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MURDER IN THE MARIGNY
I had planned to sit down and write a funny piece about the Sugar Bowl, Dennis Haysbert, Terry Bradshaw and Jamarcus Russell but 6 murders thus far in 2007 have impaired my sense of humor. The most disturbing crime occurred on North Rampart Street in Faubourg Marigny: a couple were attacked in their home and one of them was murdered. Helen Hill was killed and her husband Dr. Paul Gailiunas was wounded: mercifully, their 2 year old son was not hurt. The story hits close to home for me because my friend and fellow blogger Bart Everson knows Paul and Helen; in her case the past tense applies. <sigh> It's a terrible thing, y'all.
Crime has been an intractable and recalcitrant part of life in New Orleans for as long as I have lived here. And sometimes very good people get caught up in it: Paul Gailiunas is a doctor with a passion for helping the poor. I don't know the facts of the case yet but it wouldn't surprise me if we learn that Paul and Helen knew the person who shot them. It's a sad commentary on the mean streets of Debrisville that people like this may have paid such a high price for their kindness.
When we returned from exile in the fall of 2005, many people hoped that our shared problems and suffering would make better people of everyone in New Orleans. I was skeptical. I think that tough times *reveal* the character of people. A crisis will bring out the best in some people but the worst in others always oozes out of the woodwork. To use an inelegant but apt phrase, we're having a lot of post-K ooze in 2007 and the nasty seepage appears more likely than not to continue. I wish I had some answers but knowing as much as I do about our criminal justice system, and our local criminals, has made me pessimistic that there any good solutions to our crime problem. I've got tons of questions but I'm fresh out of either long or short term answers.
As long as there are people with guns who think that life, including their own, is cheap, blood will stain the streets of New Orleans. Same as it ever was, same as it ever was.
UPDATE: Bart has an impassioned post up about the murder of his friend Helen Hill. LINK.
Tonight, (Thursday) my brother told me a crime story from someone he knows
who lives in the Marigny. The guy went out to get something from the trunk
of his car only to be approached by two little kids who looked to be about
8 years old. They pointed guns at him and demanded he hand over his
valuables. The guy laughed, thinking they were just playing around, then
realized the guns were real. He complied.
The Marigny couple's place is right around the corner from where I used to
live before moving to Gentilly... it's only 3 blocks from where we live
now.
My God, 8 year old kids, I doubt you'd even run into that in some parts of
NYC, in fact I can pretty much bet you wouldn't. And bringing a potential
perp to someone's house, how, why, what the hell is goin' on? I know that
Society is breaking down, to a point, but are people feeling that their
lives aren't worth anything, and are willing to kill or be killed just to
obtain money or property. Where's the mayor during all of this?
NYC, eh? Bad rep lives on. NYC is now one of the safest cities in the
country, and their crime rates continue to drop, according to what I've
read, in large part because of a whole new model for organizing/managing
basic police presence in the neighborhoods. I read a good article on that
a while back, will post a link if I can find it.
Shocking and depressing. Many years ago when I lived on Port Street my
house was burglarized while I was at work. The cops came 2 days later. They
told me I needed to get a gun and sleep with it under my pillow.
I dunno, DB. The thought of you with a gun under your pillow is not
reassuring...
I believe the phrase is "murder most foul."
Loki, I can only beg you to stay. We don't need more good people leaving.
Lots of us are feeling shaky about staying right now, dawlin' Loki's not
the only one.
As an outsider, I have two questions. Why do you think there so little
coverage about what is happening in New Orleans? It appears as many
people have died in your City early this week as did in Iraq, but
national overage is nearly non existent. I cannot imagine trying to
rebuild , then adding all this violence.
Blessings on you all. Holly
Holly, the only national coverage we seem to get is from Brian Williams and
NBC Nightly News. They did indeed remark on the fact that casualties were
higher in NOLA than in Iraq.
We also need a major shakeup of NOPD and the DA's Office.
We also need a major shakeup of NOPD and the DA's Office.