Civil Rights: Blog of New Orleans, Gambit

House committee strikes down bill banning discrimination of gay state workers

Alex Woodward — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:20:02 -0500

Louisiana's House Committee on House and Governmental Affairs failed to pass a bill which would "prohibit discrimination in state employment on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression."

Authored by State Rep. Austin Badon, D-New Orleans, who in 2011 introduced a bill to protect gay students from bullying, House Bill 85 would allow gay state employees who were discriminated against to appeal to the state Civil Service Commission. Current law allows discrimination appeals based on discrimination of political beliefs, sex or race and, provides for hearings and decisions in those cases.…

May Day: a march for immigration reform and a rally at City Hall

Alex Woodward — Wed, 01 May 2013 09:53:00 -0500

Today is May Day, or International Workers Day. In New Orleans, immigrant workers and their families and supporters plan to march to City Hall to demand better workers' rights and call for an end to deportations.…

And then there were four: Sen. Landrieu among Senate Democrats opposing same-sex marriage

Alex Woodward — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:55:00 -0500

Last month, U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu addressed her position on same sex marriage as the U.S Supreme Court began hearing oral arguments on the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act. U.S. Senate Democrats had only a handful of marriage equality opponents — Landrieu among them.…

Gusman slams Landrieu on consent decree talks

Alex Woodward — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 17:40:00 -0500

After a six-hour round of testimony in federal court over the Orleans Parish Parish consent decree, Sheriff Marlin Gusman held a brief press conference outside OPP's intake center in the shadow (and noise) of new facility construction. As he did last week following Mayor Mitch Landrieu's emergency City Council meeting on the OPP consent decree, Gusman slammed the mayor and defended the internal reforms at the sheriff's office — and addressed the content of a damning video of inmates at the now-closed House of Detention, which closed last year.…

Council committee meets on alleged racial profiling by NOPD

Charles Maldonado — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:32:40 -0500

New Orleans Independent Police Monitor (IPM) Susan Hutson and Inspector General (IG) today presented to the New Orleans City Council's Criminal Justice Committee the results of two highly critical reports on the New Orleans Police Department's stop and frisk programs. The IG report, which examined 10,000 field interview cards generated over two months in 2011, concluded that because of sloppy and incomplete data-gathering on officer field interview cards, the office was unable to determine whether racial profiling was taking place during so-called "Terry stops," where officers briefly stop, detain and possibly search subjects.…

Photos: Two meetings on NOPD and racial profiling

Charles Maldonado — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 12:34:00 -0500

After weeks of demands from Danatus King, president of the NAACP's New Orleans chapter, Mayor Mitch Landrieu held a meeting to address community concerns about the New Orleans Police Department — specifically racial profiling — last night at First Emmanuel Baptist Church, a mere 2.6 mile drive from Christian Unity Baptist Church, where King simultaneously held a meeting on the same topic.

Like District B Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell, I was able to attend both meetings, but because I'm unable to bend space, I could only attend the beginning of Landrieu's meeting and the end of the NAACP's meeting.…

Violent jail, violent city

Clancy DuBos — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 15:55:41 -0600

Mayor Mitch Landrieu predicted last month that he and Sheriff Marlin Gusman would have a falling out over the cost of the proposed federal consent decree for Orleans Parish Prison (OPP). It’s time for that fight to happen, and not just because of money.…

ACLU reaches agreement with city on Clean Zone lawsuit

Charles Maldonado — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 13:35:42 -0600

Under a proposed agreement filed today, the city of New Orleans will not be enforcing limits or bans on unsanctioned content appearing on non-commercial signs and banners within the Super Bowl "Clean Zone."

The agreement comes after the ACLU filed suit last week, challenging the ban as a violation of the First Amendment. Federal Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on sign enforcement except in the area directly around the Superdome.…

Y@ Speak: Arty Gras

Lauren LaBorde — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 11:55:00 -0600

Duke living the dream at Barkus! #nola #barkus #mardigras2013 twitter.com/aaron_wa/statu…
— Aaron M. Roy (@aaron_wa) January 27, 2013

Carnival got going this weekend with some bigger krewes rolling Uptown.…

ACLU sues city over Super Bowl "Clean Zone" UPDATE: Judge grants temporary restraining order, city can only enforce signage bans directly around Superdome

Charles Maldonado — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 16:12:00 -0600

Update (4:30 p.m.): U.S. District Court Judge Kurt Engelhardt granted in part a temporary restraining order, banning the enforcement of Clean Zone provisions banning non-sanctioned signs and banners. Engelhardt's order, however, does not apply to areas directly around the Superdome.…

LGBT youth group to NOPD Chief Serpas: "Keep Your Promise & Release Your Draft LGBTQ Policy to BreakOUT!"

Charles Maldonado — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 10:13:58 -0600

The New Orleans-based lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) youth advocacy group BreakOUT! is demanding that the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) release to the group a long-awaited policy addressing LGBT discrimination by police in a petition on Change.org. BreakOUT!…

Leah Chase Foundation in the works, public birthday celebrations planned

Ian McNulty — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 11:38:00 -0600

A legacy that extends far beyond food runs through the dining rooms of Dooky Chase Restaurant, a landmark of the civil rights struggle, a trove of African American art and a daily example of the power of community.

As the Chase family prepares to celebrate the 90th birthday of their matriarch, the legendary chef Leah Chase, they are planning a pair of public events to honor her and raise funds for a new foundation to ensure that legacy endures.…

Read the proposed OPP consent decree

Charles Maldonado — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 11:50:46 -0600

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office (OPSO) today unveiled a 53-page proposed consent decree addressing longstanding safety issues at Orleans Parish Prison (OPP). The decree was filed in U.S. District Court by DOJ, the Sheriff's Office and the Southern Poverty Law Center, which represented the plaintiff class in the class-action lawsuit filed against the jail and Sheriff Marlin Gusman last spring.…

Federal judge orders draft consent decree for Sheriff's Office

Charles Maldonado — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 11:54:00 -0500

U.S. District Court Judge Lance Africk on Friday ordered Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman and the U.S. Department of Justice submit a "proposed interim consent judgment," according to court documents.

The proposal, which will be submitted as part of an ongoing class-action lawsuit against the jail, will be due to the court by October 15.…

No decision after arguments on motions to intervene in the NOPD Consent Decree

Charles Maldonado — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 17:37:48 -0500

After two hours of oral arguments — interrupted briefly by the evacuation of U.S. District Court for what turned out to be a false fire alarm — Judge Susie Morgan today did not make a decision on four motions to intervene in the federal consent decree between the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD). Morgan said she would rule on the motions before a hearing on the whole agreement, set for August 29.…

Louisiana school ordered to change policy on pregnant students

Alex Woodward — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 11:15:08 -0500

The Delhi school targeted this week by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was ordered by the Louisiana Department of Education to change a policy that forced pregnant students and students suspected of being pregnant from school.

Delhi Charter School president Albert Christman — who previously had said he was unaware of the policy's discrimination — said it was "intended to protect students from ridicule and harassment," according to the ACLU of Louisiana.…

Louisiana school kicks out pregnant or suspected pregnant students

Alex Woodward — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 12:35:00 -0500

The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana has challenged a Louisiana public school that requires female students to take a pregnancy test if they're suspected of being pregnant. At Delhi Charter School, students are subject to a school-selected physician and risk expulsion if they don't comply.…

Y@ Speak: Chicken and pie

Lauren LaBorde — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 11:57:00 -0500

We've had the one and only Chick-fil-A alternative on our menu for almost 2 years. Ahead of our time?…
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Sheriff's office dragging out discovery in jail lawsuit, say plaintiffs

Charles Maldonado — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 11:46:04 -0500

Attorneys for the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) are accusing the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office (OPSO) of failing to respond to requests for documents pertinent to the group's federal prisoners' rights lawsuit against the office and Sheriff Marlin Gusman. SPLC, which is seeking class action status for the suit, has asked federal Magistrate Judge Sally Shushan to compel OPSO to produce the documents.…

Web petition against alleged worker abuses by La. seafood supplier now up to 135K signatures

Charles Maldonado — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 10:23:45 -0500

The campaign against a Louisiana seafood company accused of subjecting foreign guest workers to "forced labor" conditions continues to gain momentum. As of this writing, a change.org petition calling on Walmart to stop doing business with C.J.'s seafood, a Breaux Bridge-based seafood company that sells 85 percent of its inventory to the retail chain, has received more than 135,000 signatures as of this writing.…

Last group of inmates leaves House of Detention

Charles Maldonado — Fri, 04 May 2012 11:53:56 -0500

Three weeks after Sheriff Marlin Gusman's announcement that the Orleans Parish Prison's (OPP) House of Detention would close, the last group of inmates was removed from the building today.

"The House of Detention is now a closed chapter in the history of the sheriff's office and the city of New Orleans," Gusman said at a press conference, minutes before the few remaining HOD residents boarded a bus taking them to other Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office facilities.…

SPLC on jail building closure: "Tragically, this incremental reform occurred only after the abusive conditions at OPP destroyed countless lives"

Charles Maldonado — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 09:55:27 -0500

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which filed a federal class-action lawsuit against the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office last week, today issued the following statement in response to Sheriff Marlin Gusman's decision to close the Orleans Parish Prison's House of Detention:

New Orleans, La. – The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) commends Sheriff Marlon Gusman’s decision to close the Orleans Parish Prison (OPP) House of Detention today but calls for the Sheriff’s Department to make additional reforms to better protect the community and save taxpayer dollars.

The SPLC brought a federal class action civil rights lawsuit against the Orleans Parish Sheriff earlier this month.…
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Modern-day segregationists

Clancy DuBos — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 13:39:17 -0500

Starting Monday, April 9, state senators will have the opportunity to show where they stand on Louisiana’s latest incarnation of 1950s-style segregation laws. I’m not making this up, and I’m not exaggerating.…

SlutWalk comes to New Orleans

Lauren LaBorde — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:16:44 -0500

A little over a year after Toronto hosted the first SlutWalk, a march where participants protest against victim-blaming in cases of sexual assault, a group is staging its own march in New Orleans on Saturday.

Ever since last year's Toronto march, groups in major cities around the world have followed the SlutWalk template and staged their own marches.…

HUD announces ruling against LGBT discrimination

Alex Woodward — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:00:01 -0600

Following this month's conference of U.S. mayors announcing support for the Freedom to Marry initiative, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) this week announced new provisions to "ensure that its core housing programs are open to all eligible persons, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity."

HUD secretary Shaun Donovan said "the Obama Administration has viewed the fight for equality on behalf of the LGBT community as a priority and I’m proud that HUD has been a leader in that fight. With this historic rule, the Administration is saying you cannot use taxpayer dollars to prevent Americans from choosing where they want live on the basis sexual orientation or gender identity — ensuring that HUD’s housing programs are open, not to some, not to most, but to all.”

Provisions to protect LGBT communities in public housing previously only fell into the Fair Housing Act's considerations.…