NEW ORLEANS – From the NOLA Coalition:
As 2022 draws to a close, the NOLA Coalition is grateful for the unprecedented group of over 475 nonprofits, civic organizations, and businesses who have come together to work towards a safer and more prosperous New Orleans, for everyone.
We are encouraged by our progress in just a few months, secured in partnership with Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration, the City Council, the New Orleans Police Department, and many business and community organizations. On the NOLA Coalition’s first plank, “Community Support for NOPD,” advancements include millions of dollars dedicated to new pay, benefits and equipment for NOPD, dozens of officers redeployed to patrol, better use of technology, a range of new accountability dashboards, and a commitment to a national search for the new NOPD chief.
On our second plank, “Investment in Youth Services,” we are grateful that we have been able to raise $3.7M of our first-year $5M goal, and $5.3M toward our three-year, $15M goal. These funds, generously provided by the corporate community of Greater New Orleans, have so far supported over 30 local organizations that are providing mentoring, training, and other support services to drive positive systemic change.
At the same time, we are saddened to reflect upon the over 250 lives that have been lost in New Orleans this year. Each of these murders not only took a human life, but further inflicted untold pain and hardship on families and friends. The NOLA Coalition condemns this violence inflicted on our fellow New Orleanians, as well as the fear that so many now feel while simply walking in their neighborhood, going to the store, or driving on the interstate.
For 2023, the NOLA Coalition reaffirms its commitment to work collaboratively to make the city safer for all residents. Priorities for 2023 include ensuring the superintendent process yields the best candidate, dramatically improving yield on NOPD recruitment, and technology and process improvements so that the criminal justice system works as a whole. We will also be building a new app for social services, “211 Express,” and continuing to raise funds and grant millions of dollars to local youth services.
The NOLA Coalition believes in our two-pronged approach – near-term actions to reduce violence, combined with investment in our youth to drive generational change – and will not rest until we have achieved a safer and more prosperous New Orleans for everyone.
