Murders Rise in NOLA, but Mayor Obsessed with Masks at NYE Christian Revival Gathering

In a town where murder rates have risen sharply, one Democrat Mayor is not asking police to solve crimes or enforce laws; she asks them to pressure Christians to wear face coverings under cover of her emergency pandemic powers.

NOLA.com reported that in their town, there is a reversal for a city that enjoyed one of the most peaceful years in decades in 2019. Killings were up steeply across the country in 2020. Still, there were few big cities where the trend was more pronounced than New Orleans: 2020 saw a homicide spike of more than 60%, compared to a national average of 21% among agencies reporting data to the FBI, according to crime analyst Jeff Asher of New Orleans.

The Mayor, according to local news reports, has excuses:

“Police, scholars and politicians have offered explanations that range from the stress of the coronavirus pandemic and economic downturn to disruptions in the market for illegal drugs to the fallout from the summer’s protests against police brutality.”

New Orleans registered 195 homicides in 2020, according to statistics that Asher maintains for the City Council. It was the third-highest tally in the 15 years since Katrina, trailing only 2007, which saw 209 homicides, and 2011, which saw 200.

There were 121 killings reported in 2019, the fewest since 1972, although even with that historical progress, New Orleans’ per-capita murder rate ranked in the top five among major U.S. cities. The nationwide jump in 2020 killings means New Orleans’ ranking is likely to hold steady when the federal government finishes auditing annual crime statistics in the fall.

Mayor LaToya Cantell talks a lot about Facemasks:

Drew Brees is in this PSA from Mayor LaToya Cantell’s office, encouraging hand washing, social distancing and mask wearing.

“You have to mask up to see us suit up. We all have skin in the game.” https://t.co/w89te6adbo

— Amie Just (@Amie_Just) October 22, 2020

On New Years, she was upset about the usage of Face Masks:

#fakemayor Let's see if the devilish Mayor Cantrell will call the Louisiana State Police headquarters, and insist on banning State Troopers in th city of New Orleans, as they did not wear masks in a crowd on new years. Poor Lauren Daigle was ousted for the same thing. pic.twitter.com/PRRoOdRex5

— INTEGRITY SHERIFF (@INTEGRITYSHERI1) January 2, 2021

In an article by John Simerman  for local New Orleans media, he reported in a gathering that happened under the watchful eye of the police on New Year’s Eve:

“A Christian revival rally that the New Orleans Police Department urged people not to attend went off anyway, with 60 to 70 people gathering near Jackson Square amid a scrum of New Year’s Eve revelers, the organizer said Friday. Police put the number closer to 25 for a group it described as “religious protesters.”

“There was a lot of people, but because of all the publicity and the threats, a lot of people backed out at the last minute,” said Pastor Andy “Rebirth” Pellerano, of One Accord Ministries in Avondale.”

Pellerano had projected a crowd of about 100 but said the police warning suppressed attendance for an event billed as “The Body of Christ Presents New Years Eve 20/20 Revival Rally: Declaring Revival Over Our City & Nation,” Simerman wrote.

Pellerano said that attendees who were not wearing masks complied when police officers asked them to strap up. “They also tried, against all odds, to maintain social distancing as they worshipped in various spots near Jax Brewery,” he said.

In the following video, a large crowd is seen yelling out for Jesus in the French Quater of New Orleans.

WATCH:

Kari Donovan

Kari is an ex-Community Organizer who writes about Voter Engagement, Cultural Marxism and Campaigns. She has been a grassroots volunteer with the GOP, on and off for 18 years. She is a Homeschool Mom in North Carolina and loves Photojournalism and Citizen Journalism. @Saorsa1776