Is It Time For The Bounce Vote?

New Orleans hip-hop artist Tenth Ward Buck, a legendary New Orleans bounce music artist, announced today that he has qualified for a spot on the ballot for the city council election in District B, the seat formerly held by Stacy Head. He is one of several candidates who have declared their intentions in the race, including longtime community advocate Dana Kaplan, director of Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana.

Tenth Ward Buck has achieved fame on multiple fronts. He is best known as a musician who's career has spanned decades - his biggest hit is "Drop And Gimme 50," which became a national hit when it was covered by Mike Jones. He also has a restaurant, called Finger Lick'n Wings, that he is in the process of rebranding to turn it into a bounce-themed restaurant. The past year also saw the release of a play and film based on his book Definition of Bounce. The play, book and film tell a personal history of bounce music, a community's history told through the perspective of Buck's life. Buck has also appeared in several films, beginning with a role in Dead Man Walking, and directed the award-winning film A Katrina Story, a powerful short film that was shot by Buck in the days after Hurricane Katrina, as he traveled from a flooded home in New Orleans East, to his evacuation to Houston and later return to New Orleans. Buck also has a strong community reputation for his work in support of local youth.

Without funding or major political backing, his candidacy is an uphill struggle, but Buck has never hesitated to try the impossible, and he has an audience and fans. His shows and festivals like the annual Bounce Fest, one of many community projects he helps organize with longtime collaborator Lucky Johnson, have shown the Buck has a large constituency. If someone could turn the bounce community into a voting block, they would be a candidate to reckon with.

Buck, whose name will appear on the ballot as Marlon J. Horton, submitted his paperwork just over an hour before the qualifying deadline, and says he was still receiving contributions for the filing fee up until the final minutes. Dana Kaplan of JJPL, LaToya Cantrell, a community leader from the Broadmoor neighborhood, Eric Strachan, former Chief of Staff for Stacy Head, and Donald Vallee, a vocal advocate for landlords and opponent of affordable housing, also qualified for the ballot. The election will be on November 6.

How Much is a Black Vote Worth? Who Wants to Buy it? And Who is Willing to Sell? By Parnell Herbert

On May 10, 1994 former political prisoner Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was elected the first Black President of South Africa.

I remember seeing a newspaper photograph of three elderly South African women. Two of them struggled as they carried the third woman between them by her arm pits, for the third woman had no legs. The caption below the photo spoke of the many miles these women had trekked tired and worn but determined. Nothing would stop them from the privilege of exercising their newly earned right to vote.

When there are local elections (nothing really important on the ballot), I hesitate to get out of my recliner, turn off the TV, walk out the door, get into my car and drive a few blocks to vote. I think back to that photo and I think back to the people in the US who suffered and died to earn the right for me to vote.

The memory of those elders and the vision of that photograph inspire me to get out and vote. I think of the selfish and complacent society we have become. I think of how we disregard and disrespect the memories of the people on whose shoulders we stand.

Even more distasteful to me are the people who are willing to sell their votes, sell their souls and sellout their people. Reportedly white City Councilwoman Stacey Head attempted to buy votes in a large Black church with a $1,500 check and a kiss on the cheek from a Black City Councilman.

A few days later, Head spoke on a local Black radio show. Several regular callers say they were blocked from calling in to confront and/or to challenge some of Head’s statements and her record during her eight years in office. Today we can hear the lovely voice of actress Vanessa Williams as she provides us with a Black history moment followed by an anonymous voice; “This Black history moment was paid for by Stacy Head.”

While some bloggers and newsletters will report news stories open and honestly there are others who seem to depend on Mayor Mitch Landrieu to feed their families. These writers will send out news reports but will not report negative news about their mayor. They may sometimes even promote their mayor.

We have all heard stories of political organizations with names like BOLD, SOUL, COUP as well as other like organizations. Now we have Democratic politicians being financed by Republican dollars.

In order to complete a sale there must be an agreement between both the buyer and the seller. There must also be a reason and even a desire to buy and to sell. There is no problem understanding the purpose of the buyer. In this case they want to buy themselves a job.

The seller on the other hand is not as easy to understand. Why does a man sell his vote, sell his soul and sellout his people?

I really wish I had saved that photograph of those three women in South Africa eighteen years ago. I wish others could see it now and know the story behind it. Maybe then there would be some degree of conscious thought and foresight before we set a price on our vote and on our people.

Parnell Herbert is a recently returned New Orleanian who was previously displaced to Houston by Hurricane Katrina. He is active on many social justice causes, including the right of return for New Orleanians, and freedom for the Angola Three. His new play, Angola Three, has been performed in New Orleans and other cities.

Home Grown Ugly

Dr. Angela Barthe died yesterday morning of complications due to breast cancer, a disease that plagues far too many women in our community. I didn’t have the opportunity to know Dr. Barthe well. We had met on several occasions. She had an incredibly warm personality. Just as important, Dr. Barthe had an excellent reputation as a caring physician, and delighted in her profession as pediatrician because of her love for children.

Dr. Angela Barthe was home grown beauty.

Dr. Barthe was the wife of City Council member Jon Johnson. As we can all understand, Jon is grieving terribly the loss of his wife while simultaneously making arrangements for her funeral and comforting their young daughter. Mayor Landrieu sent a press release expressing his condolences, as did most council members.

Most. Not all. Despite the admonitions by her fellow council members, Stacy Head has decided to convene an Emergency Council Meeting tomorrow at 2:00 p.m., to discuss tardy sewerage and water board fees. No doubt, tardy sewerage and water board charges are a financial burden to this community. But Ms. Head is not convening the meeting tomorrow because this 2:00p is urgent – the $91 million city budget deficit will not close at 2:30p because of Stacy’s meeting. No, Stacy is convening this 2:00p meeting because she knows Council member Johnson will not be able to attend and, therefore, she believes it the perfect opportunity to embarrass and chastise further Council member Cynthia Hedge Morrell who, by-the-by, is Stacy’s declared opponent for the Council-at-Large seat being vacated by Arnie Fielkow. Despicable, nasty politics.

Hearing these latest Head tomfoolery, I am reminded that it was only last year when Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was targeted and gunned by the dark forces of intolerance and hatred that is the heinous underbelly of politics in this country. It was President Barack Obama who urged us to move forward in unity and civility, believing "we can be better." Mrs. Head didn’t hear that message, and continues to place politics above humanity.

Council member Stacy Head is home grown ugly.

Project Transparency Posts New Financial Disclosure Forms of New Orleans Public Officals

Project Transparency, a program run by Louisiana Justice Institute, has posted 2009 and 2010 financial disclosure forms for many members of our city government, including the mayor, city council members, city attorney, police superintendent, and several key mayoral staff. The documents are available at this link.

Project Transparency was launched by LJI in October of 2008. We did this because access to information, especially about our government and its activities, is a crucial part of citizenship, and it is a human right. Members of the public demand access to unclassified documents their tax dollars have been used to produce.