NEW ORLEANS — A man from the Lower Ninth Ward gained national acclaim when he worked to open a small grocery store in the neighborhood still empty after Hurricane Katrina, but he hasn't stopped there, and now his next dream is about to become reality.
Burnell Cotlon remembers the night, years ago, when he closed up his Lower Ninth Ward Market and was startled by a little girl sitting outside in the dark on her digital pad.
“Her answer broke my heart. She was over here to do her homework, because I had free Wi-Fi. She said her mama didn't have the internet no more at her home, She changed my whole life,” said Burnell Cotlon.
That's because he had a vision, and a new dream.
“And I said this is going to be an internet lounge, because no kids should be outside of a store at night time, trying to catch the internet to do they homework,” he added.
So, in 2016, he bought a Katrina damaged-house behind his store. It had holes in the roof, an overturned car, and over the years, used his own elbow grease, and with the help of volunteers, renovated it. And just this week, he applied for a permit to open a café where people can come and buy meals, or just use the Wi-Fi free. Children and teens, surrounded by so much vacancy, love being here.
“My home internet would be having trouble. So, I would come over here, because if the good internet service they have,” said Caleb Powell, 19.
“This place is really calm, and sometimes me and my mother come back here to read all the messages and look at the paintings,” Tylia Foucha, 9.
The tables are donated. A big device on the wall, is the beginning of internet that could one day reach five blocks. When 60 Minutes covered him, and big stars were coming to meet him, an IT man from Silicon Valley came and installed it. It still needs all the internal circuitry. Burnell is hoping to have a TV, a cash register, a sofa, and computers. And he wants to get the abandoned land next door for a parking lot.
“Everybody's here for a reason. I was very fortunate to find out what my purpose is. And it's simple. It's service, and that's why it was easy to transition, to go from serving our country, to now I'm going to be serving my community. And I have no regrets. I would use my entire life savings again,” said Cotlon.
If you'd like to donate, here is the Go Fund Me: https://www.gofundme.com/f/Lower9thWard?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=email&utm_source=customer
If you'd like to donate any furnishings you can message him on Lower 9th Ward Market on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/lower9thwardmarket/?hl=en
