NEW ORLEANS- The Civil District Court building on Loyola Avenue will be closed until Monday because the last working elevator is now out of commission.
The closure started Thursday morning.
Several residents walked towards the building, hoping to get their problems resolved this afternoon, only to be greeted with the bad news.
"I see the signs on the door saying that the office is closed today and this is really important for me," one New Orleans resident said.
The woman who spoke with Eyewitness News asked us not to reveal her identity. For her, getting into the building was a matter of life and death.
"I was coming to file a restraining order. I'm being stalked, harassed, my life has been threatened and I can't even come and do that much," the woman said.
Many people shared her frustration learning the building shut down for the day because of a broken down elevator.
"It shouldn't be ... that because of an elevator ... you can't get justice," Chief Judge Paulette Irons said.
Chief Irons says the court building is in desperate need of repairs. She says it's been well over eight or nine months since they've had more than one elevator working.
Chief Irons also says this is the eighth time this year they have had to close their doors because of maintenance issues.
"We cannot allow people to go upstairs because it's not safe. There was one lady in a wheelchair and another lady who had a boot on her foot..who could not maneuver the stairs and the elevators were not working. So, there were lots of people going up and down the stairs and so, you can't have that," Irons said.
Overall, Irons says the building has had problems for years.
Pictures from a public records request filed by radio host Gerod Stevens and shared with Eyewitness News show holes and cracks in walls. Irons feels hopeful repairs are on the horizon.
"Our new Mayor has come by a couple of times and she's making this a priority," Irons said.
Residents says more than anything, the city owes them that much.
"We pay our tax dollars, we put our money into the city. Fix the elevators! ASAP," Irons said.
Mayor Cantrell's office says they are aware of the situation. According to the Mayor's office, two civil court elevators are currently under construction and are scheduled to be done by Oct. 29.