NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Leaders in the Ninth Ward community say they’re saddened by the shootings but want people to know that violence like this is not the norm.
During a news conference on Monday, the New Orleans Police Department referred to a prior shooting at Bunny Park that occurred nearly a decade ago. Organizer Oscar Brown says that the shooting happened hours after the second line had ended.
“That had nothing to do with the second-line parade. The second line parade had already passed there and I was already home and I am one of the main people of our second line parade, so there’s no connection to that,” said Brown.
Some say these second lines are now getting too dangerous and must be ended, but those who have gone to these events since the beginning say that’s too harsh.
“In that case, if you get rid of second lines, you might as well get rid of the parades because you have problems with that,” said Desire/Florida Community Association President Margaret Doyle-Johnson.
Doyle-Johnson says the shootings have caused damage to a day that should only bring joy.
“Like people camp out the night before for Endymion; that’s how it was. ‘We gonna camp out for the 9 Times.’ Like I said, it just took something away from us,” said Doyle-Johnson.
Organizers say they are willing to do whatever it takes to make sure nothing like this ever occurs again during their events.
“Whatever it would take to make our parades safer we are willing to do. Whether that be toning our parade down, making it smaller, we are willing to do that,” Brown said.
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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
