Old News

When we read reports like this, we have a hard time following police logic.
How do they assign a victim and a suspect in a situation like this we wonder?

On Friday, September 19, 2008 at 8:10 pm, the victim was attending a
block party in the 4100 block of Eagle St when a silver Dodge Neon
(one headlight not working) drove around the block and then stopped.
The suspect exited the vehicle, walked over to where the victim was,
and a verbal argument began between the two. The victim attempted to
pull a handgun from his waistband but the suspect wrestled it away and
then shot the victim twice.

Misunderstood

The US government is going to buy up bad loans with our tax dollars. Both candidates "tend" to agree with the bailout. Listen to the debate, and hear how often they admit to sharing the same views, but maybe differ on the minutia of process.

Everyone talks change. But in NOLA, just like in politics and banking, nothing changes.

1)Bruce William Graves, 55, was killed shortly before midnight in the 4900 block of Canal Street in Mid-City. Officers responding to reports of gunfire found his body inside a house. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. Graves had been shot in the head.

2) At about 8:30 a.m. Saturday, an unidentified woman was shot in the 3000 block of Laussat Place in the 9th Ward. Officers found the woman lying on a sidewalk, and paramedics later pronounced her dead at the scene.

You all can live with it. But these two can't.

Psycho-socio-connectivity

1) A Metairie man has been arrested on charges of killing his father and leaving the body in the victim's bed for months until the skeletal remains were found.
2)A 15-year-old girl was shot in the abdomen area Thursday night in Algiers. The girl was taken to a local hospital and initial reports indicate she is in stable condition,
The shooting happened around 7:20 p.m. in front of a residence in the 2000 block of Pace Boulevard.

We also had a premonition that someone was going to misuse their positions of political influence in some nepotistic manner that would fatten everyone's pockets through the use of substandard materials, practices, and inflated salaries. We felt it in our bones. Read it in our bones, and then this!

City's crime camera contract exposed

We are getting creeped out by just how accurate our predictions are becoming.
Next week, we predict that someone will get shot, possibly a young black male, and that it will, inevitably be labeled as drug related despite the fact that it could very well be the result of a long standing beef. Or the result of years of social neglect, terrible schools, institutional racism, poor economic conditions, poor living conditions, social pressue and cultural norms.

We're just saying.

Obsessions

Sometimes we are cooking breakfast. Or coming home from work, putting our bags on the couch and taking off our boots, when we hear a story about a murder. We think, "There's one for tomorrow," but then we search our sources and find nothing. We check the radio's website. We listen in the truck on the way to St. Roch. Nothing.

Are we hearing things? Do we secretly wish we had something to post? Most likely, we are developing some sort of socio-psychic connection with the police blotter that allows us to predict upcoming homicides ala Philip K. Dick? That or we just know the statistics.

Only time will tell:

1)Sunday, September 21, 2008. 1000 block of Andry St. aggravated assault with a knife. The victim was involved in an argument with his girlfriend when he was attacked by his girlfriend’s daughter. The daughter was arrested and charged with aggravated assault.

Nightmares

This story out of Chalmette makes our hair stand on end. Answering the door, being greeted by your killers, slamming the door shut. You're too late though. They shoot through the pre-hung 36" 6-panel door. Hitting you twice in the gut and once in the head.

A 20-year-old Chalmette man is dead after he was shot inside his brother's home early yesterday morning. Authorities say someone came to the house in the 400 block of Pierre street and knocked on the front door several times. The man opened the door and then quickly closed it, the suspect or suspects opened fire through the closed door, shooting him several times.

The victim, Vantrel Bienemy, died a short time later in the hospital.

The victim was shot twice in the stomach area and once in the buttocks.


Only the third murder on the books for Chalmette this year, if you choose to believe it.

Strange

The weather is changing, which could be effecting people. Domestic violence is common everywhere and the economy is bad which might exacerbate things. But, to us, it's more reasonable that these two tales are simply more proof of Armageddon.


1.A woman was shot Monday around 2:15 p.m. at an Ochsner clinic at 850 Veterans Memorial Blvd. in Metairie. Authorities were seeking her ex-husband as suspect 45 minutes later.

And today we read:
Kerry Bruce missed his court date Monday afternoon where he was supposed to enter a plea on charges of domestic violence against his wife. Authorities say that's because he was at a Metairie clinic shooting her. Bruce, 45, of New Orleans, led deputies on a 30-minute manhunt through a Metairie neighborhood before a Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office helicopter flushed him out of hiding in a backyard.


This one here. We just like the idea of someone taping knives to their wrists:

2. Deputies went to the home of Lance Webb Monday shortly before noon after receiving a tip that he was wanted on domestic violence charges in New Orleans. No one answered the door, but he drove up a short time later. Deputies stopped his car in the street, and Webb bolted into the house, locking the front door behind him. A standoff at Webb's home in the 2600 block of Chalona Drive then began. Throughout the afternoon negotiators stood on the front porch, talking to Webb through a window. Webb had apparently taped a knife to each wrist and was threatening to kill himself

,

Titles

The longer we do this blog, the more we are stressed for new headlines. Like today. Instead of Titles, we thought we might call this one "We Give Up."

Students, teachers and staff at Eleanor McMain Secondary School are struggling today to make sense of the violent death of one their own, a popular 18-year-old junior who was found shot to death in a car on Sunday night. Darielle Rainey was discovered by New Orleans police officers about 8:40 p.m. Sunday inside of a blue Volkswagen in the 1900 block of Amelia Street. Steps away an unidentified 19-year-old man who had multiple gunshot wounds lay on a sidewalk.

Also:

A 19-year-old Gentilly man shot several times in the head Saturday in Treme died Sunday morning. Leslie Cannon, the 142nd homicide victim in New Orleans this year, died at University Hospital about 11:20 a.m. from wounds he sustained in a shooting near North Prieur Street and Ursulines Avenue the previous day at about 10:45.

Just another Monday, just another shitty caulk job. Just more terrible construction. Just more ways to kill ourselves. More ways to keep us busy.

Treme

In the few week preceding Gustav, there were two murders in the 1100 blk of N. Roman, which, if you know the Treme, is just off Ursulines. Then it quieted down. Some brand new fences popped up on the block, a second line left a wreath in the mud along side the road.

Today though, despite the cold front, Treme is getting hot all over again:

New Orleans police have cordoned off the Iberville public housing complex in their hunt for suspects in connection with two Saturday morning shootings in the Treme neighborhood, including one that prompted police to evacuate St. Peter Claver Catholic Church and Academy.

The first shooting happened around 10:15 a.m., when a 19-year-old man was shot in the head at the corner of North Prieur Street and Ursulines Avenue, about a block from the church and school campus.

The second incident, an apparent shootout among several gunmen, happened about 45 minutes later in the 900 block of North Rocheblave, about seven blocks away.

An old man told us, when we asked about the situation on the street there, "It's gonna get worse before it gets better."
WIth OK Corral style shoot-outs this close to the church and school over there off Ursulines, we can't help but say, "It's about as bad as it can get."

We got a lot of love for Treme here in the NOMB offices. We hope that great neighborhood can sort it out.

Moving on...

You can't snitch, not just cuz the code of the streets and countless rap songs tell you not too. You can't snitch because NOPD can't protect you:

A 19-year-old man gunned down Thursday in St. Roch was a witness in a murder case that had been scheduled to go to trial earlier this month but was postponed because of Hurricane Gustav.

Not that you probably were looking to NOPD for help. Not that may look to NOPD for help. Not unless they can help it.

Vacation

Just about the time one of our editors was catching a flight out of town, Derick Jack was catching a different trip, catching a hot one a few blocks down from our headquarters.

A 19-year-old man was shot in the St. Roch neighborhood early Thursday afternoon. Darrick Jack died after being transported to a local hospital. Police found Jack bleeding in an apartment in the 2100 block of Franklin Avenue, between North Miro and North Galvez streets. Police estimate the shooting occurred shortly before 5:30 p.m.

There was a swat team on St. Bernard at 8:20 AM on Thursday. There was a man in Kenner who took his last breath. Got shot coming our of his work. Coincidentally, the it's the same ice house that supplies us. The synchronicity of yesterdays shootings is a bit much.

A man leaving his south Kenner workplace Thursday was shot to death in the parking lot by three men who pulled up in a light-colored sport utility vehicle. Damien Verrett, 29, died steps away from the door of Pelican Ice at 711 Oxley St., where he worked as a clerk. When Verrett stepped outside at 3:45 p.m., the three men jumped from the SUV, said Lt. Wayne McInnis, recounting witness reports. "And they just start shooting."

And just in case you thought we'd lost our sense of humor down here at NOMB

New Orleans police pepper-sprayed and arrested the mother of an O. Perry Walker High School student Thursday after authorities say the woman got into an argument with officers on campus.

COme on, really? Pepper-sprayed her?

Sinister

The idea of a woman, found dead in a abandoned bowling alley, is, to us, one that causes nightmares. Nightmare akin to the ones that linger on after being asked to flee your home, blindly trolling about the south, and returning to an abandoned neighborhood.

New Orleans police have opened a murder investigation into the death of a woman whose half-naked, bludgeoned body was found late last month inside an abandoned bowling alley in eastern New Orleans. The body has yet to be identified, but police are looking into the possibility it may be that of a woman who was reported missing a week earlier from the same block.Real estate agents exploring the former Sugar Bowl Lanes, at 7716 Chef Menteur Highway, made the discovery on Aug. 28

How Does This Happen?

This bit of news gives us Dejavu. Like, maybe we were shot in the head. But we weren't:

A shooting near Andrew Jackson Elementary School in Chalmette on Tuesday afternoon prompted authorities to lock down the campus.

A teenager was shot inside an apartment in the 200 block of Eighth Street and taken to University Hospital in New Orleans, authorities said. The teen was struck in the side of the head but was conscious at the scene.

There's something extra creepy about the fact that the victim remained conscious.

The Worst Of It

You all might have noticed that some of our editors work the construction beat. We've been witness to the rise in violent crimes against our Hispanic co-coworkers. Pistol whippings, armed robbery. Walking ATMs, paid in cash. Low-ball pricing, picking them up in the rain. Doing all the heavy lifting..

This kinda thing makes us sick:

A construction worker was killed Sunday as he tried to flee from two robbers behind his home in south Kenner. Miguel Vasquez, 35, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, was identified by his roommates.It was only the second homicide of the year in Kenner. Vasquez was killed Sunday about 4 a.m. when two men, one holding a pistol, rushed him and another man in the alley behind his home at 2516 Idaho Ave.

You might not know, but for a while there, NOLA was home to the first draft of a "immigrants bill of rights". We don't know if the idea ever took off.

Also:

A New Orleans man was shot to death at an apartment complex near Westwego on Monday afternoon.Bruce Weber, 48, of 3845 Camelot Drive, was found inside a 2000 Chevrolet Suburban with gunshot wounds when deputies arrived at 952 Beechgrove Blvd. about 3:40 p.m. Weber was last seen driving into a parking lot at the rear of the apartment complex, when three men approached the vehicle and opened fire.

We Forget

All the time. Maybe we read something and it just goes past us, and then someone asks,
"Did you see that one," or "I can't believe that happened," and then we go back. To look it over and think.

One week ago:
5100 block of Saint Claude Ave. aggravated battery. The victim was seated in the driver seat of his vehicle at a gas station when he was attacked by four black male subjects. One subject identified himself as the manager of the gas station. The victim and this subject argued and the subject left, returned with an axe in his hand and began striking the victim while he sat in the driver seat. Another subject armed with a pocket knife jumped in the front passenger seat and began striking the victim. The third subject jumped into the rear seat armed with a hunting knife and struck the victim in the head. The fourth subject stood in the driver side door with a stick and began striking the victim.

Does all this make us obsessed with death:


A 5-year-old boy died Saturday from an accidental shooting in Kenner. The boy apparently found a loaded Taurus 9 mm handgun on the floor of a bedroom closet. The boy was shot in the abdomen Friday night while his grandmother and great-grandmother were moving boxes from a U-Haul truck into an apartment

Sometimes, we think maybe it does. Maybe we're just sick.

Catch Up

If you're like us, and you live in Louisiana, you probably can't get it together. Maybe you're back at work, but your fridge is still empty. Maybe you're in Terrebonne and it's all happening again. Maybe you just need some help:

Per yesterday's post...

An account has been set up to help the young parents of baby Andre Jenkins with the costs of burial and related services. If anyone would like to donate to this fund, please contact Gulf Coast Bank, 504.561.6112, for donations to the account for baby Jenkins #100308980. The family thanks everyone for their care and support and requests that we keep all involved in this horrible tragedy in our prayers.

And in the back logs:

Last Saturday
2200 block of Marais St. attempted murder. The victim returned to his residence followed by three Hispanic males. One of the subjects was armed with a baseball bat, and another was armed with a 2”x 4”. Once inside the residence the subjects began arguing with the victim. The victim armed himself with a kitchen knife. The subjects attacked the victim with the baseball bat and 2”X 4”. The victim was beaten to the floor. The subjects then fled the scene on foot

Techincal Difficulties

It's hard, you know, to keep this thing going when every time the wind blows the power goes out at our offices. If you're in St. Roch, you might be getting shot, but you can't read about it on the Internet.

1)New Orleans police are investigating a shooting death of a New Orleans man who was found shortly after 10 a.m. Thursday in the 1700 block of France St.
The identity of the 29-year-old victim is being withheld until his family is notified. Fifth District officers responded to a call of a male shot and found the victim lying on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to the body.

In the, WTF department:

2) A 5-month-old boy was killed in Harvey Thursday when his baby sitter allegedly put him in her clothes dryer because she had become frustrated with him.
The baby sitter, Ariel Smith, 19, was booked with first-degree murder.

When we read this, we think, "We don't much like the coffee over there neither."

A shooting early Monday on St. Charles Avenue left behind a bullet-scarred Le Monde coffee house. Police found four bullet holes in the back wall of Le Monde, one to three feet from the ceiling, and recovered a .45-caliber bullet fragment from the top of a desk in the coffee house's office. A 9 mm bullet fragment was found on the floor near the front door

First Ya Shot

Then, eventually, ya die. That's the sad truth of it.

Mark Stone, 38, died of multiple gunshot wounds he sustained some time before 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning in the 7800 block of Olive Street.

Expenisve

You know, all that evacuating takes cash, people.

A customer and a robber exchanged gunfire outside a Kenner tire shop Monday.
No one was injured, but the robber escaped with an undisclosed amount of money from The Wheels and Tire Connection, 1817 Airline Drive,

Where's the owner in all this? NOMB does not, we think, encourage vigilantism

Up and Running

This is one of those things we have double feelings about. On the one hand, we're happy to be back, after reclusive farms in Poplarville, nights in Slidell gas stations with pistols and plywood snow cones. Late nights in other peoples houses and peanut butter sandwiches.
It's good to have the power is on. The grocery stores open. The curfew pushed back. But NOMB is, for better or worse, also back on line:

1)Robert Santinac was found shot to death inside a four-door silver Isuzu Rodeo near the intersection of Music and North Derbigny Street.

And as if our fair TP's coverage of Gustav wasn't sensational enough to keep half the city's populace on anti-anxiety drugs for a good week they couldn't help and add this absolutely irrelevant tidbit of reportage.

A woman identifying herself as a friend of Santinac's girlfriend said he last worked as a cook at an Acme Oyster House in the city. Asked what kind of man he was, she teared up, bit her lip and couldn't answer

Also...

2) The New Orleans Police Department is investigating the shooting death of a man found in the 7700 block of Fern Street early this morning. Second District officers responded to reports of a shooting around 3 a.m. and found the unidentified male victim lying in the street with several gunshot wounds,

Testing!

Hello, New Orleans? Testing

-9 counts of looting?

Are we breaking up?
See ya'll at Union Passanger Terminal.