No one is above misfortune and tragedy. On Sunday August 29, the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the Category 4 Hurricane Ida ravaged Louisiana. An active disaster declaration was made for one-third of the state, and many are still without power, reliable food, housing, or clean water.
This week I traversed City Park in New Orleans, as I've done countless times before on my morning runs. But, on this post-Ida morning I saw destruction and devastation. Debris, broken tree limbs, and flooding were left in the wake of the storm.
Last week, the United States Census Bureau provided 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico with population counts to use in their drawing of new electoral district maps for Congress, state legislatures, and many parish and municipal offices—a process also known as “redistricting.”
After the 2020 legislative session was largely derailed by COVID-19, and following the unprecedented summer protests in the wake of the killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, Louisiana’s 2021 legislative session sought to deliver on many deferred promises.
We can never bring back the lives lost to this crisis or restore the precious time it has taken, but lawmakers do have the power to prevent these tragedies in the future and restore the promise of “innocent until proven guilty.” They must use it.