Governor Jeff Landry has stepped up his influence in New Orleans. As a conservative Republican governor acting unilaterally within the boundaries of a predominantly Democratic city, his approach raises questions. Does Landry respect the city’s autonomy and citizens’ rights? Let’s examine how his decisions affect New Orleans and deepen the state-city divide.
New Orleans: The State’s Economic Powerhouse
New Orleans is Louisiana’s largest economic driver. The city generates substantial tax revenue. Tourism, hospitality, and port services, contribute more state tax dollars than the city receives back in services. For example, Louisiana’s state budget in recent years has heavily relied on the nearly $10 billion in economic activity New Orleans produces annually. However, state support for city services has lagged, fueling frustration among city officials and the people who live in New Orleans.
Limited Power, High Stakes
While Louisiana created New Orleans, the governor’s control over the city remains limited by constitutional protections and New Orleans’ own city charter. But Landry’s recent moves show the tension between providing support and asserting control. This delicate balance raises questions: Is Landry trying to assist, or is he using his role to overstep? For example, the Sewerage and Water Board(SWB) continues to struggle financially. Make no mistake. The SWB is a state agency that the state does not properly fund. Early in his administration, Landry sent a team to investigate the agency. They made some recommendations, but ultimately not much changed. The result leaves New Orleans with an unstable flooding infrastructure at a time in history when flooding storms are more intense and more frequent. Thankfully the city was not directly hit by any big storms this year.
Troop NOLA: Crime Support or Power Play?
Even though Landry is from Cajun country, he completely understands that the state financially depends on New Orleans. He intends to make sure it’s a safe and inviting space for tourists. Having a reputation of being crime ridden is bad for tourism. So, in response to New Orleans’ police shortage, Landry deployed Troop NOLA, a state-backed unit intended to curb rising crime. However, Troop NOLA operates under state, not local, standards, creating immediate concerns from many New Orleanians. While the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) must comply with a federal consent decree mandating constitutional policing, Troop NOLA has less restriction.
The state police’s handling of the Ronald Greene case remains a troubling reminder of aggressive policing tactics, causing apprehension about Troop NOLA’s approach. But since Troop NOLA’s deployment, crime has dropped precipitously. Observers say the troop is only a part of the crime reduction story. They cite city support programs, a national crime drop, more and better paying jobs, and other factors that also contribute to the sudden drop.
Traffic Policing vs. Community Policing
In fact, community activists suggest the state troopers also cause problems. State troopers are primarily traffic officers, accustomed to handling highways and high-speed pursuits. However, these methods are dangerous in urban neighborhoods, often resulting in crashes, property damage, and civilian injuries. For instance, recent Troop NOLA interventions in crime-heavy areas led to a high-speed chase, which ended with a multi-car crash. New Orleans residents feel these tactics are at odds with their community’s needs and question whether Troop NOLA truly enhances safety or exacerbates risks.
Clearing Homeless Encampments: Swift Action, Unwanted Results
And Governor Landry’s intervention in New Orleans is unpredictable. Ahead of Taylor Swift’s weekend concerts, Landry ordered the removal of a large homeless encampment under the Pontchartrain Expressway near the Superdome. This move, done without consulting city officials, involved state police and wildlife officers forcibly clearing people out and discarding their belongings. New Orleans has worked on long-term plans for homeless support, which Landry’s sudden intervention ignored, sparking tensions between state and city agencies.
City leaders, including Nathaniel Fields from Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s Office of Homeless Services and Strategy, publicly objected, emphasizing that such actions lacked local input. Landry’s approach left city officials frustrated, undermining long-standing homeless policies for a quick fix during a high-profile event.
Comparing Taylor Swift and Essence Fest
Landry’s actions before Taylor Swift’s concerts stand in stark contrast to his approach during Essence Fest. The Essence Festival brings over 500,000 visitors, primarily African American, and generates over $100 million more of economic impact than the Taylor Swift concert weekend. Yet, no similar homeless clearance occurred before Essence Fest, raising questions of bias. Is the governor’s action based on attendee demographics? This disparity reinforces existing racial concerns, especially when Landry acts for a predominantly white audience while sidestepping the same response for a Black event. A recent barbershop conversation concluded that Landry only cares when white people visit the city.
Strategies for Blue Cities in Red States
An Overstep or Necessary Intervention?
Landry’s actions reflect a power dynamic that risks alienating New Orleans residents. His unilateral decisions seem to disregard city priorities and protocols, and Judge Lori Jupiter’s recent injunction against homeless encampment sweeps highlights the legal tension. These actions suggest that Landry’s strategy lacks the local insight necessary for effective support.
A Path Forward: Respectful Cooperation
If Landry truly wants to help New Orleans, he must prioritize collaboration over control. By respecting the city’s leaders, laws, and unique culture, Landry can foster real progress and avoid setting harmful precedents. Cooperation, not overreach, will win public support and strengthen New Orleans’ role as Louisiana’s economic powerhouse.
Jeff Thomas
Publisher • Opinion Columnist • Licensed General Contractor • Real Estate Appraiser • New Orleans
Jeff Thomas is the publisher of Black Source Media and one of New Orleans’ most direct voices on civic affairs, economic justice, and Louisiana politics. He writes from the intersection of experience and accountability — as a licensed general contractor,a tech company founder and executive with over 30 years experience, and a businessman who has worked across the city’s civic, media, and construction ecosystems for decades.
His Sunday column covers Louisiana legislative politics, insurance discrimination, housing policy, and the forces shaping Black community life in New Orleans and across the state. Thomas writes in the tradition of Black journalists who hold power accountable without apology — building arguments from data, delivering verdicts from evidence, and speaking to Black New Orleans with the directness the moment demands.
He is also the principal of EA Inspection Services, LLC, a government inspection services company. Black Source Media is his platform for the civic conversation New Orleans has needed and too rarely had.
Selected Articles by Jeff Thomas
Black Neighborhoods Pay the Highest Insurance Rates in Louisiana. Here’s What They Don’t Want You to Know.
They Didn’t Yell the N-Word. They Went to Law School, Bided Their Time, and Rewrote the Constitution Instead.
Vappie vs. Morrell: Why Does Justice Look Different in New Orleans?
The State Has the Money. New Orleans East Just Needs Them to Use It.
The Failure of Mitch Landrieu
Publisher — Black Source Media
Jeff Thomas
Publisher • Opinion Columnist • Licensed General Contractor • Real Estate Appraiser • New Orleans
Jeff Thomas is the publisher of Black Source Media and one of New Orleans’ most direct voices on civic affairs, economic justice, and Louisiana politics. He writes from the intersection of experience and accountability — as a licensed general contractor,a tech company founder and executive with over 30 years experience, and a businessman who has worked across the city’s civic, media, and construction ecosystems for decades.
His Sunday column covers Louisiana legislative politics, insurance discrimination, housing policy, and the forces shaping Black community life in New Orleans and across the state. Thomas writes in the tradition of Black journalists who hold power accountable without apology — building arguments from data, delivering verdicts from evidence, and speaking to Black New Orleans with the directness the moment demands.
He is also the principal of EA Inspection Services, LLC, a government inspection services company. Black Source Media is his platform for the civic conversation New Orleans has needed and too rarely had.
Selected Articles by Jeff Thomas
Black Neighborhoods Pay the Highest Insurance Rates in Louisiana. Here’s What They Don’t Want You to Know.
They Didn’t Yell the N-Word. They Went to Law School, Bided Their Time, and Rewrote the Constitution Instead.
Vappie vs. Morrell: Why Does Justice Look Different in New Orleans?
The State Has the Money. New Orleans East Just Needs Them to Use It.
The Failure of Mitch Landrieu
As you and Kenneth Cooper both point out, the state’s homeless camp sweeps last week before the Taylor Swift visitors arrived smacks of racism considering no similar sweeps were made for Essence, a 20 plus year money maker for the state and the city. How else are we left to interpret these tactics? I pray that the homeless find permanent homes in the near future, and that proper national, state and local attention and funding are redirected to housing issues.