New Orleans City Council hosts public hearing regarding future of second lines in city

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The message from New Orleans leaders and community members is clear: second line culture is not to be blamed for this recent tragedy, but changes are needed to make sure the tradition can continue in the best way possible.

“What we’re doing is try to come up with a solution so that for the next 100 or 300 years or 300+ years of this city, that we can have the culture and the tradition,” Councilman Oliver Thomas said.

When it comes to police presence at these events, the New Orleans City Council and NOPD think a heavy presence is important, and both agree that building a stronger relationship between the force and the clubs putting on the second lines is also important for moving forward

“That’s what it’s all about. My side is to make it safe and to honor culture, so I thank the councilman for leading us in the conversation and as long as we can talk back and forth, we are going to get to a good resolve,” Supt. Anne Kirkpatrick said.

Some say more police is not the answer.

“Every time we bring in outside law enforcement, what they do is come in and crack our heads, and nobody gets no real resolve,” one New Orleans resident said.

The city council is expected to create a second line committee soon, which could consider new rules and procedures in much the same way the mayor’s Mardi Gras advisory committee handles carnival parades.

“Kudos to councilman Morrell for the offer to combine with the Mardi Gras advisory committee and my committee to deal with Lisa Alexis and the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Economy to talk about how we can make recommendations to representatives who are going to serve on that committee, so a lot of those things that we’ve tried in the past are now institutionalized,” Thomas said.

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