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FSRP attends the Pre-Meeting Crime Summit

On Saturday, August 20 FSRP was invited to attend a strategy session presented by Crime Commission James Carter. Several hundred community organizations' representatives were in attendance. The focus of the session, what does crime in New Orleans look like compared to other cities, and how does crime in New Orleans today compare to crime in New Orleans in the recent past?

The information presented came from a report and study completed by Charles Wellford, Ph.D. University of Maryland, Brenda J. Bond, Ph.D. Suffolk University and Sean Goodison, University of Maryland and was funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) of the U.S. Department of Justice, which involved the collection and analysis of crime data, in addition to interviews with command staff, civilian staff, district personnel, and representatives of the Office of the District Attorney and the Office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

The following are some of the highlights from the presentation and strategy session.

Crime in New Orleans, as we have found in other cities, are highly concentrated geographically.
The offenders are disproportionately unemployed.
The victims and offenders are overwhelmingly residents of New Orleans.
What appears to be different about crime in New Orleans are the circumstances of the events—they are in residential areas and outdoors and do not involve the kinds of drug and gang involvements found in other cities.
Gangs and organized drug markets appear to play less of a role in homicides in New Orleans than they do in other cities.
78.6% of victims in violent crimes knew the offender.
Asset mapping is being completed using census tracks.
A teen summit to be held in March with Crime stoppers.
Sustain infrastructure to support at risk youth.
Re-invigorate neighborhood watch and pledge to watch over groups of kids in your neighborhood.
Build capacity to address mentorship with kids that are at the margin.

The Crime Summit will be held to address these discoveries, causes and initiatives and to create on going solutions to our crime challenges in New Orleans on Saturday, September 17, at UNO from 10AM-12PM. Your attendance is requested so that we may all contribute to creating solutions.

MOVIE NIGHT * THIS FRIDAY

WHERE: SAMPSON/ST. ROCH PARK
WHEN: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2011, 7:30PM
WHO: OPEN TO FAUBOURG ST. ROCH COMMUNITY

This is an initiative of NORDC conceived by Ms. Betty Washington, that our children and ourselves will have wholesome family entertainment in our communities.

This week the feature presentation will be
"Remember the Titans" starring Denzel Washington (after all it is football season)

MEET THE NEIGHBORS * REGGIE LAWSON * 1830 St. Roch AVENUE

As a veteran of neighborhood politics, Reggie Lawson more often than not ends up as the face of the St. Roch neighborhood. Reggie says that there are many important and soulful things about St. Roch that are not connected to him and that he is always looking for more residents to get involved in building community in St. Roch.

After spending time working in his grandfather's restaurant and graduating from St. Augustine High School, and at his mother's urging he attended LSUNO and Straight Business College where he received his Associates Degree in Accounting and also taught bookkeeping for two years. In 1969, Reggie became a realtor after working one year at Carver Realty and Insurance in the back office, he realized real estate was something he liked and he could be successful in the industry.

Having been raised in a single-parent household in public housing, Reggie found the perfect location for himself and his mom in the St. Roch community in 1993. He loved the idea of having the Sampson/St. Roch Park across the street and the service alley creating two entrances to his home. In Reggie's years of working in real estate he had come across the service style entrance in very few neighborhoods in New Orleans other than Lakeview.

Once living in the St. Roch Neighborhood, Reggie saw an immediate need for a neighborhood association due to the dearth of homeownership and in 1995, Faubourg St. Roch Improvement Association (FSRIA) was founded.

Reggie's leadership and the members of the FSRIA have accomplished much over the years such as health and housing fairs, supporting one of the most well attended National Night's Out Against Crime, the development of sustainable youth baseball and football teams, partnering with FSRP to complete a property survey of the neighborhood, however the FSRIA's greatest achievement is yet to come.

If you are interested in learning more about St. Roch's important and soulful history and have a desire to see the neighborhood come together to propel itself forward you should consider getting involved with the FSRIA.

The goals of the neighborhood organization are to assist with redevelopment of housing stock in the area, to create home ownership opportunities and act as a catalyst for economic development.

The Faubourg St. Roch Improvement Association meets every 2nd Thursday of the month at 6:00 pm at True Vine Baptist Church, 2008 Marigny St., New Orleans, LA 70117

We'll see you on Thursday, September 8 @ 6:00 pm.

CONTACT

Faubourg St Roch Project

Media Inquiries

Mandy Pumilia

Executive Director

618 Spain Street

New Orleans, LA 70117

Phone: 504.415.8444

mpumilia@strochproject.com

Denise A. Estopinal

The Estopinal Group

501 Basin St., Suite B

New Orleans, LA 70112

Office: 504.269-9233

Fax: 504.269-9232

denise@estopinalgroup.com

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Mission Statement

The Faubourg St. Roch Project (FSRP) has as its mission the renaissance of one of New Orleans' most historic, urban neighborhoods. The organization was formed post-Katrina as a collective of neighborhood activists and New Orleans natives who have expertise in sustainable housing, preservation, finance and the arts. FSRP is augmenting the resources of longstanding institutions to help residents return to and benefit from a revitalized community. FSRP's strategies include rebuilding/renovating damaged housing, invigorating public spaces, and establishing and supporting commercial and community enterprises.