NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Another planned sweep of New Orleans’ homeless population has come to a halt.
An Orleans Parish judge has issued a temporary restraining order to prevent state police and other agencies from clearing the encampments about two weeks after Gov. Jeff Landry called for the sweep’s completion.
This is the second time a temporary restraining order has been issued. The first one was granted in October after crews began their sweep of the Calliope encampment ahead of the Taylor Swift concerts.
“Delays only make the situation worse. They only keep people in unsafe, unsanitary conditions that’s not fit for humans,” said State Representative Alonzo Knox, D-New Orleans. “So, any restraining order, any delay tactic, I’m not in favor of it, and neither are the people of New Orleans.”
Knox questions the criticism expressed by local leaders that stemmed from the October sweep.
“We had vouchers for people ready to move in housing on that particular day, so I find that to be quite intriguing, nevertheless bizarre,” said Knox. “But in any case, I think if they have vouchers, we should house the people with them. And why that hasn’t been done, it’s unclear to me.”
New Orleans City Councilman Eugene Green says the city’s long-term plan to move homeless people into apartments may be at odds with the pace at which the state wants it done.
“Behind me is a location that was once an encampment,” said Green as he stood in front of a nearly empty space underneath the bridge at the corner of N Claiborne Avenue and Ursulines Avenue. “It was a place filled with needles and overdose deaths and injuries.”
Green says the city has successfully cleared encampments before and is optimistic about a path forward.
“We can’t do it completely without the state. I don’t think that the state can do it completely without the city,” said Green. “It’s best that we work together.”
The state has until Dec. 3 to prove why a TRO should not be ordered. WGNO reached out to the governor’s office and has not yet heard back.
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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
