“It’s discouraging, but it’s not going to stop me from coming,” said Roz Walker, 55. She and her friend Tracy Dunbar are Baton Rouge residents who were among the crowd awaiting the parades of the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club and the Rex Organization. They have been visiting New Orleans on Mardi Gras for decades.
“In our 40-plus years of coming to Mardi Gras we’ve never been involved in a situation at all,” she said.
First-time Mardi Gras participant Ken Traylor of Houston had heard about the shooting, but shrugged it off. “I just think you have to be careful with your surroundings,” he said. “Things happen nowadays everywhere.”
Crime has contributed to dissatisfaction with New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell. She won reelection easily in 2021, but has suffered a myriad of political problems since, including criticism about crime, the slow pace of major street repairs and questions over her personal use of a city-owned French Quarter apartment.
A recall petition launched last year is nearing a Wednesday deadline. One of the organizers, Eileen Carter, said she believes the movement has enough signatures, but will make a last-minute push.
“We’re going to have people canvassing the parade routes,” Carter said. “That’s been really helpful to us.”
There was no sign of political rancor as Cantrell watched St. Charles Avenue parades from a restricted access reviewing stand with city council members in front of Gallier Hall, the 19th century Greek Revival style building that once served as City Hall. She greeted leaders with hearty shouts of “Hail Zulu!” and “Hail Rex,” traditional mayoral tributes.
It was in stark contrast to a scene from the weekend when Cantrell was captured in a social media video gesturing with her middle-finger as a parade passed a city reviewing stand. What sparked the gesture was unclear. The mayor’s press office did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. A statement given to The…
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