moments in gay new orleans history

by Frank Perez E-mail: [email protected]

“Interest in the Up Stairs Lounge Fire is at an All-Time High”

the "official" dish ...from 4

Carnival Programming Continues with Donald Harrison and Rex Den @ the Cabildo After a successful opening of the Louisiana State Museum’s newest exhibit, Krewe of Hermes: The Diamond Jubilee, Friends of the Cabildo’s Carnival Season continues with three events. On Friday, Jan. 31st, Big Chief Donald Harrison and the Congo Square Nation will be playing the Friends of the Cabildo Concert Series Concert at the Old U.S. Mint at 7pm. Harrison, a world-renowned jazz musician is also a member of the Guardians of the Flame Mardi Gras Indians that his father founded. Harrison will bring his mix of Mardi Gras Indians songs, funk and jazz to a rare performance of him in full Mardi Gras Indians regalia. Tickets are $20 for FOC/ LMF Members and $30 for the general public. Ticket can be purchased online or by calling the Friends of the Cabildo Office at 504.523.3939. Two familiar Friends of the Cabildo Carnival events round out the season with a Rex Den showing Saturday, Feb. 1st, 1-3pm. Guests are allowed to explore the Rex Parade almost a month in advance of their annual ride on Mardi Gras Day as well as shop in the Rex Mart at the Den. Tickets are $20 for FOC/LMF Members and $30 for the general public. The annual Hidden Treasures of the Louisiana State Museum: Carnival Edition hosted by Carnival Curator Wayne Phillips is set just a week ahead of the first parade of the season. The twice-nightly tours/lectures will be held at the LSM Collections building at 1000 Chartres on Feb. 11th and 13th, 6pm and 7pm. Tickets are $25 for FOC/LMF Members and $35 for general admission. Guests are given unprecedented access to all items that the Museum collected over the past year including favors, throws, gowns and costumes. To purchase tickets or for more information, please contact Kaydee Nenninger at 504.523.3939 or go online at www.friendsofthecabildo.org.

Lords of Leather Royalty Appreciation Party Feb. 9 Reigning Lord King XXX Pat Johnson and Lord Consort XXX Joey Landry would like to invite all members of the community and especially all members of Gay Mardi Gras Krewes to Kajun’s Pub, 2256 St. Claude Avenue on Sunday, Feb. 9th for Lords of Leather’s Annual Royalty Appre-

Until today I had never actually been inside the space that once housed the Up Stairs Lounge. Ascending the stairs, where the arsonist started the fire, I thought of the 32 people who climbed that stairwell on Sunday evening, June 24, 1973, and it occurred to me that probably none of them thought it would be the last time they would make that climb. Then I thought of the stairwell at my apartment on Royal Street and also of the stairwells at some of my favorite bars and it occurred to me how climbing those stairs always made me happy because at their top was a place of refuge and rest, of safety and sanctuary, of good times and happy memories. Upon reaching the last few steps, I noticed the coal black char marks on the walls and ceiling. Part of the wood had rotted away and left a gaping hole, still there after 40 years. Upon entering the space, which is now used as a storage area for Jimani, the bar downstairs, I was greeted by Sheri Wright, Clayton Delery, Jimmy Masacci and a survivor of the fire, who was visiting the site for the first time since that fateful night. They were all there to be interviewed by Wright for a documentary film she is making about the fire. As the interviewing commenced, Delery and I stepped outside the building and began chatting about the upcoming release of a book he has written about the fire, The Up Stairs Lounge Arson: Thirty-two Dead in a New Orleans Gay Bar, June 24, 1973. He pointed out to me the window where Luther Boggs and Eddie Gillis jumped to the sidewalk while they were on fire. A bartender from the neighboring Midship bar ran out and poured pitchers of ice water on them. Boggs would later die in the hospital. Delery also informed me that Jean Gosnell, who escaped with Boggs and Gillis through the same window, and who lived across the street, had to move after the fire because seeing the burnt building everyday was so painful. There were other stories like that and I quickly concluded that Delery’s book promises to be the most detailed account of the tragedy and perhaps the definitive treatment on the subject, though not the first. In 2011, Johnny Townsend published Let the Faggots Burn: The UpStairs Lounge Fire, the bulk of which was written in 19891990. Consisting primarily of biographical sketches of the victims of the fire, Townsend’s book is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the Up Stairs Lounge fire. In addition to both Townsend’s and Delery’s books, two documentary films about the tragedy are currently in production. Both films, by Robert Camina and Sheri Wright, are scheduled to be released later this year. Camina’s last film, a documentary about a police raid on gay bar in Fort Worth, Texas, called Raid of the Rainbow Lounge, opened to rave reviews and won multiple awards at film festivals around the country. Wright’s film will be her first. Both books and both documentaries are indications that popular and academic interest in the fire is on the rise. Time magazine ran an article on the fire last year that coincided with 40th Anniversary of the tragedy. Also last year, playwright Wayne Self produced a dramatic musical based on the fire. And the local Commemoration Ceremony last summer garnered much press in both the print and television media. All this historical interest is a good thing, of course, even if it has come a little late. The Up Stairs Lounge fire was, after all, the deadliest crime against gays and lesbians in our nation’s history. Yet, the fire remains largely ignored in LGBT+ historical narratives. To my knowledge, The Advocate has never run a story on the fire. Even many locals don’t know about it. But along with this flurry of interest in the fire come questions. What is the fire’s significance in our collective history? Why has it been neglected in the media for so long? Why is it important to remember the fire? And what can we learn from it? There are some who say the fire was our Stonewall. It’s an interesting comparison but not entirely accurate. Whereas Stonewall caused people to raise their voices and spurred them to action, the Up Stairs Lounge fire did not spark a movement of gay activism in New Orleans. In fact the silence after the fire yields an important insight about the mentality of gay folk in New Orleans in 1973. When the Reverend Troy Perry and others came down after the fire to chastise the gay community for its apathy, they were called carpetbaggers and told to mind their own business. Those Friends of Dorothy had grown so accustomed to their status as second class citizens, and invisible at that, that they settled for the closet. They didn’t want to come out and even if they did, they clearly weren’t ready to. In retrospect, it’s easy to say the fire and the pathetic public response to it should have caused more outrage, more action. The real question is why it didn’t. I’m hoping Delery, Wright, and Camina explore that question in their upcoming work.

ciation Party. Festivities honoring the 2013 royalty from Amon-Ra, Satyricon, Petronius, Mwindo, Armeinius and Queenateenas will go from 2-4pm. A $10 donation is asked and there will be a cash bar and hors d’oeuvres served. A silent auction of original Mardi Gas wreaths designed by members will be held as well. (www.LordsOfLeather.com)

Armeinius French Quarter Walking Tour Feb. 9 Explore the historic French Quarter in a way that you’ve never experienced it before. Come to see some of America’s oldest houses and see history come to life before your eyes. Enjoy a new New Orleans tradition of drinking cocktails and learning history at the same time in this one-of-a-kind Krewe of Armeinius Tour. It is set for Sunday, Feb. 9th 2-5pm with the French Quarter Walking Tour beginning from stop #1 – Little Vic’s – 719 Toulouse St. at 2, 3 and 4pm, plus a complimentary “Adult Beverage” at each stop (additional beverages available for purchase). Visit www.Armeinius.org for tickets or more information.

"I Wanna Meet A Pornstar" Performing Live @ Bourbon Pub & Parade Feb. 15 New Orleans own Bourbon Pub & Parade, 801 Bourbon Street, brings "I Wanna Meet A Pornstar" featuring Falcon Studios Exclusive and Gay America's new heartthrob Ryan Rose performing live on stage. He will be joined by Louisiana's own Ethan Shade with an 11pm sneak peek downstairs at the Pub. Then on to the Parade upstairs at 1am for the main event with Falcon Studios Exclusive giveaways followed by a meet & greet, and photo signing with the stars. And don't forget the weekly lineup. The

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marriage equality louisiana The Adams and Eves Versus Louisiana by Scott J. Spivey, Esq., [email protected] As many of you know, Rip and Marsha On November 26, 2013, Judge Martin Naquin-Delain were married in New York Feldman dismissed the AG. The motions to this past year. amend and for reconsideration were deIndeed, many devoted same-sex nied. couples have taken the trek to a state that The plaintiffs have appealed the disallows same-sex marriage - only to return to missal claiming that the concept of soverLouisiana - a state that is compelled by the eign immunity applies only to money judg2004 amendment to the Louisiana Consti- ments - not to civil rights violations. In tution and the amendment to the Louisiana addition, the plaintiffs filed a new lawsuit on Civil Code to refuse any recognition of the January 14th against the State Registrar of “purported marriage”: Vital Records, the Secretary of Health and Article XII, Section 15 of the Louisiana Hospitals and the Secretary of Revenue Constitution. (as individual actors rather than a repreMarriage in the state of Louisiana shall sentatives of the State). On January 17th consist only of the union of one man and the new lawsuit was transferred back to the one woman. No official or court of the state original judge and on the 21st, the lawsuits of Louisiana shall construe this constitution were consolidated. or any state law to require that marriage or On January 22, 2013, Robert Welles the legal incidents thereof be conferred applied to secure a marriage license to upon any member of a union other than the marry Garth Beauregard from the Orleans union of one man and one woman. A legal Parish Marriage License office and was status identical or substantially similar to summarily refused. That afternoon, Rob that of marriage for unmarried individuals and Garth were added to the lawsuit as shall not be valid or recognized. No official well. Once served or service is waived, the or court of the state of Louisiana shall new defendants will have 60 days to file an recognize any marriage contracted in any answer or any other responsive pleading. other jurisdiction which is not the union of So it will be after Mardi Gras until we hear one man and one woman. anything. However, with the strides in Article 3520 of the Louisiana Civil Code: Oklahoma, Utah and Ohio, the spectrum A. A marriage that is valid in the state looks brighter than it has ever been. where contracted, or in the state where the The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal very parties were first domiciled as husband and recently held the LGBT community to a wife, shall be treated as a valid marriage heightened scrutiny status as a protected unless to do so would violate a strong public class and held that a potential juror could policy of the state whose law is applicable not be struck because of his or her status to the particular issue under Article 3519. as a member of the class. This Ladies and B. A purported marriage between per- Gentlemen is huge news in the world of law. sons of the same sex violates a strong Under constitutional scrutiny - a state must public policy of the state of Louisiana and show that it has a compelling reason to such a marriage contracted in another state discriminate. Obviously, as it applies to shall not be recognized in this state for any discrimination regarding marriage, Louisipurpose, including the assertion of any ana has neither a legitimate nor a compelright or claim as a result of the purported ling reason to survive such scrutiny. Excelmarriage. sior. The legal effect of this ranges from the For additional information, visit http:// ability of an insurance company to protect www.robicheauxvscaldwell.com. the spouse, recognition to spousal status when a spouse dies, rights to be informed the "official" dish ...from 6 and make medical decisions for a spouse, and the ability for a parent to be recognized Pub downstairs lineup includes Monday as a natural tutor or for same-sex married SIN Comedy Night, Tuesday Creative 90's, couples to adopt, and more. Indeed, as we Wednesday Showtunes & Divas, Thursprepare for tax season, same-sex married day Request Night, Friday and Saturday couples in Louisiana may not file “married Music Videos, and Sunday Retro Videos. filing jointly” - and cannot honestly state Upstairs in the Parade host Tuesday girlbar that they are single. New Orleans with the Carnival Kings, ThursIn July 2013, Jonathan Robicheaux day Sing Your Heart Out Karaoke, Friday filed a complaint in federal court, midnight Boys on Parade Strip-Off, Satur13-cv-05090 USDC EDLA, against the day Boys Night, and Sunday 6-8pm Tea Louisiana Attorney General, James Dance Drink & Drown with 8pm Lipstixx Caldwell, to recognize his marriage in Iowa Ladies on Parade. Visit in 2012 to his husband, Derek Penton. www.BourbonPub.com for additional inforDerek along with Courtney and Nadine mation. Blanchard, who are also married and have a son together, with Courtney being the biological mother and Nadine being the Friends of the birth mother, were added to the lawsuit. In Cabildo Walking Tour response, the Attorney General (AG) filed a motion to dismiss invoking “sovereign im- Guide Class munity” under the 11th Amendment to the Love History? Become a walking tour Constitution, which states: “The Judicial Guide for the Friends of the Cabildo! The power of the United States shall not be Friends of the Cabildo (FOC) Walking Tour construed to extend to any suit in law or Guide Training Program provides intensive equity, commenced or prosecuted against and comprehensive training for tour guides. one of the United States by Citizens of The classes are under the expert direction another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of of Friends of the Cabildo Board Members, any Foreign State.” Mrs. Jane Molony, Mrs. Jackie Graff and

Mrs. Kathryn Mouton, who are assisted by a staff of volunteer FOC tour guides. The program provides an intensive overview of the history of Louisiana. In addition to the academic component, trainees are provided training in presentation techniques, procedures for conducting tours, and other practical guidelines. An extensive reading list is also provided. Trainees must also complete a series of “tag alongs” with certified FOC guides to give them proper field experience. Students are guided in the creation and practice of their own self-designed walking tours of the French Quarter. Students must pass a one-on-one tour with an evaluator, as well as a critiqued tour with a group under the observation of an evaluator. Students are prepared for a written examination conducted by the city of New Orleans as a prerequisite to obtaining a tour guide license. Those who complete the program are required to make a commitment to the FOC to serve as a volunteer guide for a period of two years. Guides are generally on the schedule one or two times per month during this period. The walking tour class is offered one time per year at the Cabildo. The 2014 Walking Tour Guide Class starts March 12th. Please email Kaydee Nenninger, [email protected], if you are interested in becoming a Friends of the Cabildo Walking Tour Guide! Acceptance into the program is contingent upon an interview process following application.

Calling All Sweetheart Couples Ambush Mag is seeking photos from LGBT sweetheart couples to feature in its next issue celebrating Valentine's, Pre-Mardi Gras. Please send one photo with both of your names, years together, and whether you're in a relationship, engaged, or married (include the date married in what city, state) to [email protected] by deadline of Tuesday, Feb. 4th. It's our effort to put a face on loving couples who are making a difference in LGBT society today.

Patti LaBelle Headlines Zulu Ball Feb. 28 The Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club, Inc. is proud to announce Grammy Award Winner Patti LaBelle will be the featured

entertainer for the 2014 Annual Zulu Coronation Ball to be held Feb. 28th at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, 900 Convention Center Blvd. in New Orleans. Tables are on sale now for the Coronation Ball and may be purchased at the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club, Inc., 732 North Broad Street. For additional information, call 504.827.1661 or visit our website www.Kreweof Zulu.com.

Lucky Pierre's sets Wednesday, Thursday & Friday Lineup New Orleans newest night club Lucky Pierre's, 735 Bourbon Street, will host three nights on its exciting weekly lineup. Wednesdays will bring the ultimate DJ contest "So you think you can DJ?" Four DJs will compete each week in the 6 week contest. The grand prize winner wins a residency at Lucky Pierre's. On Thursday you can take home $200 as winner of the "best orgasm on the Lucky microphone." Can you just imagine what you might hear? Are you DTF? That is Down To Friday with drink specials, and a hot Go Go Dancer Contest with the winner taking home $200 each week. To find out more on this new club, visit www.LuckyPierresNOLA.com.

Costume Making & Mardi Gras Revelry @ OCH Market Feb. 8 Come build your Mardi Gras costume with at the OCH Art Market on Feb. 8th in New Orleans’ most eclectic, up and coming neighborhood. A wide variety of vendors carrying costume accessories and know how will be on site to help you create your ensemble. There will also be a 2 hour sewing class beginning at 12:30. “Wild Man John” of the Mardi Gras Indians will be on hand selling bead work accessories. Entertainment will include a live drum circle, libations, and the Krewe of Skinz and Bonz. Vendors include Dante’s Masquerade, Mardiclaw, Wildman Ellis, Bijou’s Big Easy, Gamache Designs and more. Carolina Gallop, a seamstress with 15 years experience will he hosting a Sit N Sew class from 12:30 to 2:30pm. The two hour class costs $15 and is open to all skill levels and to ages 10 years and up. Bring your fabric and your machine and put together your best costume ever. Food will be served by New Orleans’ newest vegan restaurant, 3 Potato 4, which has inked in a deal to be serving the food at the OCH Market for months to come. The menu includes organic baked fries with a variety of savory sauces vegetarian chili. The Faubourg Lafayette Neighborhood Association will also be at the market hosting their first monthly Sidewalk Sale where residents can come sell, trade and shop for second hand treasures. The FLNA will be organizing this recycling and community building enterprise for months to come and are expecting to have clothes, appliances, furniture and more. The family friendly atmosphere and easy to access location provide important exposure for artists of all mediums in Central City and New Orleans as a whole. All crafts are hand made as the market gives a place for both burgeoning and experi-

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candidate interviews

by Frank Perez E-mail: [email protected]

Interview with Judge Michael Bagneris, Candidate for Mayor of New Orleans FP (Frank Perez): Judge Bagneris, what do you know about the gay community in New Orleans? JB (Judge Michael Bagneris): Actually, I’m even perturbed by the question because it kind of indicates the gay community for some reason should be separate and distinct from the overall community. The gay community, the straight community, we are all one. We’re all people. I know everything about the gay community that I know about the heterosexual community. I don’t know why there should be some line of demarcation. It’s like saying what do you know about the heterosexual community or the white community or the black community. We’re all people. So I know everything there is to know about the gay community because I know everything there is to know about people. FP: Last year we commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Upstairs Lounge fire with a program at the Historic New Orleans Collection. The current mayor was invited but declined to attend. If you’re elected mayor, would you be willing to attend such events? JB: Let me start by saying that the initiation of gay pride weekend—I was the one who brought that, not into being because the gay community did that, but I’m the one that issued the proclamation for it because I had then convinced my then mayor that it was the right thing to do, and that was Mayor Morial. And he agreed but when it came time for the press, he asked me to do it and I proudly went down and ushered in the gay weekend. So I did it then and I have not changed my views or stripes or opinions. So the answer to your question is yes. FP: And you were Executive Counsel for Mayor Morial?

the "official" dish ...from 8 enced artists to showcase their work in an easy to reserve vendor format. The market is free, open to the public and family and pet friendly and with plenty of parking. The OCH Art Market is in its fourth year and is always held on the second Saturday of every month at 1618 O.C. Haley Blvd, right in the heart of Central City. This building, also home to the Zeitgeist Theatre, is a protected historic landmark and with its 18 foot ceilings is a tourist attraction in itself. The market seeks to provide a foothold for returning Central City and Dryades Street to its former glory as a thriving commercial district second only to Canal Street. Since its beginnings in November 2010, the OCH Art Market has risen to the occasion and provides a venue for not only New Orleans citizens to explore what Central City has to offer, but also for visitors from out of town looking to shop in an historic New Orleans neighborhood. More information on this market can be found at www.ochartmarket.com.

Judge Michael Bagneris JB: Yes, that’s correct. FP: And I understand at that time you helped draft some legislation that prohibited LGBT discrimination? JB: Yes, that always has been part of my background in terms of how I started off this conversation. Every right that a heterosexual has, a gay individual ought to have. So anytime we can bring those rights into being through an ordinance or a statute, through court action or whatever it is, then we should because it’s the right thing to do. FP: You attended law school at Tulane, is that correct? JB: That’s also correct. FP: And before that Yale? JB: Yes, I went to undergraduate school at Yale. FP: As you are aware, Southern Decadence is one of the city’s biggest annual events. Last year, Roughly 150,000 people came for Decadence and estimates peg their economic impact for the city at $1.1 billion. Also last year, for the first time in Southern Decadence’s 41 year history, the city charged the Southern Decadence Grand Marshals $6,600 for sanitation fees. This raised a number of questions that no one at City Hall has been able to answer: Why the sanitation charge now whereas there had never been one before? On what basis is the fee calculated? Do other groups such as the Sugar Bowl and Bayou Classic have to pay such a fee? And if so, how much? And no one at City Hall has been able to provide an itemized list of how the $6,600 fee was spent. If you are elected, can you offer the organizers of Southern Decadence some relief on this fee or at least answer some of the aforementioned questions? JB: I’ll give you straight answers. I can’t say I’m going to give relief because I don’t know the details but I will make sure everybody plays on a level playing field. If everyone was charged a sanitation fee

based on some formula, then I’d have to enforce it across the board. But if everyone was not charged a sanitation fee, then we would have to adjust that provision and again make sure that everyone is treated equally. FP: So that’s something you would be willing to look into? JB: Absolutely. FP: Let’s talk about crime. Your platform calls for hiring more police, which, I suspect, most people think is a good idea. The question is how do you pay for them? JB: First of all, we already have the money to pay for 1,537 police officers. That was the budget. We have less than 1,100 officers right now. So when you talk about where you’re going to get the money to pay for it, the money was already in the budget. The better question would be where is the money that was budgeted. FP: What are your thoughts on Chief Serpas’ performance? Would you replace him and if so, what criteria would you use in appointing a new Chief of Police? JB: I’ve already indicated several times that my first act as Mayor will be getting a new Police Chief, so Serpas is gone. In terms of what I would look to in replacing him, I would look to the best practices rule. New York just appointed a new police chief and all of the newspapers indicated that they went through a very good procedure. I’ve already requested all the documentation that New York City used in order to determine how they were going to select their police chief—not that I’m going to adopt it just outright but I think it’s a good idea to look at that which has been certified as a good practice and procedure and look at that roadmap and see what we can use. FP: There is a sense among French Quarter residents that the police presence in the Quarter is primarily for the tourists. There is a tremendous crime problem in the Quarter. People are getting mugged and robbed and harassed on an almost daily basis. I can personally name half a dozen people who have gone to the 8th District to file police reports and been convinced not to and, in addition, been made to feel guilty for wasting the officer’s time. JB: That goes back to the lack of police problem. Let me tell you—every district feels like they don’t have enough police. If you go to New Orleans East, they are always complaining, rightly so, because for a 70 square mile district, they more often than not have one patrol car patrolling that whole area. And the same thing is true in Algiers and Central City and the lower 9th Ward and the fact of the matter is we don’t have enough police officers. We don’t have enough boots on the streets and until we get more boots on the streets we’re not going to have the public safety the citizens warrant and deserve. So we have to immediately increase the police force. FP: Another quality of life issue is the so-called “Noise Ordinance.” What are your thoughts on that controversy? JB: Well, first of all I get upset when people refer to it as a noise ordinance. Call it a sound ordinance, call it a volume ordinance but no music coming out of New Orleans should be referred to as noise. Plus, it gives you a certain mindset; you know, who is going to be in favor of noise? No one. So let’s rephrase it and put it in its proper perspective and then after we do that let’s get an ordinance drafted that everyone who is affected can participate in. So that’s the artists, the club-owners, the residents, even tourists—you could have

representatives from the Convention Bureau—so that everybody who is a stakeholder has an opportunity to give their viewpoints and make the arguments. FP: What are your thoughts on Malachi Hull and the recent turmoil at the Taxi Cab Bureau? JB: Well, Malachi Hull only represents the same type of leadership the current administration has been dealing with. It’s not one that believes in being collaborative. It’s a dictatorship. It’s my way or the high way. And that starts from the top. So if people would just communicate with the taxi drivers, they have a lot of good issues. For instance, why should a seven year old vehicle be the determining factor? You could have a seven year old vehicle that has no mileage on it and looks brand new and you can have a one year old vehicle that has 200,000 miles on it. Shouldn’t we look to other things other than the age of the vehicle? FP: Would you be in favor of revoking the recent cab requirements? JB: No, I would be in favor of sitting down with the taxi drivers and listening to their particular grievances and then make a determination. For instance, right now they are mandated to put in certain credit card machines. I’m told these are fairly expensive, whereas the taxi drivers say they would like to have the credit card phone swipes, which is a negligible cost, but accomplishes the same end. Why shouldn’t they be allowed to do that? So wherever there is a reasonable objection to what’s in the ordinance, then I think we ought to take a look at it. But again, that’s a question of communicating with the stakeholders. FP: Would you say the current Administration is marked by a lack of communication or unwillingness to listen? JB: That’s unquestionably true. We have a mayor right now who knows everything. Knows everything about every area. Knows everything about policing, knows everything about transportation, he knows everything about everything, so he doesn’t have to communicate and he doesn’t. FP: There are some business owners in the French Quarter who feel the Vieux Carre Commission is very selective in their enforcement, especially with regard to signage. JB: Well obviously I’ve indicated that I believe that everybody should be on the same level playing field, but until I know more about what the specific complaints are I won’t make a decision one way or the other. Again, as I told you earlier, I would need to hear from everybody and once I hear from everybody then I could make a call on that. FP: Why do you want to be mayor? JB: I want to be mayor because my city, our city, is in peril. We’ve already indicated the public safety problem. Everybody knows the public safety problem is the number one concern on all citizens’ minds. Quickly following the public safety problem is the business and job problem—the creation of business and the creation of jobs. If we don’t have public safety, we’re not going to have businesses and if we don’t have businesses, we’re not going to have jobs. If we don’t have jobs, a person’s not going to be able to feed their family. If you can’t feed your family, then you move out of town. If everybody moves out of town, we have no New Orleans. So I stepped down

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