Crime remarks ignite ‘war of words’ between Kennedy and Landrieu
17th July 2017 · 0 Comments
A war of words over the crime problem in New Orleans that flared up between then State Treasurer John Kennedy and Mayor Mitch Landrieu just before Kennedy’s successful bid last year to replace outgoing U.S. Sen. David Vitter is making news again.
Last year, amid a rise in armed robberies and violent attacks in the French Quarter, Kennedy bemoaned the City of New Orleans’ failed efforts to get a handle on rising violent crime. The Landrieu administration bristled at Kennedy’s criticism as well as New Orleans businessman Sidney Torres’ harsh words about the growing crime problem after Torres’ home was burglarized and a French Quarter business frequented by his mother was robbed.
After being challenged by Mayor Landrieu to do something to fix the problem rather than just complain, Torres responded by creating a crime app and donating funds to beef up private security in the area.
In the wake of a recent series of violent robberies and assaults in the French Quarter and the continuing struggles of the undermanned NOPD to keep residents, French Quarter workers and tourists safe, U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., revisited the subject during a confirmation hearing Wednesday for FBI Director nominee Christopher Wray in Washington, D.C.
“We have an extraordinary crime problem in New Orleans, Kennedy told Wray, “We’re rapidly becoming the murder and armed robbery capital of the Western hemisphere.
“Can I count on you to give us a little advice and help? We’re wrestling with a huge crime problem and we’re losing,” Kennedy asked Wray.
“Well, Senator, you can count on me to take a hard look and figure out how we can be more effective in New Orleans, just like we need to figure out how we can be effective in every city that’s targeted by violent crime,” responded Wray.
While the Republican congressman’s words underscored the need for new and innovative crime-fighting strategies to reduce violent crime and homicides in New Orleans, they also raised the ire of Mayor Landrieu, who issued a statement Wednesday that said in part, “I have been to too many funerals and consoled too many mothers at crime scenes, for a career politician like John Kennedy to pander from the peanut gallery, especially when he can actually do something to help.”
FOX 8 News reported that the mayor also said murder and violent crime rates are down more than 60 percent from their historic peak in the 90s. But LSU criminologist Dr. Peter Scharf has a problem with that comparison.
“We are the murder capital of the United States,” Scharf told FOX 8. “You know, comparing the numbers to the 90s is just silly because at the end of the (NOPD Supt. Richard) Pennington changes ending in 1999, we had 159 murders. We’re going to be way above that this year.”
And, according to NOPD numbers, homicides in New Orleans are up by 36 percent, aggravated assaults increased by 22 percent, while shootings jumped by 52 percent compared to this time last year.
“We desperately need help, but who has the fiscal resources to turn this around? In the 90s when the murder totals went from 424 to 159, the Morial administration and Chief Pennington, I worked with them, got roughly $60 million in more funding to hire officers, to gain technology, to gain training,” Scharf said.
“The officers of the NOPD are focused relentlessly on stopping crime and keeping the people of New Orleans safe,” the NOPD said in a statement Wednesday. “We are making arrests every day, and we are out in force every night fighting to bring criminals to justice. That means proactive police work, smart deployment strategies and a dedication to building trust with the community we serve.”
Earlier this year, the Landrieu administration unveiled a $40 million crime initiative aimed at improving public safety throughout New Orleans. The plan calls for increased lighting and surveillance in the French Quarter, increased surveillance in crime hot spots across the city, additional funds for overtime police pay and a host of other changes aimed at keeping residents and tourists safe.
Some community activists said that it would be foolish of the Landrieu administration to completely dismiss everything Sen. Kennedy said last week about the city’s worsening come problem.
“While I am no fan of Sen. Kennedy and his divisive politics, I am inclined to agree with his assessment that the crime problem is getting worse and something needs to be done to address it head-on,” the Rev. Raymond Brown, a community activist and president of National Action Now, told The Louisiana Weekly Thursday.
“Part of the problem is that the mayor refuses to hear anyone’s voice but his own,” Brown continued. “He thinks that hiring more police and building more jails is the answer but history has proven that this won’t work. New Orleans is already the mass incarceration capital and that has done very little to deter crime and gun violence.
“The mayor should have taken at least part of the $40 million for the crime initiative and used that money for economic development in struggling communities around the city. He also needs to demonstrate his commitment to improving conditions for everyone in New Orleans by creating effective job-training programs and making sure that the City of New Orleans defends the constitutional rights of its residents by ensuring quality public education and expanding economic opportunities for people of color.
“We need justice, livable wages and more opportunities for those who are struggling to lift themselves out of poverty and hopelessness.”
This article originally published in the July 17, 2017 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
