Monday, August 29, 2011
David Simon's keynote at Rising Tide 6
Posted by Kevin Allman on Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 11:00 AM
David Simon was one of the keynote speakers at yesterday's Rising Tide conference at Xavier University. I read Katy Reckdahl's recap at nola.com, which included this reference toward the end:
He alluded to a spat he had with New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu several months ago about demolition of several blighted Central City buildings that Simon had hoped to save, if possible. During it, he said, Landrieu fingered him as an outsider.
Beg pardon, but it was a bit more than that ,,, Simon spent a good part of his speech excoriating Landrieu regarding the blight demolition debacle. Near as anyone can tell: Landrieu's office planned to demolish some blighted homes as a symbol of a promise kept; a group of preservationists, noting that the houses were used in Treme promotional materials, objected and asked Simon for help; and Simon/HBO sent a letter to the mayor about it, a letter which somehow didn't get read. And then stuff went nuclear and alpha-male. Anyway, a big-time TV producer saying the mayor "would throw anybody under the bus if the cameras were on" seems to be more than a spat, despite Simon's concluding disclaimer.
Watch it for yourself:
David Simon - Keynote Speaker, Rising Tide VI from Jason Berry on Vimeo.
Speaking of...
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NOLA tourism leaders call for Hospitality Zone legislation to be pulled
The coalition of tourism groups pulls plug on Hospitality Zone taxes, citing "unpalatable amendments."
- May 22, 2012
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Landrieu's 2012 State of the City address
Liveblogging Landrieu this afternoon.
- May 22, 2012
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Update: Hedge-Morrell, Johnson met with mayor before boycotting Wednesday and Thursday meetings
City Council was scheduled to vote on interim District B appointment
- May 18, 2012
- More »
Comments (2)
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Bravo! I had the same thought when I read the TP story. Simon's entire talk boiled down to this reality: sometimes "outsiders" are what you need, so don't be so quick to reject them. And the key narrative to make this point was his run-in with the mayor.
I also don't appreciate the TP's reference to the audience as "young journalists" and "online journalists." That room was filled with bloggers, activists and people who love NOLA. I think the TP would choke if they ever tried to print the word "blogger" in their esteemed daily.
Peace,
Tim
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It was an ad hominem attack on Simon in any case. It has nothing to do with the substance of the dispute, which is whether or not these houses should have been torn down.
Landrieu's a good politician precisely because when he's backed into a corner he figures out a way to turn the conversation. I remember hearing him speak at an Idea Village event shortly after he was elected, and some young kid (early 20s) asked him something like, "How will you ensure that the police department is accountable to citizens?" and he responded, "How will YOU ensure it? What ideas do YOU have?" It was ostensibly in the spirit of open dialogue, but there was a tinge of defensiveness to it.
The kid, to his credit, had a few good things to say, but I thought it was inappropriate for Landrieu to turn the question back on him so quickly, putting a young student on the spot in front of a room full of people. If I had been that guy, I would have said, "I'm not the mayor, you are." But the trick worked. Landrieu came across as a progressive, inclusive leader, but he didn't ever answer the question.
Honestly I had nothing against him but that moment stuck with me. Then I noticed a similar slickness in the 60 Minutes piece about his election and the future of New Orleans. Watch it again, and notice how expertly he dances around issues, seeming intelligent but actually saying very little of substance.
I support Landrieu. I like some of the good things he's done for the city. I do think he has a chip on his shoulder and subtly talks down to people. I think he sees himself as much smarter than those around him, and a lot smarter than he really is. I wonder if he has any idea how it comes across.
