Right to Protect

Recently, an armed homeowner shot and seriously wounded a person who illegally trespassed on his gated property around two in the morning. Sounds like a clear case of self-defense to me. But when I heard that the homeowner is being accused of attempted second degree murder for shooting an intended burglar, I got upset. Since when can we not protect our family and home?

Louisiana has very strong and clear self defense laws to protect people trying to protect themselves. These laws are considered the Louisiana Castle Doctrine and Stand Your Ground Laws. (RA 14:19-20, RS 9:2800.19) In a nutshell, these laws grant a Louisiana citizen under attack the right to protect their person and property using any force necessary without having to retreat. Given this and the facts that I am aware of, the homeowner was well within his right to use force, the gun, to prevent the impending attempted robbery, a felony offense. The robber jumped a fence at two a.m., rousing the family dog that started barking which alerted the homeowner that someone was outside in his private yard. Given the circumstances that night and recent instances of property theft, the homeowner had a reasonable fear for the safety of his self and his family. Therefore, when the intruder continued onto the private property after being forewarned by the barking dog, the homeowner fired one round at a distance of 30 feet to stop the intruder. By my interpretation of the statues, the homeowner was within his rights to shoot at the intruder. One might argue that the force used was not “reasonable” against an unarmed suspect. However, to counter, one might argue that the force was indeed “apparently necessary” given the unknown fact of if the burglar had a weapon or not while he posed a threat to the family.

One of the many questions that have arisen from this incident is: where were the teen’s parents? Yes, that's right. A fourteen year old was the burglar in this situation. Surprised? As seems to be the case in much of the crime committed by inner-city youth, the teen intruder came from a broken family of eight children raised by the mother and the eldest son, 23, in a low socio-economic setting. As many would agree, this does not sound like a recipe for a happy and healthy upbringing. There are many factors that, if changed, could have affected this teen. What if his father was still at home? What if he didn’t have so many siblings? What if he had a part-time job or a youth group to keep him positively occupied? Pastor Christiana Ford seems to thing this is the solution: to put the blame into someone else’s hands for the problems of the youth. While I agree that having jobs and church programs could certainly help, I disagree that this lack is where the problem lies. All problems that people exhibit can be traced back to the parents and parenting style, or lack thereof. Studies have proven time and again that a majority of low income children have very little future respectable prospects in life and get caught in the norm of violence around them. Occasionally, one kid will shine through, one kid whose parent(s) made an effort to truly be a part of their child’s life and encourage them to be more. I believe that if more parents could take that extra step, no matter how small, we would see less juvenile, and therefore adult, crime.

This entire situation is tragic. A good man protecting his family is accused of attempted murder. A teen with a troubled past is in critical condition because no one taught him now to be good. Both these persons and their families’ lives have been changed because of this incident which should never have come to happen. We as a community need to do more. We need to educate ourselves about the self-defense laws. And we need to hug our children while telling them how much they are loved. Change starts with you. Only until after you change yourself can you change another.

I support Merritt Landry.

Links and Further Reading:

RS 14:19 Use of force or violence in defense

RS 14:20 Justifiable homicide
RS 14:62 Simple Burglary

RS 9:2800.19 Limitation of liability for use of force in defense of certain crimes

NOLA.com - Understanding Louisiana's Stand-Your-Ground and Castle Laws

WWLtv.com - Neighbors react to Marigny homeowner shooting alleged intruder

Women’s Health: More Than Just Abortion

The other night I heard of the plans for anew Planned Parenthood center in the Broadmoor area. The district councilwoman was very excited to have the women’s’ health services available to women of all ages and races who need the low cost guidance. But along with this price comes abortion. This new Planned Parenthood center will also be a regionally accessible abortion clinic. And whenever you throw abortion into the mix, you find the fierce opposition.

Leaving abortion out of this for just a moment, let’s look at the other services offered by Planned Parenthood. At the Magazine St. location, they list birth control, HIV testing, STI testing, emergency contraception, pregnancy testing, men’s health care, women’s health care and general health care, including caner screenings. That’s a lot of services available to the general public for preventative health and well-being. Now, if we look at some maps of the area showing availability of health clinics, we don’t see too many. So instantly, having a new health clinic is a plus to the area. The services these clinics provide are essential for personas of any age and background and therefore should be available to the community.

View Larger Map

Now we can talk about abortion, since I can see you burning up over it. According to Google, there are three abortion clinics in the metro area, two uptown and one in Metairie, which I used to pass on my way to work so I know it’s in operation. According to NOLA Needs Peace, after the new Planned Parenthood center is built, the number of abortions will increase dramatically for the city and the region. How terrible that would be for a city with a ridiculously high crime rate and at least one functioning abortion clinic. How also terrible that would be for the women determined to have an abortion to have a clean and safe environment to legally do so. Like with so many other things, abortions will happen no matter how hard we try to stop them, so it’d be better to be safe about it. You may disagree, but abortion is legal and you have no right to take away anyone’s right to a medical procedure. One could even go as far as to argue that maybe abortions in high crime cities will lower the crime levels, the poverty levels, the single parent levels, the government assistance dependent levels, the child abuse levels, the homeless levels, and so on, because there aren’t as many children being brought up into these situations. Think Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal.”

While the main fight against Planned Parenthood is over abortion, they do offer adoption counseling. While it may be statistically true that very few unwanted pregnancies end with adoption, a number do. The other health clinics also offer adoption counseling. I’m all for going the adoption route, but sometimes it just isn’t an option that you are willing and able to consider, physically and mentally. Personally, I don’t think one person should pressure another to carry full-term than adopt out unless that one person has been in the other’s shoes. Every year there are hundreds of thousands of babies and children that are put up for adoption. Most of these are adopted by family member or step-parents; a smaller portion of adoptions are non-familial adoptions. Imagine if there was a sudden influx of unwanted newborns? Are there really enough families ready, not just willing, to adopt? If you are pro-adoption, are you willing and able to adopt that baby yourself? If you’re not, maybe you should rethink your campaign pressuring unready women.

In the end, the Broadmoor area gets a nice brand new health clinic that also specializes in abortions. If you don’t agree with apportions then don’t get one. But also don’t stand in the way of someone who does. This center will provide services to also prevent and protect pregnancies, which is probably more effective at reducing the number of abortions than preaching abstinence and praying the sex away. You want fewer abortions? Then start at home by teaching your sons and daughters about abstinence along with safe-sex practices for when the devil’s temptation is too strong for their teenage hormones.

Links:
American Adoptions: Domestic vs. International
Did Abortion Legalization Reduce the Number Of Unwanted Children? Evidence from Adoptions
Adoption Statistics
Planned Parenthood Is a Target of 'McCarthyism,' Political Strategist Says
Planned Parenthood chief: Warrior in a Culture War
St. Thomas Community Health Center
Daughters of Charity Services - New Orleans
GNO Community - Map of Primary Care and OB Services
NOLA Needs Peace

Making Mardi Gras Greener: An Idea to Throw Out There

The revelry. The lights. The bands. The crowds. The floats. And, of course, the throws. This is our modern Mardi Gras. The kind of event where people come in drove to partake of the city’s hospitality as they fight over pieces of plastic. Once upon a time, Mardi Gras meant something. Now, it just stands for debauchery, greed and ill-manners.

Throwing beads has been a tradition of Carnival since the late 1800s. Back then, the beads were Czech glass in multi-colored strings. With the advent of cheap plastics, beads turned commercialized. Soon these small plastic beads were replaced with larger plastic beads until they evolved into today’s oil based beads. Today’s beads have lost their intrinsic value because of their mass-produced availability, yet because they are flashier than ever, these beads become more sought after. At the same time, more and more beads are being left in the street from being broken or unwanted. Revelers don’t respect the beads because there are simply too many to be had.

Trinkets have quickly become a much sought after commodity. Perhaps one of the most coveted trinkets is neither plastic nor stuffed. It is the Zulu coconut, a traditional throw that is as old as the krewe and has only gone through cosmetic change. Bar these, trinkets have become screen-printed, monogrammed, embroidered, light-up bits of poly and plastic. While some can be pretty cool, like Orpheus' light-up tambourine, others can be amazingly cheap, like the admittedly cute Saints plush that was already falling apart when I caught it. Most of the plushes don’t seem to be worth more than as a dog’s toy. At least the light-up trinkets can be useful but once that non-replaceable battery dies, they become yet another item cluttering your home.

The amount of waste generated during Carnival is astounding. So much so that you don’t need hard numbers to know this, you just have to look around after the parade has passed. Discarded plastic bags, broken beads, food, and drinks litter the ground, lying where they were dropped and forgotten. The trash doesn’t just stay on the parade route; it finds its way down side streets and onto peoples’ front yards. However, the city-hired clean-up crews don’t worry about that; they were hired just to clean the parade route itself. The city spends millions to pick up trash after the parades, money that could be used elsewhere.

There has to be a solution to cut down on the excesses while keeping the exuberance of Carnival. The season’s success should never be measured by how many tons of garbage is produced. But what can we do, you ask? We start by changing the American psyche. Bigger is not always better. We need to cut down on the volume of beads being bought and thrown by going with more locally-made and eco-friendly beads like glass, wood, clay, even newspaper. Instead of plastic bag packaging, beads should come in paper bags, a renewable, recyclable and biodegradable resource. Recycling bins should be set up equidistant down the parade route, with slots for an assortment of goods to encourage their use. In the meanwhile, programs like Arc of New Orleans’ “Catch and Release,” need to be legalized and instituted to promote and facilitate the reuse of unwanted beads.

Mardi Gras and Carnival season need a green facelift. There is too much trash and waste. Something has to be done about this and it has to start at home. This is our city, our world-famous New Orleans. We don’t want it trashed, we want it beautiful. So next time you sign up to ride, think green. One person can make a difference by inspiring the next.

A Study of Art: Photography

A Study of Art: Photography

Many say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Or that artists see the world differently. But of course, everyone has their own opinion, and is rightfully entitled to it. Thus is the world of art.

Photography is a relatively young art form. It had to wait to be invented and improved. Even now new cameras and technologies are being developed that will again make previous models obsolete. However, with all the changes in medium, the concept of the photograph stays the same: to capture a moment in time. No other art form does quite the same thing without taking a considerable amount of time to produce the same effect as a single click of a button.

Anyone ca be a photographer whether young or old. My nephew centers images well and my grandmother would cut off peoples heads. Myself, I prefer inanimate objects so that I know it’s my fault if the image is blurry. The more serious of us will set up with tripods and extra lighting to achieve that “perfect” shot. Fortunately, the beauty of art is that anything can be perfect.

Location and subject matter will influence the quality of photo. Living in New Orleans, I’ve been lucky to have such a photogenic city. Sometimes though, I like to look for my inspiration in places other than the French Quarter. Crazy, right? You‘d be surprises to find plenty of subject matter right in your own backyard! All you have to do is pay a bit more attention to your surroundings and you’ll find plenty to photograph.

Sometimes photography isn’t just about subject matter, but about how you take the picture. Some pictures call for dramatic black and white while others need vibrant color. Focus is also changed to achieve a soft or full look. Lighting is important in how it plays on the subject. Changing any one of these settings can result in a completely different feeling picture.

The best tip I could give an aspiring photographer is to quite simply have fun. There’s no need to be all serious about pushing the little button. Enjoy taking pictures and enjoy your surroundings and your company, should you have any. Just smile and click!

To see the inspiration for my latest photos, visit http://www.photoworksneworleans.com/ to see the art of Louis Sahuc, local photographer of New Orleans.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Going Green in New Orleans

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Going Green in New Orleans

Recycling is one of those concepts with which some people would associate with tree-hugging hippies. Others with do-good citizens trying to help out Planet Earth. And still more who thing we’re just plain crazy. In this post-Katrina New Orleans, recyclers are the brave few who are willing to commit their monthly income to a service we took for granted, like many other things.

If you’re of the ‘Save the Earth’ mindset, there are ways to act! Although budget cuts have shut down city run recycling centers, there are two private curb-side pickup service companies: Phoenix Recycling and SDT Waste and Debris. By paying a nominal monthly fee, these companies will pass twice a month to pick up what you set out on the curb. There are restriction to what recyclable materials will be picked up, which can be found on the website or by calling and asking. In most cases, you will be asked to pre-sort and separate, and crush when available.

One recurring complaint I’ve heard is of the cost of the curb-side service, which is much higher in post-Katrina New Orleans. Yes, it’s a bit high, but isn’t saving the planet worth it? Or, look at it this way: if you’re interested in recycling but worried about the cost, have family and friends chip in with goods and money. This way you’re guaranteed to have enough recyclables to put out and the fee gets broken down into a more manageable, and less exorbitant, amount. Another option may be to talk to your employer about starting a recycling program at work. Of course the budget may be an issue, but if you get enough people to show interest in the program there’s a good chance your employer will consider a recycling program.

I believe it is important to bring recycling back to New Orleans. It should be considered another step in the process of rebuilding and restoring our city. We have the opportunity to integrate recycling into the sanitation systems of the city as we rebuild the city, instead of leaving it as an auxiliary program that can be cut from the budget, like it has been. Recycling also teaches our young to respect the earth that we live on, which can ultimately lead to less littering and trash around the city. Recycling can bring together people in a local area for a cause which extends over a global area. it is the ultimate unifier for the salvation of Planet Earth.

Join me in the fight to save the earth. Start recycling today.