NEW ORLEANS — On Tuesday, city leaders held a press conference criticizing the decision to clear the city's largest remaining homeless encampment ahead of Taylor Swift's 3-night takeover at the Superdome.
New Orleans Director of Homeless Services and Strategy, Nate Fields, called out Governor Jeff Landry's administration for directing his office to move unhoused individuals from the encampment near Calliope and Loyola two blocks south by Thursday.
“That’s not realistic," Fields said.
If the roughly 75 people living there are not moved, the state has threatened to bring in Troop NOLA to sweep the area, Fields said.
“The difference between them and you is they have no place to live. That’s it," Fields said, "If they had the stuff that you have, they would not be on the street. There is not one person that woke up and said I want to be homeless today.”
Fields said other unhoused individuals living in parts of the CBD and French Quarter are also being asked to move. The Calliope encampment sits under the U.S. 90 overpass, roughly a half mile from the Superdome.
"Why are we hiding our homeless population? I don't care about the Taylor Swift concert," Fields said, "I care about every single individual who is behind me who lives out here every single day."
Tens of thousands of fans are expected to descend on New Orleans for the record-breaking concert tour.
“I would venture to say that if Taylor Swift knew about this, I don’t think she would be at all happy," Martha Kegel, executive director of UNITY of Greater New Orleans, said.
When Fields was asked if Troop NOLA plans to arrest the unhoused individuals, he said no.
"Louisiana State Police understands the adversity faced by the unhoused community in New Orleans," Sgt. Katherine Stegall said.
"As part of the Troop NOLA initiative, Troopers are working to speak with the unhoused community, learn about their deficits, and work to acquire attainable resources to help them overcome these challenges," Sgt. Stegall said. "Additionally, it is important to note that residing on state property is illegal. Troopers are addressing safety concerns to ensure both the well-being of the unhoused community and the integrity of public infrastructure."
With the help of agencies such as UNITY of Greater New Orleans and Travelers Aid, the City of New Orleans has housed nearly 600 individuals in the last year, according to Fields and Kegel.
Fields said there are timelines for clearing certain encampments — that are not public — but not individuals. Fields said rehousing the individuals takes time and trust.
“We want to make sure that everything we’ve done is done with integrity. They live here," Fields said.
In a statement to our partners at the Times-Picayune New Orleans Advocate, Governor Landry's Spokesperson, Kate Kelly, said the No. 1 issue facing New Orleans is the homelessness crisis.
“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," 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."
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