Dystopian Shreveport: What are the Answers to Survival?

Living in Shreveport these days is turning into some kind of twisted, dystopian experience. It is no exaggeration to note that shootings occur every single day in this city, sometimes multiple times, and often with injuries or fatalities. It is tragic anytime a life is lost to this senseless violence but it seems even more so when an innocent life, or a beautiful child, is lost.

And we accept this. 

On March 20, 2021, five-year old Mya Patel was killed when she was hit by a stray bullet.

Wednesday, March 24, social media reflected multiple audio recordings of shots fired early in the evening, shots I heard clearly while reading in my bedroom.

March 30, a woman a few blocks from me was shot in the hip; luckily she is okay.

March 31, Xavier Griffin, 19 years old, shot and killed in the Queensborogh neighborhood. Nineteen years old.

Last night, April 2, one was killed and others injured in multiple shootings.

It is literally every single day or night - doesn't matter what time -- and we are doing nothing about this. You can check the Caddo 911 Active Emergency Events page and almost every single time you'll see a shots fired or a shootings call, and those don't include the ones that never make it to the page or are "holding," waiting for available officers. 

We are doing nothing about it.

"But, what can we do?!"  I hear you. I don't have those answers. My layman's opinion would be to first work through the local elections process to elect leaders tough on crime, willing to enforce penalties on criminals. From the mayor, to the District Attorney, to the city council and the parish commission, we need support. 

We need police officers and the money to pay them. Shreveport ranks woefully low in police pay and our officers do not stay. We need the best and the brightest, willing to work hard for good pay.

We need jobs. We need businesses to come here to grow the tax base and to provide employment. We need all levels of jobs, from the trades to the administrative. We can't continue to depend simply on service industry jobs as our main employers. 

Businesses won't come without decent infrastructure. Our streets are literally crumbling, our water system is collapsing (not to mention their mismanaged billing practices), and the city is covered in trash, litter, and empty buildings. 

We need a vibrant downtown. The downtown area is trying: there are some places to eat, a few renovated buildings for apartments, you can see a movie, look at buildings. Many people avoid downtown due to safety issues. Maybe we need bicycle or mounted units there. Maybe we need more options for our large homeless population on the streets there. 

We need so many things. Old time Shreveporters often speak of the "good ol' days" when we had sports teams like The Shreveport Captains, where families could go enjoy a game on a pretty afternoon or evening. Now, our baseball stadium is empty, crumbling, and filled with bats and toxic guano.

Neil Johnson postcard photo.

For the most part, unless you want to drink or gamble, there is not much for families to do here. There are a few things...SciPort is downtown, and the Aquarium. What else? Someone help me. I know I'm forgetting something -- my kids are grown.

Before anything else happens, safety has got to be addressed. Perhaps I am alone in my concern. Perhaps I am in the minority when I balk at going to Betty Virginia Park to walk or spend an afternoon outside. Maybe I'm the only one who is constantly on guard when I walk my neighborhood.  Maybe nobody else has started taking their dogs out at night earlier, or in the backyard rather than the front yard. Maybe nobody else has installed surveillance cameras around their home. Maybe I'm the only one much more cautious about locking their car at night. Maybe nobody else has had packages stolen off their front porch. 

Maybe all this is just my perception.

I long to see a thriving Shreveport with businesses like when we had Western Electric, General Motors, Kast Metals, Libby Glass, Poulan WeedEater, to name a few. The Captains played baseball in their new stadium and people sat in the beer garden eating hot dogs and sipping nickel beer. New malls and shopping centers dotted the city, and parks were growing. People ate at local restaurants, like Sansone's, Brocato's, Abe's, Monsour's, The Centenary Oyster House, George's, and Fertitta's, to name a few. Downtown was bustling with department stores like Selber's, Hearne's, Rubensteins, and Palais Royal. You could grab lunch at a nice, fancy place downtown or a quick, inexpensive burger place. You felt safe. You could park in the Selber's parking garage and not worry about your car or about getting panhandled or mugged. Shreve Square was hopping on weekend nights: great bands in multiple clubs, people walking between them, great restaurants, good times.

Have you seen the building where The Sportspage or Humphrees used to be?

Humpfrees, 2021. 

We could reminisce about the glory days forever, and everybody knows times change and nothing stays the same, but the truth is, other cities adapt better than we have. When you travel, when you leave the city and see other places, even places within say a three hour radius, it is stunning to see the difference. 

It's possible to have a clean city with happy people. But Shreveport feels like a city with a cloud of gloom over it. We can talk it up and pretend to be positive. I know people will jump on me and say that it's the negative people like me that keeps it down. "If you hate it here so much, why don't you leave!?" I've heard it. 

The answer is I'd like to be part of a solution, not stick my head in the sand and pretend like it's great. It's not great. Listen to that gunfire every night and tell me how great that is.

So. What's the solution. What do we do, Shreveport? What are the answers?

Shreveport Water Department Woes Continue

Pooling water from meter leak

Nothing to see here.

Shreveport is doing just fine: we defeated a sports complex and allowed Uber in.  That's only two of our "accomplishments" touted by city officials as 2017 closed.

And Mayor Tyler touted infrastructure:

Shreveport Mayor Ollie Tyler cited major infrastructure improvements — including 69 new street projects totaling $12.1 million and and an additional $143 million on sewer improvements — as a top accomplishment for 2017.

Seriously.

And the politicians looks to the future:

As far as next year, Councilman Willie Bradford pointed to a long laundry list of upcoming endeavors that will require significant attention from city leaders— including "crime, economic disparity, a dying inner-city, white and middle class flight, and a loss of faith in our city government."

Meanwhile, our city administration is under investigation.

Elliott Stonecipher writes this morning at Real Shreveport about the article in the Shreveport Times print edition by Lex Talamo regarding the corruption and mismanagement at City Hall, specifically the water department.

I'd link to the Times article but as of this writing it is not in the digital edition (which makes me question why I'm paying for that...).

You'll have to read Stonecipher's report:

While the article does, in fact, include details about 1998-2006 Shreveport Mayor Keith Hightower, it also mentions the involvement of those in the 2006-2014 double-term of Mayor Cedric Glover and the current administration of Mayor Ollie Tyler.  

 The Times report clearly intends the article to focus public attention on Keith Hightower, along with Michael Wainwright and Scott Pernici.The three are well-known among locals who care as major political players over recent decades, often as a trio.  

Their 2016 lawsuit against the City of Shreveport over water service under-billing triggered the subject events and investigation.

It's a nasty tangled web and far above my pay grade. And here is the KSLA report from October 2017 about the internal auditor report of the water department which found high risk levels of fraud and abuse.  Here is the KTBS report.

Meanwhile the city's infrastructure crumbles.

The recent cold weather and sub-freezing temperatures exacerbated the problem as water mains burst all over town. Add this to the crumbling city pipes going to residential water meters and we are soon to be a city with major utility problems.

On our street alone there is one meter-leak that has been seeping water into the street and pooling at the ends of driveways for several months.  It was called in several times before the city came out and
put sticks and tape around it, did some spray painting in the street, and went away.

After the freeze last week, another meter three houses down started leaking.  Water is pooling onto the sidewalk.

The city has been called twice on this latest leak.

I spoke to a one water department employee who came out to test the pressure on a hydrant (which made the meter leaks even worse) who said there are "so many busted pipes all over town" there is no way to keep up.

It's not likely to improve. Consider this report from Lex Talamo dated September 2017:

The city's sole water treatment facility is sometimes stretched to capacity and operates, at peak, below its original capacity by 12 million gallons of water per day.  

Cross Lake, which supplies water to the water treatment facility, needs an estimated $200 million in upgrades, including to fight invasive species such as Giant Salvinia. Cross Lake Dam, which stores water for the facility, needs up to $18 million for repairs.  

The city has met its deadlines so far in completing work under a federal order requiring $500 million in fixes to city sewers. But now the work gets more difficult and expensive. A source of funding has not been identified.  

All told, the infrastructure maintenance, repair and upgrade bill facing city government is around $1.5 billion — the result of paltry appropriations for decades.

Meanwhile, our city officials are patting themselves on the back for a job well done.

Further reading:
Shreveport/Caddo Leaders Reflect on Accomplishments
Two Investigations into Shreveport's Water Department
Shreveport Times City Hall Corruption Report a Must Read
Audit: High-Risk Levels of Fraud, Abuse at Shreveport Water Department
Report to the City Council by the City Internal Auditor

The Lucky and T-Bone Story Gets Personal and Nasty

BREAKING: Lucky and T-Bone are out of CPAS; preliminary word is that they are at a veterinarian's office; their heart worms are worse than initially indicated and the dogs are not in as good condition as initially indicated.  Please go to the Go Fund Me page for them and donate what you can.  It's safe.  Anything that is left over will go to Robinson's Rescue.  More details as they come.



The story about Lucky and T-Bone is changing so quickly I almost need to live-blog it rather than try to do a finished post.

While the advocates for these dogs really just want to focus on the dogs, Caddo Animal Services and Councilman Stephanie Lynch have turned this into a racial story and a personal story.

The backstory:  A concerned citizen saw two neglected, starved dogs living in inhumane conditions, reported it on March 6, and followed up until his complaint was addressed.  Caddo Animal Control went to the house and seized the dogs on March 8.

The dogs were vetted at the shelter and found to have heart worms, hook worms, and whip worms and were malnourished.

PetSavers is one of the rescue groups that stepped up and offered to take the dogs from the shelter, place them with reputable fosters and pay for their treatment.  They were declined.

Shelter director Everett Harris called a press conference on Wednesday, March 11,  and attempted to make the case that the shelter can take care of the dogs just as well as a rescue or foster situation.

On Monday, March 16, the Caddo Parish Commission met in their regular work session and various rescue groups were in attendance to have their three minutes to address the Commission regarding the care of the dogs.

Harris also shared this puffy propaganda video of the dogs living in an apparent idyllic paradise at the shelter.  (I can't embed the video but it's on the Caddo Animal Services Facebook page.)  Of course, Harris complained that the rescue groups were exploiting the two neglected dogs and sure don't come out like this for all the other dogs at the shelter, but I'm sure that's not what he was doing here.

The current story:  I didn't go to the Parish Commission meeting because I had work obligations Monday afternoon (a conference with a parent); up until noon today the video of that meeting was on the Caddo Commission website.  I watched parts of it this morning, before noon.  That video has been taken down:

Parish Commission site, Media Link as of 3/18/15 

Now why in the world would that video be taken down?  The Caddo Commission always records their meetings and posts them to their website.

My guess is that the video was taken down because at about 22:26 - 26:10 Shreveport Councilwoman Stephanie Lynch stepped to the microphone for her three minutes of time.  Ms. Lynch represents

District F, Mooretown, where the dogs were seized.

It's not really clear why Ms. Lynch chose to involve herself in an Animal Services issue except that this occurred in her district and she felt like she should have been notified at some point.  Since you can't see the video anymore, thankfully she was quoted at KTBS:

If there's a problem there, we can take care of it.  If there's an issue concerning any of our constituents, we can take care of it.  I don't need anybody from Bossier or any other part of Caddo parish, Shreveport coming into Mooretown to handle a situation without allowing the elected officials...to deal with the situation."  She also suggested that rescues work with the original owners who signed over ownership to CPAS, so that the dogs could be returned to them.  "They want the dogs back," she said.

Here is a screencap of the KTBS story:

(Just in case it disappears, too).  For now, there is video of Lynch saying the above remarks.

Even further, and not on the KTBS video, Lynch opened her remarks saying that she, too wanted the dogs; everybody wants the dogs, she said.  "I'll throw my name in there too, I want the dogs."  She went on to say that "There may be two white people that live in Mooretown -- maybe two.  It's a predominately black community and a community that takes care of its own."

Now why in the world would she interject race into a welfare concern about two dogs?

Councilwoman Lynch's remarks were making the rounds on social media and local news yesterday, March 17, when former news reporter Chris Redford posted this query on his Facebook page:

Facebook:  3/17/15

Good question.

It wasn't too long before Councilwoman Lynch jumped into the conversation:

Facebook 3/17/15

To be fair, I can't find where Ms. Lynch said anything about white people not understanding hard times.  Not saying it isn't there, just that I haven't been able to find it.  It's possible someone at the meeting heard her say it, but I don't know that.

The source of her outrageous comments was the Caddo Commission video that isn't available any longer -- the comments where she said Mooretown is a black community that takes care of its own.

The Shreveport City Councilwoman spent the rest of her evening engaging the people commenting on Mr. Redford's post:

Facebook 3/17/15

And later:

Facebook 3/17/15

And later:

Facebook 3/17/15

Get that:  "In no way" does she "care about what most of you have expressed in your comments...".  And ""no one person can say they pay my salary," she said; true enough.  Only the taxpayers, but she doesn't care what you think, so there you go.

There's more:

Facebook 3/17/15

Again, to be fair to Ms. Lynch, there was trash talk on all sides, but shouldn't a city official refrain from such behavior on social media?  Not according to Ms. Lynch; even the pros do it:

Facebook 3/17/15

This sort of thing went on for hours last night.  I finally got bored with her and went to bed.

March 18, 2016:  Today the plot thickened.  And got nasty.  The photographer that volunteers her time to Companions of Caddo Animal Services and who has been taking beautiful photographs of the shelter dogs (109 dogs and 67 cats - many of whom were adopted because of her) was refused admittance today to the shelter to take her photographs.

Not only that, Everett Harris said he was in fear for his life from her and called the police.

The photographer spoke at the Parish Commission meeting Monday.

Coincidence?

Fear for his life?

That photographer is devastated.

Let me remind you that the Caddo Parish Animal shelter has a 72% euthanasia rate for dogs and over 80% for cats.  They need all the help they can get.


All of this because some people wanted to help two starved, neglected dogs.  People are getting personal, getting attacked, and reputations are being damaged.

There is no reason this should have gotten this nasty.  None whatsoever.

There's no reason Mr. Harris should not release the two dogs to a rescue and save the taxpayers the money.  Apparently, the Caddo Animal shelter will treat heart worms in your neglected dogs and give them back to you.  I wonder if all the dogs in the shelter are being treated for their parasites?

Why make this so personal?  What is the motive for Caddo Animal Services and why does Councilwoman Lynch feel the need to take to Facebook to insult people, call them names, and make this a racial issue?

What in the world is going on in our parish and city government?

The Caddo Parish Commission will have their regular meeting tomorrow afternoon, should you decide you want to go watch this circus.


UPDATE:  Remember, once you put something on the internet, it's never really gone.  Here's the video of the Caddo Commission that they don't want you to see) (thanks to some folks with techie skills!: