Original Article in thumbnail cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/26780505
Newsom launches statewide task force to clear homeless encampments
The announcement follows Newsom’s 2024 executive order, which directed encampment cleanups after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling granted state and local governments more authority to remove them.
Then there was also this headline from 2 days ago: Newsom says he’ll increase CHP presence in major cities, touts progress on crime
A lot of what Newsom is doing lately sounds an awful lot like what has been happening in Louisiana for the last 2 years…
Relocation begins: Jeff Landry’s administration clears New Orleans homeless encampments
Louisiana coerced unhoused people into an unheated warehouse – and paid $17.5m for it
Our homeless sweeps started out as needing state intervention to clear everyone out (allegedly for security reasons) bc of the Bourbon street attacks and the Superbowl, but everyone assumed Gov Landry was just trying to slap a coat of paint on the city for tourism money. Then it happened again when there was a big Taylor Swift concert, now it’s like every time “we have company” we should just understand Landry will be rounding up homeless people to make the city more presentable.
People keep saying Newsom is just doing this kind of shit to prove he’s a centrist Democrat but I’m kinda starting to worry it might be a little more sinister than that.
Word of advice for California, be very cautious about allowing any state police or task force to permanently or semi permanently set up in your cities. If it gets proposed push back as loud and hard as you legally can, no matter what your local government might indicate about it.
Homeless sweep ahead of Taylor Swift concert reveals conflict between city, Troop NOLA
Troop NOLA: What we know about the new Louisiana State Police troop in New Orleans
Mayor LaToya Cantrell ‘in alignment’ with Gov. Jeff Landry’s crime plan for New Orleans
And if you can’t stop it from happening make sure your city hammers out even the most obscure details in a contract. If you’re not sure if you need to bother with getting it in writing, you do.
I changed the original headline bc it’s misleading. It makes it sound like the contract was something city council wanted bc they wanted homeless sweeps. The city pushed for a formal contract bc State police were just doing it without any say from the city on how they rounded people up or where they took them.
The governor also began pulling in other very random agencies from around the state to help with the homeless sweeps in the city: La. wildlife, transportation officials tasked with relocating New Orleans’ unhoused
Eventually, Landry announced an executive order called Operation Geaux which officially allowed some of the same state agencies to voluntarily partner with ICE
A week after Gov. Jeff Landry signed Executive Order “Operation GEAUX,” which calls on Louisiana law enforcement agencies to partner with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), five state agencies have entered into agreements.
According to ICE, Alcohol & Tobacco Control, Wildlife and Fisheries, the National Guard, the State Fire Marshal, and the State Police have all joined ICE’s 287(g) program under the task force model.
Since then a new state law created in the Louisiana Senate has passed which makes hindering, impeding, or refusing to cooperate with ICE potentially a crime of obstruction for both civilians and law enforcement, punishable with jail time.
Louisiana clergy may face state obstruction charges under immigration bill
In final days of session, legislature advances Landry immigration agenda
I understand California is not Louisiana. You have way more reasons to trust your governor than we do, but just be cautious. Make sure everything is in writing and as changes are being proposed, try to bring as much local attention as possible to every issue, and demand public input be taken into account.
Even if you believe someone is on the “right” side of the aisle and doing everything with the best interest of Democrats in mind, they may be having their hand forced using a strategy that is also very common in Louisiana. Blackmail.
I’ve wondered many times over the last few years why Cantrell would so willingly allow a conservative like Landry to come in and take control of a Democratic city.
New Orleans mayor indicted over allegations of trying to hide relationship with bodyguard
She’s definitely not the first New Orleans mayor to be indicted, but she’s the first one to be indicted while in office. Her term is up in January and we’re supposed to be getting a new mayor.
None of these charges are new, but the FBI must have been sitting on them for a long time before indicting her with just months left in office. Even after Katrina, they waited 13 months until Ray Nagin was out of office to indict him. Why couldn’t they wait just a few more months to indict Cantrell? Jeff Landry was the Louisiana AG before he was governor, so maybe he would know the answer.
Could be. Either way, becoming engaged on a hyper local level, and refusing to let local/city government become too lax under the rule of any outside state (red or blue) or federal authority is going to be critical. You still might not end up back where you started before 2025, but if you want to hold on to any of it you’re going to have to fight for it.
Best case scenario, getting a majority of people actually focused on issues at a local government level might result in some communities coming out of this better than they went in. It seems like people have been complaining about not having more 3rd party options for presidential candidates for decades, yet you never really see people trying to build grassroots 3rd party movements starting at very small local government, and then working up.
Like my city had this very obscure election for a seat on a soil and water conservation board. It ended up getting a lot of local attention bc it seemed like there was something shady going on. The DSA backed the incumbent candidate, and just reading about all the cool shit she had done with this obscure position was just kinda like fuck yeah!
That is exactly the kind of person you would want making decisions on a board for soil and water conservation. Think about if we got people like this in every single small seat of local government? Then from there we got them in at the state level, then the house and Senate? While we weren’t paying attention, that’s basically how the new right got America into the vice grip we’re in now. They didn’t even care about qualifications. They just grabbed up all the power and positions they possibly could, and gave all the candidates exact same instructions to follow. Obstruct the other side, refuse to budge on any issue, if you’re offered an inch always try to take a mile, and then take every opportunity to shit on the other side and all the “do nothing bureaucrats” to your voters.