After the March: Next Steps?

So, where do we go from here?

Bolstered by a need to do something and hoping to jumpstart the implementation ideas listed in the previous post, a friend and I drafted a letter. We concentrated on the first two points (steering committee and feeding the list of Crime Reduction Ideas upwards) and emailed it to NOLA Against Crime and Silence Is Violence.

Again, we received very positive reinforcement! In fact, NOLA Against Crime has gotten behind the idea of the steering team and has offered the use of their website for reporting updates and to make a call for volunteers when we're ready to move.

This is the problem. Before they can do any of this, NOLA Against Crime needs someone to step up to coordinate the steering team because their plates are already full. This leader/coordinator would not have to seek out the volunteers and does not necessarily have to be an expert on crime issues. He/she/they would simply need to be local, be able to coordinate the tasks from the list with the schedules of volunteers, can keep track of current status and most important be reliable and able to put aside their own personal agendas. I would do it myself, but since I'm not local, that would be a bit too much. This needs hands on attention.

That's where we are today.

How you can help:

• continue spreading the word about the Crime Reduction Ideas and how it came about
• check back here or join the Fleur de Lis Recovery Corps Google group (announcement only) for the most current updates
• if you (or someone you know) is interested in joining or supporting the steering committee, sign up for the NOLA Against Crime email list, so that you are included in the call for volunteers.

1-11-07: New Orleans March Against Crime

For the many people who were unable to attend New Orleans' historic March Against Crime on January 11, please reference the following link for full video coverage of all speeches: Times-Picayune Online March Against Crime Coverage

As part of the preparations for the march, organizers asked that people write to the New Orleans City Council and Mayor Ray Nagin to address the issue of crime. I wasn't sure what to write about, but I wanted to support the cause. As much of the organization of the march took place on a forum that I frequent, the days leading up to the march led to a plethora of crime reduction ideas from the forum users. So, I decided to collate my ideas along with others and email them. I avoided the obvious ideas, such as calling for resignations and recalls. Instead, I focused on ideas that I hadn't seen widely publicized and that I felt could be implemented or started immediately. Here's the list: Crime Reduction Ideas.

With no expectation of ever hearing from anyone, I sent the list the night before the march. My initial plan was to send the letter every time I learned of another violent crime in New Orleans, every day if necessary. To my pleasant surprise, I received a response from Councilman-At-Large Arnie Fielkow the very next night. He indicated that he would share this list with law enforcement and the council would hold them accountable.

I relayed this response to my fellow forum posters. This sparked another round of suggestions, regarding how the items might be expeditiously implemented. Some of the ideas were

1. to form a steering committee drawn from different neighborhoods
2. to feed the lists to Silence is Violence and NOLA Against Crime since they already have a following or base, so to speak
3. and to divide the list in order to separate responsibilities and increase its manageability
   

At this point, I and a few others will execute point 2 and contact some of the neighborhood associations regarding point 1.

How you can help:

• spread the word about the list: Crime Reduction Ideas
• write to city officials with your own crime reduction ideas
• and/or adopt one of these ideas and try to push it forward in your own way.

To follow further initiatives addressing violent crime in New Orleans, check out Silence is Violence and NOLA Against Crime.