I’ve walked and driven all over New Orleans. I’ve taken pictures of the search and rescue X’s on houses all over the place. I’ve seen police and fire departments from California, Arizona, Texas, and Florida. I’ve seen federal law enforcement agencies like the DEA and ICE. I have not seen a single New Orleans Police Department mark. I’ve talked to locals and they say I’m not going to find one.
I was in the quarter last Friday to check out Bourbon Street. I wanted to see what the big to do was about. Possibly it was about the moderately priced strippers, I’m not sure. After seeing a bunch of wasted frat boys and hearing bad cover bands I cut down to Rue Royal, which is less busy, and started walking home. I passed a cop with his cruiser parked on the sidewalk. When I slid around his car to stay off the street I could clearly see him watching a DVD. The police one block over were busy keeping drunks from getting in fights and this guy was watching a movie.
I saw a sheriff so fat he probably got winded moving the lever on his lazy boy.
A police officer at a demonstration yesterday told someone that they couldn’t hand out fliers on a public sidewalk. That’s about the dumbest thing I ever heard. The cop more than likely swore an oath to uphold the Constitution. I guess he read all the way to the 1st Amendment.
I don’t have a very high opinion of the NOPD. No one else does either. But I went and legal observed, or LOed if you’re hip, at another demonstration against a dump. The police from the 7th Precinct showed up. They were all pretty upstanding and got along with the demonstrators who were mostly normal people from the neighborhood.
I can’t say that all the NOPD are jokes. I have to hand it to these police officers for being professional and interacting in a positive and respectful way with the community. I just wanted to say that because I don’t think it will be long before I shit talk the police again.