Louisiana state agencies began clearing a homeless encampment in New Orleans ahead of Taylor Swift’s concerts at the Superdome this weekend.
Roughly 75 people living in tents beneath an overpass near the Greyhound bus terminal will be relocated roughly two blocks away, Louisiana State Police said.
The relocation of unhoused individuals began on Wednesday (October 23).
A spokesperson for Gov. Jeff Landry stated that the move was intended to address homelessness and safety issues and was linked to Taylor’s three concerts in the city, as well as February’s Super Bowl.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has ordered the relocation of homeless people from a large encampment ahead of Taylor Swift’s shows in New Orleans
Image credits: Kate Green/Getty
“Gov. Landry understands the No. 1 issue facing the city of New Orleans right now is the homelessness crisis, and he is working with LSP and local officials to fix this problem,” Kate Kelly said.
“As we prepare for the city to host Taylor Swift and Super Bowl LIX, we are committed to ensuring New Orleans puts its best foot forward when on the world stage.”
Reiterating that safety concerns motivated the decision, Kelly added, “Only the most dangerous blocks — where homeless regularly walk across busy streets — are being shut down.”
Andy Levin, a resident living nearby on South Rampart Street, told WWL Louisiana that he’s “concerned about what’s going to happen to the people” and called for a long-term solution.
“When you have this large a concentration of people who are addicted to drugs and mentally ill, they go into the neighborhood. You find them defecating there, doing drugs, having sex; there is a man over there urinating right now. It’s unstainable.”
Still, Levin believes that “moving these people from the point of view of the community of Central City is necessary.”
“As we prepare for the city to host Taylor Swift and Super Bowl LIX, we are committed to ensuring New Orleans puts its best foot forward when on the world stage,” said a spokesperson for the Governor
Meanwhile, New Orleans City Councilmember Leslie Harris criticized the state authorities’ decision to relocate individuals, arguing that coordinating efforts to help those without shelter would have been a better solution to the crisis.
“I am beyond disappointed that this is the way the State is getting involved rather than partnering in the city’s efforts to house people through Home For Good. People’s livelihood is more important than a concert,” Harris wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).
“I will continue working with our Office of Homeless Services and Strategy, Health Department, and homeless providers to make meaningful improvements in New Orleanians’ housing.”
Roughly 75 individuals living in tents beneath an overpass near the Greyhound bus terminal will be relocated two blocks away
Martha Kegel, the executive director of Unity of Greater New Orleans,—a nonprofit that seeks permanent housing for homeless people—also spoke out against the move.
While she said that moving the encampment was better than disbanding it, Kegel believes the decision was a waste of resources that could have been allocated to assist the displaced individuals.
Additionally, Kegel said many people living in the encampment have mental health issues and don’t trust authorities, and the move disrupts ongoing efforts to rehouse them.
“Some people were frightened and left, and that’s not good,” she described.
“Because then all the work that we did to assess them and document their disabilities and, you know, work with them on their housing plan has now been wasted.”
The population of unhoused people in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish has increased by about 5% since last year
Terrence Cobbins, one of the individuals displaced on Wednesday, said that he was told to leave because of the concerts at the Superdome.
“They ain’t never did it before for other people. Why Taylor Swift? I can’t do nothing about it,” he said, as per WWL Louisiana.
There is no indication that Taylor Swift or the NFL were aware of or involved in the decision to move the camp. Bored Panda has contacted their representatives for comment.
News of the large homeless encampment’s displacement ignited a debate about the effectiveness of the measure.
Gov. Landry’s spokesperson said the decision was prompted by safety concerns, stating, “Only the most dangerous blocks — where homeless regularly walk across busy streets — are being shut down.”
“Sorry, but this gives a serious impression of many people sitting on their hands instead of finding a solid resolution for these displaced residents…just MY opinion,” one person wrote.
“Personally, I think it’s great that they’re cleaning it up. No one should live in a tent under an interstate and it does make you feel unsafe when you walk around the city,” a separate person said.
“So sad….use the profit from this to provide a safe place for the human race….” a third social media user added.
“How sad that these people have to suffer still more just so Taylor Swift can make money,” somebody else said, as another suggested, “Instead of displacing homeless encampments, can we focus on converting underutilized buildings into supportive housing?”
The population of unhoused people in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish has increased by about 5% since last year, according to the latest point-in-time data gathered by Unity of Greater New Orleans.
Most people were critical of the state’s decision to relocate the homeless individuals
