It is almost time to turn the calendar to a new year and so typically we tend to reflect over the previous twelve months and assess what kind of year we had and perhaps set goals for the next twelve months.
I feel like I came out of 2017 fairly unscathed. That's not to say it was a great year - there were some great moments and some really bad ones, but isn't that the same for us all? It appears I'm going to make it to 2018 alive and that's what counts.
And 2018 looks to be pretty exciting for me. I don't want to jinx anything or count chickens before they hatch, but there are some exciting things coming up.
But rather than post a dull retrospective of my year (because really, who cares?), I just want to leave a couple of things here:
If you need to make some end-of-the-year donations to non-profits there are at least two that are near and dear to me:
Nova's Heart is a local non-profit that helps the pets of the local homeless population. I've written about the excellent work they do here:
It's a statistical fact that many people that are homeless refuse to give up their pets and will feed their pets before they feed themselves. Their pets don't judge them and offer unconditional love and support. Sometimes those pets also offer protection. Living on the streets disrupts whatever your normal life was and caring for a pet lets them retain some sense of control, routine, and normalcy. Nova's Heart recognized all of that and stepped
up to help.
Nobody else in the area is doing this service for the homeless or those in crisis.
Nobody else in this area is doing what Nova's Heart does.
As more and more of the homeless pet owners heard about the help Nova's Heart offered, it soon became clear that this organization was growing faster than Loraine and her friends realized; they needed a bigger space and they needed some help. They applied for and received their 501c3 charter in February 2015, about a year and a half ago. Shortly after their application was approved, Nova's Heart was invited by HOPE Connections to partner with them as HOPE worked with the homeless population to provide a one-stop access point to a variety of services for them.
They are not a rescue and they don't take in animals; their goal is to keep the animals of our homeless population fed, vaccinated, and up to date on the most basic veterinary services. The goal is to keep the animal with the owner. It's such a noble mission.
Nova's Heart has a Facebook page here, and an Amazon Wish List here. If you would rather mail a check, send it to Nova's Heart, 2350 Levy St., Shreveport, LA 71103. They need donations of dog food, ziploc bags, blankets, leashes, collars, harnesses, and cash is always good for the veterinary needs.
Another non-profit that is important to me right now is the Shreveport Chapter #237 of the United Daughters of the Confederacy for their non-profit and charitable work as well as their Legal Defense Fund established to fight to keep the Confederate monument in downtown Shreveport. The monument is in danger of being moved (and irreparably damaged in the process) which would be a tragedy if for no other reason than for the artistic beauty of that statue.
The UDC also does a great deal of charitable work in our city by donations to the food pantry, projects that benefit our local veterans, and through donation of Christmas gifts to children in foster care. They also make charitable donations to museums, which are poorly funded these days, and to scholarship funds.
The Shreveport UDC Facebook page is here; if you'd rather mail a check, the address is: Shreveport Chapter #273 UDC, P. O. Box 52083, Shreveport, LA, 71135-2083. Their website is here. If you want your donation to go specifically to the legal defense fund, please note that on your check. You will receive a receipt or letter in return that you may use for your tax purposes.
As the new year approaches, I'm less inclined to look back but instead choose to look forward. If I have any goals for 2018 it is to be a nicer and more charitable person doing good wherever I can. None of us are perfect, but sometimes we are all a little too judgmental, opinionated, materialistic, and self-absorbed. I am as guilty as anyone.
In 2018 I will do better.
Have a safe and happy New Year celebration from SIGIS! I will be wrapped up in blankets with a good book, a nice beer, and staying off the streets.
I've been thinking about this blog post since June 1, 2017 and I still don't think I have enough tissue to get through it, but it's Christmas and it's on my mind more than ever, and I can't just not write this one.
When we lose people in our lives that we love so much we have to find a "new normal" and move on. We all know this and we know it is just the cycle of life. Different things help us through this process: for some it is a strong faith and prayer. Others stay busy and active, some create, some simply live one day at a time until the raw pain abates.
My friend Milly Rose left this world in June 2017. She suffered from diabetes and the side effects of that ravaged her body through the years to the point where she simply could not fight it any longer.
But when she was alive, boy was she ever alive.
Milly Rose was one of the most vibrant, funny, and generous souls I have ever known in my life. You often hear the expression "he would give you the shirt off of his back if you needed it," but in Milly's case it was absolutely true. She gave of herself so much that she literally had nothing left for herself in the end. It did not matter to her, she would simply smile, say "Precious Jesus will always provide,"and she believed that with her whole heart. She might sing a song, do a little dance, and move on to the next thing.
I first met Milly Rose on April 5, 2010 when Steve and I drove over to Minden to get our marriage license. The courthouse was one block from Main Street which looked charming with its brick streets and there was Second Hand Rose Antiques. The building was old, dark red brick with large display windows filled with antiques: a blond mannequin dressed in vintage clothing and a fur coat, a wooden sled with large dolls sitting astride dashing across the leftover Christmas snow, Disney cookie jars and toys, and many vintage Coca-Cola items, including the iconic large red button Coca-Cola sign hanging on the wall. There were white twinkly lights hanging in both windows.
We went inside and my life changed.
The heavy door had a large glass panel almost covered with photographs of Milly with various
friends, family, and celebrities as well as with flyers of various Minden activities. A set of sleigh bells jingled as we walked in and immediately two Boston Terriers came running up the aisle to greet us.
"Helloooooo Welcome to Second Hand Rose! Come in, Come in! Everything in the shop is twenty percent off today! I'll make you some great deals!" we heard from somewhere in the shop.
When you walked into the shop it takes you a minute to acclimate yourself. It was a long, narrow space. There was a second story which was mostly open in the center so from the bottom floor you could look up and see the second story. There was a balcony rail that went all the way around it and the stairs to get up there were all the way in the back of the shop. Then there was a third floor, sort of attic space, accessible by a long narrow staircase. And then there was a basement. Every single inch of space in that building was filled with "treasures." Milly once told me that she wanted to have "one of everything" in the shop and I really believe that she did. There were beautifully illustrated maps, a full set of dentist tools, and at one point she even had a baby alligator in formaldehyde.
Both of the dogs at our feet that day had bandannas on and one, Heidi, was dragging a red leash behind her, and both were delighted to see us. We pet them for a few minutes then I stood up to look around. Heidi and Rosie were as much a part of that shop as Milly Rose was and she never came to work without them.
There were two "pig trails" Milly would call them, going deep into the shop. I was surrounded by display cases filled with depression glass, cookie jars, action figures, baseball cards, kitchen kitsch, a cast iron stove, furniture, costume jewelry, and enough Coca-Cola memorabilia to open a museum. And that's just what I could see without moving.
In the very center of the shop was a counter with Milly's cash register ("Use the 'No Sale' button, sugar - can you ring those people up for me?") and a million plastic bags and newspapers for wrapping up purchases. The counter was filled with trinkets, photographs taped to the front, notebooks where she wrote down everyone's name and contact information if they would share it, random pieces of jewelry she was either having repaired or saving for someone special....That day there was a vintage cast iron black bank standing there, ("Give me a penny!") which I eventually bought and still have.
To the right of the counter was a display case with sliding glass doors filled with the REAL treasures - really fine pieces, things, that she wanted to keep close where she could keep an eye on them. The case should have been locked all the time but it seldom was. Inside this case could be found lovely,
fine Cameos, art deco vases, sterling silver jewelry, Murano glass, carved ivory pieces, some unusual pipes, just trinkets. "Smalls," she called them. From that case, through the years, I bought a sterling silver cross inlaid with emerald green stones, an amethyst bracelet, some blue glass birds, and various other pieces of Americana figurines. Steve found things he wanted too, like a miners lantern and occasional baseball memorabilia.
The things I brought home from this shop through the years aren't the point (but seriously my house kind of looks like the shop now, and Milly is everywhere in my house!). Sometimes I would find things at estate sales that were really great deals and Milly made me her unofficial "picker" and I would bring things for her to put in the shop, but the best thing in the shop was Milly Rose. We became instant friends. Milly, Steve, and I were all born in the same year. She and I had the same wedding anniversary. We shared a love for antiques and unique things. She loved hearing Steve's stories from when he was a policeman and she laughed her head off and clapped her hands with glee at the silliest things.
Milly would talk your head off. We spent hours there every time we went but it was so much fun. She would spontaneously burst into song at any moment. I never had a birthday that she didn't sing some silly rendition of Happy Birthday to me and then hand me a gift bag filled with things she had collected for me.
She loved the dancing, singing Santa figures at Christmas, those toys where you pushed a little button and the toy would dance and sing a song. She would dance and sing right along with it. And let me tell you, Milly could really sing. She had a voice that was a gift. It was beautiful.
She had no inhibitions whatsoever. During the Mardi Gras parades in Minden, or the Fasching celebrations, she would literally dance in the streets in front of the floats. She loved a good parade.
When the Mexican restaurant opened next to her shop they sometimes had live music and she would sing and dance there, too.
Milly drove to Minden everyday from Magnolia, Arkansas to run her shop. That shop was her life. She loved the people it brought to her and the joy it gave her when someone found something in there that made them happy or recalled a memory for them. She would drive over in her little silver HHR no matter the weather or how poorly she might feel that day. Sometimes she was worried about getting home safely and would call me just so we could talk while she drove. The little dogs were always with her.
The shop also brought many celebrities to her. When Louisiana had the tax credits that temporarily made us "Hollywood South," lots of movies were made in this area and so Milly met Jessica Simpson (who signed a publicity photo for Milly that she framed and hung on the wall) as well as Ice Cube who bought a Boston Terrier from her. Milly would tell these stories to everyone who came in. Nearly every television station, newspaper, and local magazine did a stories on her, including Rick Rowe from Channel 3, Doug Warner from Channel 12, LA Riders television show, and various tourism promotion videos.
One day I suggested to Milly that she needed a Facebook page; she was not very adept with technology so I started the page for her. She had an old Dell laptop on a desk in the shop but she never really used it much and never really figured out the fancy printer someone talked her into buying with it. So whenever I went to see her, which was about once a month, I would take photographs of everything I could and then we put them on the Facebook page. She let me have free reign with that but sometimes she would have something special come in that she wanted me to put on the page.
In those early days I did all the posting for her but eventually she figured out how to sign into the account and do her own posting. She posted there even after she closed the shop and loved the comments people left for her. It kept her connected to people she couldn't get to see any longer once she became so sick.
Thank God we did that. We still have Milly's "voice" on that page. She's still there for us.
Milly Rose was the most unselfish person I've ever known, hands down. She worked with abused women, she did prison ministry working with the families of incarcerated people to ensure they had their needs met and that the children had gifts at Christmas. During the holidays, after the shop closed at night, usually around seven or eight, she would stay and gather things for these ministry projects, stuffing them in the back of her HHR, and then hosting an annual event to spread her own holiday cheer. She would take in every lost soul that came into the shop, letting them work there to help her move things, clean, whatever she could come up with for them to do. There would be some days when the shop had made no sale at all, nothing, but she wold still find a way to pay her "helper" something from the register.
Most of these people became close and loving friends with her. One or two disappointed her but she would just shrug it off, pray for them, and know that it would be alright.
I always worried that she would place herself in a vulnerable position doing this but she never worried at all. She had strong faith.
Milly loved Christmas. Every year she would have her husband come and hang the white lights from her outside overhang and around the windows. She would decorate Christmas trees in the windows and outside the shop and she would create beautiful displays in the big windows. She always had a candy dish and Christmas cookies for her customers.
You never left the store, Christmas or not, without some "lagniappe" whether you bought something or not: everyone got a red Milly Rose pen that she ordered and gave away ("Here! Have a pen! These are GREAT pens!"). I've got a couple of them saved away so I can always have a Milly Rose Pen.
As we move into the Christmas season this year, the first Christmas without Milly Rose, I think about her daily. She made such a positive impact on so many people in her life. She loved her family, her friends, especially her grandchildren, without limit. I've never met anyone with such a capacity for unconditional love all of the time.
I've never met anyone in my life that loved living more than Milly Rose. She lived every single moment of her life and I will miss her every single day of mine.
The first of a series of articles about Caddo Parish Animal Services written by Jessica Carr of The Forum is out this week.
With her writing, Ms. Carr hopes to shine some light on conditions at CPAS and attempts by advocates to enact some reform there. She's done a nice job in this first article laying the groundwork for those relatively unfamiliar with the situation there.
Those of us that have been following this issue and advocating before the Caddo Parish Commission for so many years sometimes forget that there is a large segment of our community who may be unaware of what is happening at CPAS; they're out there. I've talked to them.
So, Ms. Carr's article this week lays the necessary groundwork and I hope it reaches a wider audience than we web-warriors have been able to achieve. Several of our local news outlets have reported on the problems and Lex Talamo at The Shreveport Times has covered these issues. There is little reason now for anyone to claim ignorance on the mismanagement of this shelter which lies directly at the feet of the Caddo Parish Commission.
As I wrote a few weeks ago, some members of the Commission are attempting to address issues at CPAS but change comes slowly and unless the general public is at the Commission meetings using their allocated three minutes to lobby for change then the Commission seems more than happy to shove the issue to the back burner.
To say that it’s been a rough year for the Caddo Parish Animal Shelter (CPAS) would be putting it mildly. The shelter has received a number of complaints from animal rights advocates and members of the community looking for changes to be made. Several incidents this year have only added to the shelter’s murky reputation that has been a consistent topic of heated debate in the Shreveport-Bossier community.
The incidents and complaints against CPAS have been brought to light by animal rights advocates on social media, personal blogs, and some have been reported by local media. Allegations range from overcrowded kennels and inadequate medical care to CPAS workers wrongfully euthanizing dogs that were claimed by rescue groups on several different occasions.
Carr also notes my ongoing post which logs a small portion of the abuses reported at CPAS which is here.
Any day we can get the media to keep the pressure up on this issue is a good day. Share the Forum article on social media and pick up a copy.
There is so much written and posted about Shreveport these days that is negative that sometimes it's really necessary for us to stop and look at the bright spots.
I'd like to highlight one of those bright spots here.
By now, most in Shreveport know we now have a fabulous German restaurant in town. Evi's Schnitzel Haus first opened on North Market but quickly realized that the perfect location for their business would be the empty Tudor-style building on Shreveport-Barksdale Highway which originally housed Steak & Lobster and most recently Athena.
Since their move into the new location business has taken off, word has spread, and even better, the
community has truly embraced and fallen in love with this family.
Evi Bradford was born and raised in Giessen, Germany; she grew up working in her mother's restaurant and while it wasn't her favorite thing to do, she learned her way around a kitchen and around the food service industry. She married an American serviceman and they have a beautiful family here in Shreveport all of whom work in the restaurant.
When you go to the restaurant you will see her boys at the door to greet you and Evi in the kitchen but when things slow down she will run out and sit down and talk to you. She likes to know her customers and likes to hear their stories of Germany. She's as warm and sweet as anyone I've ever met and has a smile that makes you feel like you've known her forever. She laughs easily and when she does her eyes sparkle; it's easy to tell she is doing what she loves.
Jaeger Schnitzel
Evi describes her food as "German comfort food." At the restaurant you can get the tenderest, most delicious schnitzel you've ever tasted; there are a variety of sauces and gravies that can top your
schnitzel. Jaeger Schnitzel has a rich brown mushroom gravy while the Zweibel Schnitzel (my favorite) is topped with brown gravy and delicious carmelized onions. There are several other varieties from which to choose.
If you want something smaller, brats are available, or Curry Wurst. I almost always order the Geschnetzeltes which I can only compare to a beef stroganoff. It's delicious.
Sides include Gurkensalat, which is a thinly sliced cucumber salad with a touch of dill, or you could go for the traditional Sauerkrat or Rotkraut. Also popular is the Spaetzle, a sort of soft egg noodle, or Spaetzle with cheese.
The menu at the restaurant is continually growing with new additions coming soon like Rouladen and goulash.
A happy pretzel
The restaurant is family oriented and the staff and customers alike are always friendly; people come in and end up sharing memories of their trips to Germany. As a testament to how this community has embraced the family, One wall of the restaurant is covered with a German Schrank, or large cabinet unit, which is filled with items customers have brought to Evi such as German beer steins, Volksmarch medals and canes, commemorative plates, and glassware. The only thing in the Schrank that Evi actually contributed is two teacups that belonged to her mother.
The family has big plans for the restaurant and they now have opened a new venture: Biergarten Zum Roten Fluss, or Beer Garden on the Red River. It's located at the foot of the bridge at 1303 Shreveport-Barksdale Highway.
The Biergarten is in a sort of soft-opening right now - the decor is not finished and not very German yet, but that's coming. What's fabulous about the Biergarten is the huge selection of imported German beer, both in bottles and on tap, that you can select. Not a beer drinker? There' is also an excellent variety of German wine to choose from as well as other traditional bar choices. Right now it's only open Thursday - Saturday, but those hours will expand soon.
The Biergarten is also offering a few light food choices that are different from the restaurant: we had a huge, soft pretzel that was delicious, and Knackwurst. You can also order wings and fries. Right now they're offering a "value meal" which is eight wings, fries, dipping sauces, and a flight of four German draft beers for $20.
Evi gave us a sample of a wonderfully rich beer-cheese soup she's going to introduce there soon, and there will eventually be a cold cuts and cheese platter available.
Giant Jenga
The Biergarten also offers some fun pub games like this giant Jenga style game. In nice weather
there is a patio on the front of the building which will be a great place to sit outside and enjoy your beer or food. There's a large stage at one end of the building where they will bring in live music, karaoke, and fun contests, like drinking out of the German Beer Boot. I'm really looking forward to see what they do with Oktoberfest next year!
This family is committed to Shreveport-Bossier and is growing their business because of the love and support our community has shown. When you have a good product and you don't skimp on portions or quality, and you offer top-notch customer service, you will be successful in the food service industry and Evi Bradford and her husband know that.
The Caddo Commission meeting last week, on October 19, was a choreographed waste of taxpayer time as obviously the vote on the Confederate monument was already in long before the meeting ever took place. The vote to remove the monument was 7-5, but everyone knew two things going in to the meeting:
1. The vote would be to remove; every Commissioner had already signaled their vote. There was no suspense whatsoever and no use for the citizen comments. The intention to remove was made perfectly clear when the Commission rejected the recommendation of their own Citizens Advisory Committee.
2. The vote would be purely symbolic. The Commission knows that the monument does not belong to them - this is not contested. The Commission also knows that there is a pending lawsuit filed by John Settle for the purpose of determining who owns the land underneath the monument.
The forerunner of the Caddo Commission, The Caddo Parish Police Jury, donated that parcel of land to the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1903, a donation which is recorded in the Police Jury minutes. That no property deed was ever executed is the Parish's evidence that they own the land, but in fact, the heirs of Larkin Edwards may be the owners of that parcel and the entire courthouse square as no deed for that entire block can be found either.
The official parish position is that they own the land -- that the courthouse has been there since the early part of the 1900s and ownership has passed to the parish through what amounts to frontier rights.
An opposing position is that the courthouse square belongs to the descendants of Larkin Edwards, a friend of the Caddo Indians who sold much of the land that was the original Shreveport.
There is no record that proves Edwards ever sold the land that is now the courthouse square. Early maps show it was to be a Public Square.
This one will be a tangled knot for the judges and attorneys to unravel and is sure to play out in the courts for years -- all at a cost to the Caddo taxpayer.
The cost to move the monument will be exorbitant. Despite claims in the meeting last week that the monument is "just a piece of concrete," it is in fact a priceless and irreplaceable work of art, regardless of how one feels about the subject matter.
The 20' x 20' base is indeed concrete, but Clio, The Muse of History, is carved from white marble and the four generals are carved from hard gray Texas granite. There is a 12' tall column upon which a youthful soldier of white marble stands, and he is about 7' tall.
Much, much more than a piece of concrete.
The ownership of the monument is not contested. It belongs to the United Daughters of the Confederacy, a heritage organization founded in 1894. The UDC is a non-profit organization and is currently raising money for their legal defense fund. You can contribute either online or with a check. Go to the UDC website or Facebook page.
At any rate, the meeting on October 19 was pure choreography. The room was standing room only filled with "citizens" who wanted the monument removed. To someone who had not been paying attention to this process, one would believe the entire city wants this monument removed. At one point in the meeting, Caddo Commission President Steven Jackson asked those in the room in favor of removal to stand and I'd say 95% of the room stood up. Pure choreography (I doubt he would have suggested that had he not already known the answer).
Some of the citizen comments were simply outlandish nonsense, some had valid points or concerns, and maybe the most moving was the 81-year old woman in the wheelchair who spoke for removal and reminisced about how dangerous it was for blacks back in those days.
I heard one comment after another about "Bloody Caddo" - a phrase I've seldom heard in my 58 years living here. I've read lots of history about our neighboring parishes, Caddo and Bossier, and know plenty of atrocities took place here as in many other places in the South, but I've never heard "Bloody Caddo" mentioned by so many people in so short a time as in that meeting. Was that coincidence?
One woman came up and spoke about the stench of the smoke and blood, and about brains being blown out, body parts in trees, and such.
It went on for a couple of hours and it was after 6:00 before the Commissioners began putting their two-cents on record, but of course it was already done.
It was a circus, a sham.
Within hours the United Daughters of the Confederacy filed for an injunction to stop the removal as everyone knew would happen.
The Caddo Commission resolution for removal does not say when the monument will be moved, where it will be moved or stored, and does not mention any kind of structural engineer to examine the monument in order to prevent damage. Since they don't own the monument the Commission (aka taxpayer) will be responsible for any damages cause in the move. They will also, in all likelihood, be responsible for damages incurred as the monument loses status on the National Historic Register because of the removal.
Commission President Steven Jackson said the attorney fees will not cost anything as legal action will be handled "in house" but don't we pay the salary for the parish attorney now? And if he thinks the Commission won't have to outsource some of this legal work and hire an attorney, he's way off the mark. This is going to go on for years and be very, very expensive.
The only winners will be the attorneys.
You can thank the Commission for that. By the way, they will be bringing up millage renewals soon - remember that as you consider how prudent this Commission is with your tax dollars.
Anyone want to start looking for the heirs of Larkin Edwards? Start here.
The advocates for the animals at Caddo Parish Animal Services may finally have some hope on the horizon. If you haven't yet seen the Work Session agenda for October 16, take a look at item 8.III, the second PDF file which is entitled "Proposed Internal Audit Process."
This might be very, very good news.
As you recall, Commissioner Matthew Linn has a proposal on the table to amend the Home Rule Charter to allow for an outside audit of departmental procedures in Caddo Parish government. This was a subject of some hot debate in the October 2 work session and on which I reported here. The proposal, if the Commission allowed, would have to come before the voters of Caddo Parish and of course this would be costly and time consuming.
Now there appears to be a compromise on the table.
You can read the entire PDF of the new proposal by Mr. Wilson, but I'll excerpt some points here.
Wilson already has the authority, and duty, to establish a system for internal audit of the affairs of the parish. It appears now that the commissioners will have more input into which departments get audited and when. The audit plan will now come before the Caddo Commission "for review and approval." And "any changes made in the audit plan would require the approval of the Commission."
So, to me, that sounds like a little transparency and oversight.
I know, we don't trust the Commission, but let's stay with this for a minute.
This is the part I like:
A third-party contractor from the approved list from the Louisiana Legislative Auditor.
This is good.
Then this:
"The selected audit firm shall be independent of all the programs, functions, operations,
and activities that will be audited, to ensure the impartiality and credibility of the audit
work undertaken."
Even better!
And first on the audit list?
That's right, Caddo Parish Animal Services.
The audit findings will be presented to the Parish Administrator and CEO, and the Commission and that should also me us, the public.
We need that transparency.
Go read the whole proposal for yourself. I don't speak legalese and we need as many sharp eyes on this process as possible.
This proposal must go through. It will save taxpayers the cost of an election and it will save much time for the animals that are at CPAS. The original proposal to amend the charter and to force this audit issue will take at least two years to get into place; this offers a compromise by Wilson and a move in the right direction.
We will still need an effective leader at CPAS.
If you can, go to the meeting Monday at Government Plaza. Let them know you are watching.
Marley is a typical example of what happens to dogs at Caddo Parish Animal Services.
A dog is brought in as a stray, or is owner-surrendered. The dog might be perfectly healthy, as Marley is. On intake, Marley is heart worm negative. Thin, but otherwise fairly healthy and so considered "adoptable."
Adoptable dogs are put inside in plexiglass and cinderblock kennels with concrete floors. The walls are painted in glaring neon colors. The sound of barking dogs echo through the facility. Over time a dog gets "kennel crazy" - sort of like cabin fever in humans. A dearth of human interaction, constant noise, complete over stimulation. It gets to you.
When this happens, the dog might become "aggressive" or just stir crazy and so is then moved to the "rescue only" side of the shelter which is outside in the elements; there are usually several dogs in a kennel and they often have to fight for food. Dogs like Marley will lose even more weight and eventually become unhealthy.
Our local rescues can only pull so many dogs. Their funds are limited and donations get maxed out quickly. Vet bills add up.
So dogs like Marley enter that downward spiral toward euthanasia.
Then we end up with high kill rates.
When Caddo Commissioner Matthew Linn proposed an amendment to the Caddo Parish Home Rule Charter in the October 2 work session that would help change the situation at CPAS, most of the commissioners were in favor and recognize that CPAS is "failing miserably," as Commissioner Mario Chavez said in his remarks.
Three of our commissioners, however, don't see a problem, and as I noted earlier in the week, interim Commissioner Louis Johnson thinks we have administrators in place "who are doing a great job." That may be true in some departments but certainly not with regard to the animal shelter.
Caddo Parish Animal services euthanizes at least half as many dogs as they take in and the percentage is far higher with cats.
CPAS stats: September 2017
Of course part of that is due to the citizenry who refuses to spay/neuter their animals. But there have been far too many grievous problems and examples of bad policy, procedure, and mismanagement at our shelter that could be improved upon. Why does this cycle continue?
Commissioner Linn's proposal to change the charter to allow for an outside auditor is a step in the right direction, however some in our community see this as simply "a political ploy" and said "Commissioners like Matthew Linn have no credibility." (That was a comment on Facebook when I shared my last blog post. I don't want to call out the commenter by name).
This is disheartening. Commissioner Linn is trying to do the right thing, trying to implement known best practices in government, and this is something that should have been done long ago. In fact, had an auditor been involved back when administrators offered CPERS to the commissioners perhaps that tangled mess could have been avoided.
This is mixing apples and oranges.
This is now.
NOW is the time to fix this shelter and turn it into something we can be proud of.
What we need to focus on is not egos but on the animals like Marley who are at this moment suffering because there is nobody in charge to fix this problem and literally no other hope on the horizon for them outside of this proposed amendment.
We all need to unite in this issue. We need to quit mixing issues and blaming people for past transgressions that have nothing whatsoever to do with this issue.
We have three commissioners who opposed the proposal: Doug Dominick, Louis Johnson, and John Atkins, and they oppose it for different reasons.
Mr. Dominick opposes primarily the cost to the voters. By that theory the Caddo Commission should never place any more issues on the ballot.
Mr. Johnson, who is up for re-election October 14, believes things are great the way they are.
As Mr. Linn pleaded in the October 2 sessionn, "Give transparency a chance."
I would add, let's give animals like Marley a chance, and the hundreds of other animals who will face stress, hunger, exposure to disease, and euthanization before this is resolved.
Call or email your commissioner and ask them to support this proposal; and remember, all Mr. Linn is asking the Commissioners to do is to bring this issue before the voters. Ultimately, we get to decide whether or not to change the Home Rule Charter. Why can't we have a voice?
The Shreveport Times published a powerful Letter to the Editor last week about the abysmal failure of the Caddo Parish Animal facility that needs to go viral:
Something's wrong here: we have a Caddo Parish administrator in charge of an animal control operation that is obviously out of control. Check the record. Woody Wilson keeps doing the same thing in hiring incompetent animal shelter managers while expecting a different result.
When does someone start asking meaningful questions about Dr. Wilson's competence here? Does he get supervision? Then, too, what will it take for him to even start thinking about privatizing our "if in doubt, kill 'em" animal sheltering program?
Management by government isn't working. Management via private means, with public financing, would give us a chance to find managers motivated to make this operation work — for the animals and for us, the citizens. We could do right things right, if we just tried, for a change.
You know the cycle to which he refers. Something horrific happens at CPAS, like mistakenly euthanizing the wrong cat or dogs tagged for rescue mistakenly being euthanized, and the animal community gets up in arms. We all march down to the Caddo Commission meeting, rail at the commissioners for their ineptitude, and nothing changes. We might write letters or blog posts, we might organize meetings with our commissioners, but nothing changes.
Many politicians and citizens not involved in the animal community refer to us as "those crazy animal people."
We now have a chance for change, and I'm not talking about yet another new director of CPAS.
At the Caddo Commission work session on October 2, Commissioner Matthew Linn introduced a proposal to amend the Home Rule Charter under which the Commission operates and allow for a provision for the Commission to hire an independent auditor.
Simply put, the way the Commission now works, the parish audits itself. It's the equivalent of Parish Administrator Woody Wilson writing his own test and grading it himself.
What Linn has figured out is that an outside audit is needed if anything is going to change. It's simply good government. Why wouldn't we want to follow known Best Practices in government and allow more transparency in what is going on in our local government? There are legislative guidelines for local governmental bodies to follow and the Caddo Commission is not following those guidelines by virtue of their charter.
My theory is that Caddo Animal Services is just a distraction for whatever is going on elsewhere in the parish. Why does Mr. Wilson keep installing people to head that department who are inept? If we are all up in arms about a mistakenly euthanized cat then we aren't paying attention to anything else. The Parish Administrator should have fixed this ongoing problem and inept department by now. I'm not saying anything nefarious is happening elsewhere in other areas of parish government, but how do we know?
Local animal advocate Cindy Marrus passionately appealed to the Commission on October 2, and in
Cindy Marrus: CPC Work Session 10/2/17
her three minutes recapped the latest atrocity at CPAS and pleaded, "How can you allow what's happening out there? Aren't you embarrassed? Don't you have pride? Don't you care?" Her tone was pleading and sorrowful - she wasn't ranting. (You can listen to her remarks here; skip ahead to about 8:56).
Under Linn's proposal, the Commission could call for an audit of any department under their purview, including Animal Services. You would think this would be a welcome change to the Home Rule Charter which currently does not provide for this.
During the meeting on October 2, Linn noted that he had provided literature about Best Practices in auditing and local government to the commissioners and some had even attended a meeting about it. He's done the research.
Ultimately, the voters have to approve this; all Linn is asking the Commission to do is to bring it before the voters.
Three commissioners voted against the proposal: Doug Dominick, John Atkins, and Louis Johnson.
Mr. Dominick said his concern is the cost of bringing this before the voters: if done in a special election (which nobody suggested) it would cost $225,000, but done during another regular election, like our mayoral election for example, the cost would be around $20,000. Dominick also suggested that this should wait until the committee that meets every four years to discuss the Home Rule Charter convenes. They last met in 2016 so my question to Mr. Dominick is how many more animals are you willing to see killed before you wait for this committee to meet in three more years?
Mr. Dominick suggested that a committee to audit financial issues might be okay but not operational issues. "That's a whole 'nother ball of wax," he said.
But what if operations are your problem?
John Atkins expressed concern about changing the current charter and said that he believes the Commission could achieve the same results by forming an audit committee, which in essence is the same as I said before: writing and grading your own test. This is not transparent and subject to a host of political shenanigans, vote trading, bargaining, etc., - not that I'm suggesting anyone would do that, but clearly an independent audit is preferred and is a known best practice.
Incredibly, to me, Louis Johnson said he thinks things are just fine the way they are. He said, "We have people in place who are doing a great job...". It seems that Mr. Johnson confused the issue as a no-confidence vote against Parish Administrator Woody Wilson, and that's simply not what's on the table. While Mr. Johnson said that we can offer compassion to the woman whose cat was euthanized, he said he was offering "a confidence vote for what we have in place." So, the abysmal failure of CPAS is just fine with Louis Johnson.
Remember, all that Mr. Linn is asking them at this point is to bring this issue before the voters - asking for the authority to have an independent audit of parish departments if needed. In concurrence, Lyndon Johnson noted "what we're doing is not working," because the charter right now does not allow for independent audits. In the meeting Johnson also noted that "we know there are issues with animal services and we need to make a change and see if we can do something different."
Steven Jackson said, "I felt sort of remiss when I heard about this. This is not a slight on anyone...it's about asking the citizens what is their preferred method for best practices."
Commissioner Chavez agreed: "Caddo Parish Animal Services has failed...We keep putting our trust in what's not working. Something's got to give."
The list of atrocities at CPAS is lengthy, from selling animals out the back door, to bestiality, and countless accidental incidents of euthanization. It's been going on for over a decade. Clearly the Commissioners, nor anyone else, know exactly what's going on there. Just try and volunteer at CPAS - good luck on that.
In truth the only person that knows what's going on in all departments of parish government is Parish Administrator Woody Wilson; the Caddo Commission does not because there's no transparency. As Parish Administrator, we expect that Woody Wilson would want to utilize known Best Practices in government and offer transparency to voters, animal advocates, citizens. He should be advocating for this change in charter. He is not.
Linn said at the work session, "Yes, it's going to cost $20,000 to put this on the ballot but it's worth it to let the citizens vote and see if they want us to follow what is known as Best Practices...Give transparency a chance."
I think he's right.
Everyone in Caddo Parish should advocate for this, and to appeal to your Commissioner to support this. Don't we want transparency? Don't we want to ensure accountability? Look at what the City uncovered when the water department was audited! We have a chance to change.
If the Commissioners could fix CPAS, they would. They can't because they can't get involved in the departmental operations there. This proposal would give them the authority to do that and to uncover the Wizard behind the screen.
There are few historians in our area I admire more than John Andrew Prime. Mr. Prime was recently a member of the Citizen's Advisory Committee appointed by the Caddo Parish Commission for the purpose of determining the fate of the contested Caddo Parish Confederate monument which stands on the north side of the courthouse on a small parcel of land given to the United Daughters of the Confederacy by the Caddo Parish Police Jury in 1903.
That Citizens Advisory Committee voted to make a recommendation to the Caddo Parish Commission to leave the Confederate monument in place and to erect two additional monuments: one to Reconstruction and one to Civil Rights. This recommendation was the result of months of town hall meetings with the citizens of Caddo parish and the result of study of hundreds of emails and comments from these citizens.
Mr. Prime, on the other hand, a voice of reason in all this madness, is on the right track.
Mr. Prime realizes that a community divided can only fall upon itself.
Mr. Prime has proposed a grand compromise.
If a Confederate monument standing on courthouse grounds insults Lady Justice and impedes the right of a fair trial for some of our citizens, then we should move the courthouse.
On the other hand, removing the courthouse to a bigger, better location provides a remedy for the justice complaints and most other ills opposed by the howling anti-history mob. Turning the current courthouse into a museum, dedicated in part to telling the local story of the Civil War, the Reconstruction that led to bloody decades that led in turn to today's era of Civil Rights, also offers an alternative sure to kindle further public debate and discourse, as well as a tourism opportunity of the first order. No doubt the public, as well as historians from many walks of life in Shreveport and Caddo Parish, could offer suggestions for the building.
An alternative to building a new courthouse might be to repurpose a building on land already indebted to the city or parish, with copious parking, easily accessible by modern highways.
What about Mall St. Vincent, the recipient of public largess recently through $16 million in upgrades by the city, owned by Canadian developers following insolvency declarations and reportedly available almost for the asking? It's right off I-49 and I-20, has tons of parking, and is easily accessible from most parts of Shreveport.
How about that! A solution to appease all sides!
Brilliant!
The Caddo Parish Courthouse is actually outdated for modern use and a new courthouse is certainly needed. The current building is architecturally and historically significant and has been renovated through the years to include new elevators, plumbing, and electrical upgrades. It's perfect for a museum.
Why not use currently owned Caddo parish land on Cross Bayou for the site of a new courthouse? Shreveport has a Triple A bond rating which means we can borrow money at a low interest rate - why not use that? And I'm willing to bet that private investors would even step up to invest in this civil compromise if for no other reason than to put an end to this issue that is certainly going to cause terrible division within our city.
We don't want to be New Orleans.
If this monument controversy goes forward it will ensnare the city in years of litigation; it's already in the courts thanks to John Settle's lawsuit, but even if that is dismissed, as the Caddo Commission has requested, that won't end the issue of who owns the land under the monument. This will go on for years and only enrich the lawyers.
The Commission rejected the first compromise offer which the Citizen's Advisory Committee proposed. Certainly they will have the good sense to entertain and at least explore the idea of a new Caddo Courthouse which would benefit the parish and appease both sides of the monument issue.
Should the courthouse be relocated, the current building could be a museum with exhibits dedicated to Civil Rights, famous Caddo citizens, the Caddo Indians, and even Larkin Edwards who owned the land upon which the courthouse sits. Caddo Commissioner Matthew Linn even suggested this at one of the Commission work sessions - his suggestion was to turn the upper floor of the courthouse into a museum. Why not the entire building?! We can even erect a monument on the south side of the courthouse to Civil Rights, as recommended by the Citizens Advisory Committee. There is no monument on that side.
This is the potential for organic growth which Shreveport so desperately needs to embrace and will be a chance to assist in the revitalization of downtown. We could even add some retail shops, a coffee shop, a gift shop...the possibilities are there.
But mostly, it's a chance for us to come together. We can be different. We can unite.
