Over the past sixty days, there has been a marked increase in the focus on and actions towards public safety in our community. Crime and quality-of-life are now the dominant topics of our elected leaders, the media, and the public. Moreover, this focus has been followed by action. In alignment with the Coalition’s platform, Mayor Cantrell has called for major support for NOPD. The City Council has taken a range of action, from funding for recruiting, to a revised technology ordinance, to raises for our officers. And the community has responded, with nearly $3.5 million donated for support of youth services, to be provided by community-based organizations from within the City’s Youth Master Plan.
That said, New Orleans is still in a very serious situation, with homicides on track to be at their highest level since the 1990’s. There is no immediate fix for the challenges facing the City today. It will take the collective, coordinated, and sustained action of our elected officials, civic and business groups, and the public for New Orleans to stabilize and improve.
The full report, found here, summarizes progress, and outstanding needed actions, within the context of the NOLA Coalition’s two platforms.
The NOLA Coalition
The NOLA Coalition is a diverse collection of over 430 local nonprofits, civic organizations, and businesses with an acute interest in helping to address public safety, for reasons of both life and livelihood. The mission of the NOLA Coalition is to harness our collective resources to create a safer and more prosperous New Orleans for all residents. The NOLA Coalition supports near-term actions to reduce violence, paired with investment in youth services to drive generational change. We stand ready to invest – our time, our people, our expertise, and our money – to help make a difference for New Orleans.
History
Compelled by a shared concern with the surge in violent crime, across all residents, the NOLA Coalition formed in July of 2022. At this time, the NOLA Coalition introduced its concurrent two-part platform:
- Community Support for NOPD – Near-term actions to reduce violence
- Investment in Youth Support Services – A $15M commitment to youth social services
Since announcement, membership and momentum has rapidly grown. The two platforms, and full membership list, can be seen at www.NOLAcoalition.info.
The NOLA Coalition Difference
The strategies supported by the NOLA Coalition are not new; rather, they are ideas and tactics that have been long espoused by elected leaders, businesses, local civic groups, and national experts. What makes the NOLA Coalition different is:
- Diverse Membership – A geographic, racial, political, and organizational diversity that reflects the full breadth of New Orleans
- Concurrent Strategies – The NOLA Coalition rejects the trade-off between safety today, and systemic change for tomorrow. Rather, the Coalition believes that both must be pursued simultaneously, with equal vigor. While we cannot police our way out of this crisis, we also recognize that safety today generates the conditions for investment in generational change