental health assistance.
A study from the National Institutes of Health also found that many Black New Orleanians showed signs of post-traumatic stress disorder following the storm.
The Black community was hit the hardest following budget cuts and closures to several mental health facilities by former Gov. Bobby Jindal.

New Orleans prides itself on tourism. However, with the influx people moving to the city, we need to pay very close attention to who is getting pushed out.
Black neighborhoods on lower ground, such as Gentilly and New Orleans East, became even more heavily Black after the storm.
Black neighborhoods that were on higher ground, such as Bywater, Treme, St. Roch, and St. Claude, became majority white after the storm.
Many Black residents were pushed out of their own neighborhoods due to increased rent, high flood insurance, lack of public transportation, etc.