protest at armstrong park for GAM 070124

Protesters gathered at Armstrong Park in 2021 to voice their opposition to relocating City Hall into Municipal Auditorium.

    

    

    

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THUMBS UP

Mayor Cantrell’s administration and the Save Our Soul Coalition

have come to a major agreement to work on a new plan to revitalize Louis Armstrong Park and redevelop Municipal Auditorium while preserving Congo Square. The agreement ensures the community-led SOS will guide redevelopment of Armstrong Park, and while the city maintains the final say on what does and does not get built, it must uphold the nonprofit’s goal of turning the historic but decaying auditorium into a cultural center.


    

    

    

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THUMBS DOWN

Gov. Jeff Landry

recently signed legislation mandating Louisiana public classrooms display the Ten Commandments. Almost immediately, the new law was met with ridicule on social media and late-night TV — and a lawsuit that will undoubtedly cost Louisiana taxpayers a lot of money.


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THUMBS DOWN

Gov. Jeff Landry

vetoed legislation that would have made it easier for future governors to pardon people convicted for minor cannabis possession. If House Bill 391 had gone into effect, the Louisiana Illuminator reported, a governor could bypass the usual pardon process to clear people who convicted for possessing 14 grams or less of marijuana. Landry dismissed the measure as having a “soft-on-crime” attitude.