The City Council is considering new rules for the second line after Sunday’s shootings

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – The New Orleans City Council is weighing new regulations for secondary lines coming up Sunday’s fatal shootingbut critics argue that the city violates their cultural traditions.

Although several ideas have been proposed, many community members believe that some policies could infringe on their freedom of expression.

An impassioned crowd of second-line club members gathered at City Hall on November 20 to voice their concerns about what they see as an attack on their culture.

“The second line appeared because we were not allowed to enter the first line,” said one participant.

“All you’re going to do is criminalize our community and criminalize our color,” another attendee told council members.

RELATED STORIES

“I will not sit back and be quiet for you to kill my culture and punish us for something we pay you a job to do. It’s not our fault,” said second-line club member Tamika Calvin.

The shootings on Sunday, November 17, left two dead and 11 injured along the Second Line route, prompting calls for action.

“It was really senseless and hopeless,” said District Five Captain Jennifer Dupree.

“These are hijackers. These are people abusing a wonderful event,” added NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick.

However, Councilor Oliver Thomas expressed his support for retaining second line traditions.

“You will no longer control the narrative. You will not stop our traditions,” Thomas said.

Critics of the proposed rules cited broader societal issues — such as racial disparities, lack of educational investment, tough-on-crime laws, gentrification and disengaged parents — as contributing factors to the violence.

“I thought we had 100 officers on duty,” asked one attendee.

“Do your job. Protect us. We need you to spread out into the crowd,” Calvin said.

Superintendent Kirkpatrick emphasized that violence is not a second line issue.

“We don’t see this as a second-line issue,” Kirkpatrick said. “This type of violence can occur at any type of large-scale event.”

Thomas said stakeholders — including second-line representatives, the Mayor’s Office of the Cultural Economy, the Criminal Justice Committee and the Mardi Gras Advisory Committee — are developing recommendations.

Paravanele Thomas mentioned as considerations:

– Length, location, size and timing of parades

– Club fees compared to Mardi Gras krewe fees, making them fair

– Gun handling and open carry laws

– Community police

– Dispersal of the crowd and clubs amid the incidents

– Preventing violence through police social networks

– Public service announcements

– Workforce, adding deputies and policemen

– Spreading law enforcement along the route

– Establishing rules for parades of different sizes

– Handles parades that have floats versus vehicles

“We’ve done a good job of handling violence, whether it’s the Super Bowl, Mardi Gras or Jazz Fest. When we have isolated incidents like this, we can’t allow people to stereotype us,” Thomas said.

A proposed solution is the formation of a second line committee.

Calvin, like many second-line members, opposes the city’s imposition of restrictions. She said second-line clubs invest in the community and pay the city, which benefits from the culture.

Calvin also linked the tradition to its historical roots.

“This dates back to when slave owners would go to church on Sunday and African Americans would gather in Congo Square to sing and dance,” Calvin said. “This was our only moment of freedom, and if we put restrictions on that, we’re going back to where we just came from.”

She highlighted how the clubs work to prevent crime through positive, family-friendly events.

“It’s so deeply ingrained in us. It’s like something just takes over my soul. You just want to let it go,” sophomore Charlie Brown said.

The NOPD emphasized that the goal of any changes is safety, not oppression.

They pointed to challenges during Sunday’s chaos, including members of the crowd blocking emergency personnel.

“A lot of cars just park. Like in the middle of the street. It’s blocking us. I’m trying to get there with lights and sirens and I’ve got a lady twerking in front of me,” Dupree said. “It was actually scary for us not to be able to help (the victims).”

See a spelling or grammar mistake in our story? Click here to report it. Please include the title.

Subscribe to Fox 8 YouTube channel.