Tagged: crime

The staggering low point of a day in which nine people were shot in New Orleans came at mid-afternoon, when a five-year-old girl and another innocent bystander were left mortally wounded outside a young boy's tenth birthday party.

The murder rate in New Orleans has consistently been well above the national average. But Mayor Mitch Landrieu is searching for answers to change that. He speaks with host Michel Martin about his five-step plan to lower the murder rate, his plans to reform the police department, and being mayor of a city in recovery.

New Orleans reportedly has the highest murder rate per capita in the U.S. Trying to make the city safer involves walking a fine line between safety, regulation, and constitutional rights. Host Michel Martin continues her conversation with Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who says he's trying to make his city safer for all residents.

The Louisiana Board of Ethics says campaign contributions for Gov. Bobby Jindal and dozens of other candidates came from "straw man entities" linked to a landfill company.

The Times-Picayune reports that Jindal received $40,000 in 2007 from companies linked to River Birch Inc. The Board of Ethics alleges in a May 18 lawsuit that the donations violate a $5,000 cap from one company if all the money came from River Birch.

On this week's episode we'll hear from Mayor Mitch Landrieu about violent crime, Eve Abrams profiles mental health in the city, and a new music festival comes to New Orleans.