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Gov. Jeff Landry has reached an unusual point in his increasingly bitter relationship with New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno: he will not speak to her, but he would still like to be thanked. Landry took to social media Friday afternoon after Moreno issued a statement marking the end of the Louisiana National Guard’s eight-month deployment…
It turns out reparations are not unrealistic. They are not too complicated. They are not inherently divisive. They are not some fringe fantasy that no serious government could ever administer. Apparently, reparations are perfectly manageable when the beneficiaries are Donald Trump’s political allies. On Monday, the Trump administration announced the creation of a $1.776 billion…
Gov. Jeff Landry ordered flags lowered for Martha Elizabeth Odom, the 17-year-old Lafayette student killed in a shooting at the Mall of Louisiana. Let’s start where basic decency requires us to start: Martha Odom was a child. Her death was a horror. Her family deserves grief without spectacle, memory without exploitation, and space to mourn…
On March 21, the Louisiana Democratic State Central Committee is scheduled to convene at the state capitol in Baton Rouge and vote on endorsing candidates in this year’s congressional races. Under normal circumstances, that might not raise many eyebrows (though the process has been historically messy). But this year is not normal. For the first…
Rev. Jesse Jackson died today in Chicago at the age of 84. If you’re looking for the neat version of American political history, Jackson is an easy footnote: two presidential runs, no nomination, no presidency. The kind of “historic” candidacy people praise after the fact precisely because it never has to win. That version is…
Louisiana Republicans have never met a gun bill they didn’t want to push further. With House Bill 99, they are now aiming squarely at college and university campuses—spaces already grappling with mental health crises, student safety concerns, and a state gun violence epidemic that is objectively out of control. Authored by Republican Rep. Danny McCormick,…
Louisianans have every right to cackle at the headline: our governor—of a state that can’t keep car insurance, homeowners insurance, or basic infrastructure from spiraling into chaos—is now a special envoy to Greenland. It reads like a deleted scene from a political satire. But here’s the problem with treating it like a meme: it isn’t…
When the Louisiana Legislature convened in Baton Rouge for this so-called “special session on redistricting and election-law reform,” make no mistake: this isn’t about strengthening democracy, it’s about weakening it. What’s happening right now in Louisiana is part of a broader national strategy to manipulate the rules of the game, consolidate conservative power, and silence…
In every era of American life, Black excellence has been filtered through the lens of what our opponents will tolerate — and, more importantly, what we ourselves will accept. From boardrooms to ballots, the public face of Black leadership has too often been defined not by vision or intellect, but by comfort. This is what…
We’re living through one of those moments when the erosion of a freedom doesn’t quite hurt — at first. It’s quiet. Subtle. And that’s precisely why it matters so much. Just this week, ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! indefinitely after the comedian made controversial remarks about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. That decision followed swift threats from…
Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during a campus event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. National outlets confirmed the killing and the chaotic scene on campus; the FBI is assisting local authorities. President Donald Trump announced Kirk’s death and said flags would be flown at half-staff. That’s the context — tragic, volatile, and nationally…
All across Louisiana, families are feeling it: the sharp squeeze of insurance premiums rising faster than our paychecks, pricing people out of their homes and choking our economy. It’s no longer just a crisis for the coast. It’s hitting every parish, every income level, and every generation. This is the biggest economic emergency in Louisiana…
On Monday, April 14, the Louisiana Legislature reconvenes for its 2025 session — kicking off debates on everything from taxes and schools to infrastructure and criminal justice. But if history is any guide, this session will likely offer more theater than transformation. Why? Because what happens (or doesn’t happen) in the Capitol’s committee rooms is…
Ralph Abraham’s decision to end the Louisiana Department of Health’s promotion of mass vaccination isn’t just shortsighted—it’s cruel, reckless, and a reflection of the worst kind of elitist policymaking. This decision will have devastating consequences, particularly for Black and low-income communities in Louisiana, where vaccine promotion at community events, churches, and schools is a critical lifeline…
According to a rumor going around town lately, if the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council passes the Fair Chance in Hiring ordinance this week, every small business in East Baton Rouge Parish will be forced to hire at least one mass murderer and/or child rapist at $18/hour with full benefits and 6-months paternity leave….
The State of Louisiana has one of the highest incarceration rates in the United States.[1] Black people in Louisiana are about 3 times as likely as white people to be arrested for marijuana possession, despite evidence that Black people and white people use marijuana at similar rates.[2] Incarceration can have negative effects on a person’s…
This is part of our ongoing series for the upcoming legislative races, spotlighting the different candidates who are appearing on the March 26, 2022 ballot. I am the most qualified and experienced candidate running for State Representative District 101. I am a life-long servant leader, dedicated to the betterment of Louisiana. I am passionate about…
This is part of our ongoing series for the upcoming legislative races, spotlighting the different candidates who are appearing on the March 26 ballot. I’m excited about the special election to be held on March 26, 2022 for State Representative in District 101. It is an important race. Our “little red state of Louisiana” needs…
This is part of our ongoing series for the upcoming legislative races, spotlighting the different candidates who are appearing on the March 26 ballot. Our community as a whole is facing the question of how to reduce the crime in Baton Rouge. There is no one way or one answer to reduce crime. The solution…
After a long and successful career, I have decided to seek the privilege of serving you and the legal community as a judge in the 19th Judicial District Court. I have spent my entire career in courtrooms learning how to try cases and how not to try them. I started my legal career as a…
This is part of our ongoing series for the upcoming legislative races, spotlighting the different candidates who are appearing on the March 26 ballot. I decided to run for the Metro Council, District 5 because I wanted to make a difference in the community that raised me. I understand the value of hardwork; growing up…
On January 8, 2022, Deaughn Willis was killed by an East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Deputy. Through recovered surveillance footage, you can see these Law Enforcement Professionals approach the Willis Family Door and deliver bang after bang on their door while never saying or acknowledging it was the police. Those officers, without any known warrant to enter the…
Like so many others, I continue to wonder how millions of Americans could vote not only once but twice for Trump. It is puzzling both psychologically and sociologically. This mystery (or mystification) has seriously exacerbated the divide between right and left. Prior to June 2015, the left generally thought they understood where the right was…
As I make my way through my latest read, entitled The Privatization of Everything, I cannot help but feel daunted by the truth telling that must be done to help all of us realize the many ways in which public goods and services, intended to affirm the principles and tenets of our very country’s promise,…
