Paid In Full Shines Light On Money Injustice
The Paid in Full: Ending Money Injustice in New Orleans, an exciting evening of music, conversation, and community engagement co-hosted by the VERA Institute of Justice, Global Citizen and RFK Human Rights, will take place from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. on July 3 at the Historic Carver Theater, 2010 Orleans Ave.
The event is designed to raise community support and awareness to end the practice of money bail and conviction fees – or money injustice in New Orleans.
The evening will be hosted by Brittany Packnett, civil rights activist and co-host of the award-winning Pod Save the People, and feature musical performances from the Brass-A-Holics, Soul Creole, and Grammy-winning Hot 8 Brass Band.
The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are available on eventbrite.com.
Money injustice has long plagued New Orleans, funneling too many people, particularly Black people, into our local jails. However, we’re now at a unique moment of opportunity for reform. Paid In Full coincides with a new report the VERA Institute released in mid-June, which presents a thorough and clear plan to eliminate financial barriers to justice for New Orleanians and make our entire community safer.
In between musical performances, attendees will to hear from community activists, local justice reform advocates, and civic leaders – including president of the Foundation for Louisiana Flozell Daniels, and executive director of the ACLU of Louisiana Alanah Hebert– about concrete steps New Orleans can take to become the first city in America to completely eliminate money injustice.
Audubon Louisiana Nature Center Brings Community Market to New Orleans East
Audubon Louisiana Nature Center will host a community market the second Saturday of each month. Audubon hopes the Second Saturday Community Market will increase access to fresh produce, cooking classes, and gardening demonstrations for New Orleans East residents and expand opportunities for local artisans and vendors.
The monthly markets kicks off on Saturday, July 13, 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., Audubon’s Second Saturday Community Market will feature local vendors selling their wares, including: produce, seafood, sweets, made-to-order smoothies, handmade aromatics, community services, and more.
“Access to quality fresh food is critical to a healthy community. I am grateful for the partnership that we have with Audubon Louisiana Nature Center,” says Councilwoman Cyndi Nguyen. “I am committed to bringing innovative concepts that ensure communities in the East have access to healthy fresh food. I want to encourage residents to take advantage of this opportunity and come out on the 2nd Saturday of each month and purchase their fresh food items.”
In addition to the Market, Audubon Louisiana Nature Center will offer gardening presentations, nature hikes, live local entertainment, and a planetarium show.
“The Second Saturday Market at the Nature Center is becoming a place where guests from all over the city can come to find wholesome goodies, make new friends, and celebrate the wonders of nature,” said Audubon Louisiana Nature Center Director of Operations Isaac Wyatt.
The Second Saturday Community Market is the beginning of Audubon Louisiana Nature Center’s long-term plan to help provide healthy food choices for locals and raise awareness of the community programming at the Nature Center. Audubon hopes the Market will serve as an anchor for the New Orleans East community.
City Officials Celebrate Renovations to Westbank Playground
Earlier in June, Mayor LaToya Cantrell joined other officials and neighborhood leaders to celebrate nearly $500,000 worth of renovations to the New Orleans Recreation Development (NORD) Commission’s Bodenger Playground in Algiers’ Real Timbers neighborhood.
“I am just so excited about this facility coming back, redeveloped and restored. It truly is a new day in Algiers,” Mayor Cantrell said.
Renovations to Bodenger Playground include a new basketball court, a renovated and freshly painted clubhouse complete with restroom facilities with motion-sensor lighting, a new kitchen, new air-conditioning units, and storage space. Ongoing improvements to the baseball field include new bleachers, dugouts and fencing, connected walkways and new water fountains. The Department of Public Works also performed drainage improvements, including sidewalk paving, on one end of the playground.
“The half-million dollars’ worth of work we’ve put into Bodenger Playground underscores our commitment to add, update, upgrade and maintain our parks, playgrounds and recreation facilities across New Orleans for all of our residents. We recognize the need to build up our facilities in Algiers, and the value Bodenger Playground brings to the Real Timbers neighborhood and surrounding communities,” said NORD CEO Larry Barabino, Jr. “We’re excited to provide a place that can present year-round athletic programming and recreation for the whole family. Thank you to the Mayor, NORD Commissioners and Councilmember Gisleson Palmer for their leadership in supporting our kids.”
The Bodenger Playground renovations are part of increased investments on the Westbank, according to Deputy CAO for Infrastructure Ramsey Green – $12 million worth of Joint Infrastructure Program projects, one of which is under construction now (West Bank Group A Project), with work in the Memorial Park neighborhood; and $2.5 million in bond funds for projects kicking off this year, including roadwork on Lawrence Street between Shirley Drive and the dead end at the park, and on General Meyer Drive between Ernest and Bacchus.