#NewOrleans is in danger of losing a huge piece of it’s musical identity. For 50 years, #RoyalStreet in the #FrenchQuarter has been closed to vehicular traffic during the day to allow #musicians a safe place for #busking.
After temporarily suspending the closure of the street during COVID, the #NOPD has refused to do it’s job by barricading the streets during the day. This has put musicians in danger as cars come rolling down Royal Street at times when it is supposed to be closed.
Some long time buskers even took to erecting their own barricades or moving existing barricades themselves, knowing that it was their right to have the street closed off. These individuals were met with threats of fines from private security personnel employed by the French Quarter Management District.
Walking down Royal is a “must do” for anyone going to The Quarter. The city must make good on the promise made 50 years ago to protect #RoyalStreet
From #VeriteNewsNola
https://veritenews.org/2023/03/07/musicians-forced-to-dodge-traffic-in-order-to-perform/
This story has me thinking about my first time #WalkingDownRoyal as a teenager. I had seen #buskers many times before in #JacksonSquare but the vibes on Royal were just different. As a kid from the suburbs of the suburbs, it felt like I was really discovering #NOLA for the first time.
And as a kid who was exploring my own musical talents, it was very inspiring to see these rag tag groups of musicians having the time of their life playing right there on the street. Music for music’s sake. Pure.
One group that particularly caught our attention was #TheSlickSkilletSerenaders playing a medley of #Ragtime tunes from their album #MyFourReasons. We dropped a $10 bill in an upended hat and grabbed a copy of their CD out of an open guitar case. Magic.
I haven’t seen that CD in years, but I recently found them on #Bandcamp and have been listening to it again:
https://theslickskillets.bandcamp.com/album/my-four-reasons
I would offer recommendations but there ain’t a bad one in the bunch.
10 track album
The #RoyalStreet saga continues:
After #NOPD said they did not have the man power to enforce the pedestrian mall on Royal Street by setting temporary barricades daily, Department of Public Works employees were seen ticketing people for parking in an area designated as a pedestrian mall.
Seems like the city would prefer to have it both ways. And why not? It’s free revenue from confused drivers (to the tune of nearly $60k in the last year).
From #VeriteNewsNola:
https://veritenews.org/2023/03/16/hundreds-of-parking-tickets-issued-in-closed-pedestrian-mall/
#VeriteNewsNola has another update on the status of #RoyalStreet in #NewOrleans.
#Louisiana’s Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser has agreed to have his office, which includes the State Department of Tourism, ensure the pedestrian mall hours are enforced. He will be temporarily taking over for #NOPD, which has done a terrible job of managing the barricades (though they have happily ticketed illegally parked vehicles). Let’s see if his office can do a better job.
https://veritenews.org/2023/05/02/nungessers-office-will-take-over-pedestrian-mall-barricades/
Austin 
Mark Folse