New Year’s Eve Bonfire
December 16th, 2008 by Jennifer WeishauptMCNO has been informed that the City of New Orleans is taking steps to prevent the New Year’s Eve Bonfire (typically in the 4200 Block of Orleans Avenue), due to the risk to public safety and violation of a number of City codes. An informational session will be jointly hosted by NOPD, NOFD, and Parks & Parkways on Monday December 22, 2008 at 6:30pm, at Grace Episcopal Church, 3700 Canal Street. The purpose of the session is to proactively inform residents and business owners about the City’s enforcement plans for the night of the event.
MCNO has questioned whether an engineered bonfire could receive a permit, and was told that City Code prevents any permit from being issued for an open burn on this neutral ground because of the proximity to homes. MCNO also questioned whether any permits for a block party, without a fire, might be issued. This is a possibility, should the organizers of the NYE event wish to pursue it through the normal permitting channels.
Attached is a flyer for the Informational Session. Please distribute this information to your Mid-City friends and neighbors. Also note that NOFD representatives will be distributing these flyers door-to-door for a 2-3 block radius around the event site starting tomorrow.
December 16th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Has there ever been any property damage as a result of this bonfire? Do we know if this “Informational Session” was initiated by neighborhood homeowners or the NOFD and NOPD?
The bonfire is one of the best things that happens in New Orleans all year. My family and friends schedule our holiday plans so we can take part in the bonfire. This city is getting harder and harder to live in…taxes going up, crime going up, public services and infrastructure going downhill…why throw a bucket of cold water on something as fun as the bonfire?
I am deeply concerned that this could be cancelled!
December 16th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
I’m not aware that Property Damage has been reported to MCNO. However, according to NOFD there are several injuries each year, with burns from fireworks topping the list.
MCNO requested the informational session so neighbors have an opportunity for face to face discussion, and to directly have questions answered. NOFD initially coordinated a meeting with NOPD, Parks & Parways, Sanitation, Criminal Sheriff to discuss the specific proactive and reactive steps they would all agree to take to address the bonfire.
December 16th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
The flyer says “illegal and dangerous”. You mean to tell me the NOFD and NOPD stood by and watched this “illegal and dangerous” fire burn all these years? Apparently, it looks like you need a permit to even have a party on new years eve too now. If i want that kind of nonsense then ill move to suburbia. Life in the big easy is anything but easy these days
December 16th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Now that’s a stunt I really want to witness. I recall the snafu a few years ago when NOFD “accidentally” turned a hose on the crowd. Unfortunately that crowd was twenty kids and their parents. Me, included.
I’ve been told this tradition reaches back decades. If the powers that be would rather snuff out a tradition instead of, say, prevent actual crime on New Year’s Eve, that’s their prerogative.
December 17th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Boooooooooooooooo. Who do we complain about this to in City Hall?
December 18th, 2008 at 6:22 am
Midura and her staff had made it clear they are going to stand behind the NOFD and NOPD. Fielkow and Clarkson were on the same email and only Midura responded.
I tried to cal the NOFD but if you call the main number during regular business hours you get a recording telling you to call during regular business hours. Surprise.
December 18th, 2008 at 7:49 am
My response- Well I do not support suppression of the Cultural expressions of the folks of New Orleans.
Let’s get this game on and have the Bonfire (I’ll even end my “Stay @ Home, eat Ruebans and drink Margaritas” to save this event)
I’m tired of the City trying to control our lives and gentrify our town. All of us who returned did so for a reason- this is our home and these are our ways. Time to drive that point home once and for all.
Namaste!
December 18th, 2008 at 9:49 am
I am an Orleans Ave resident and have created my own flyer as a counter option to let the city know how we feel about this threat to our holiday.
preview it here:
http://www.arajay.com/myspace/bonfires.gif
download a printable version and post them in your neighborhood:
http://www.arajay.com/myspace/bonfires.pdf
December 18th, 2008 at 10:17 am
All this nonsense was stirred up by the idiots that hate living on the Endymion parade route. They complain about the parade and parade goers, the debris in their yard and the fun in general, and yet they’d rather stay there and whine to City Council and the NOPD instead of moving or actually enjoying themselves like the rest of the community. I know hundreds of people who would LOVE to live on that section of Orleans Ave. and participate in ALL of the wonderful traditions Mid City has to offer. Myself included. This is a real shame. I was really looking forward to the bonfire this year.
December 18th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
PLEASE write or call ALL relevant coucil persons to be counted ASAP (time is of the essence). Our only hope is in numbers. And please bring everyone you can to the the Dec. 22 event
Shelley Midura (District A)
658-1010
smidura@cityofno.com
Jackie Clarkson (at large, president)
658-1077
jbclarkson@cityofno.com
Arnie Fielkow (al large)
658-1060
afielkow@cityofno.com
December 18th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
I am a mid-city resident, who is looking forward to participating in this tradition.
Arajay has got it right, as usual.
The bonfire rocks.
Self-serving “authority” figures and nanny states suck.
I say build the bonfire anyway, let the chips fall where they may.
December 18th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
As a midcity resident and long time bonfire attendee, I was sickened to hear that the city government, in its inability to control our spiraling crime rate and provide rebuilding direction, has decided to focus on destroying the traditions of a very successful community that contributes much to New Orleans. The way i see it, if central city drug dealers can get away with murder, we should be able to get away with a bonfire, so i will be out there on Orleans ave, if for no other reason then keeping the police busy. Oh, and i’ll be at the meeting too.
December 18th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
I am a Midcity resident and I must say that I support the actions the city is taking. I think it would be fully irresponsible for the city to wait until there are major injuries or until the fire gets out of control before doing something. If that were to happen, the conversation would be about how irresponsible the city was in not controlling this. I have to say that I was shocked, disappointed and frightened to see that someone on the nola.com site actually advocated bringing guns to shoot at police officers. That is horrible and unacceptable. We should be infuriated by that.
The idea that this is a focus because the city cannot “control crime” is an intellectually inferior and dishonest one. I fail to see any relationship between the two issues. We could have an honest conversation about addressing crime, but it would be one that does not rely on flippant rhetorical strategies in place of sound argument.
December 19th, 2008 at 8:33 am
The people coming to the bonfire have gotten out of hand. Last year I got a beer bottle through my front window and someone used my porch as a toilet. The city didn’t clean up the trash like they do during mardi gras…the people who live in the 4200 block had to. When I tried to leave the neighborhood fireworks were thrown AT my car.
If the bonfire is going to continue then we need a NOFD and NOPD presence because frankly it’s too dangerous for the people who live IN the neighborhood much less the people who come in from elsewhere.
December 19th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Per midcity gal, I can’t remember the last time we DID NOT have NOFD and NOPD present and keeping an eye on things (with full participant support) well before the bonfire was lit. They’re there every year.
December 22nd, 2008 at 3:30 am
Well there wasn’t enough of them last year ’cause I went and didn’t see one cop. No cops in the neighborhood either.
I did see the fire truck but they weren’t keeping people from shooting off fireworks like they should have.
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:45 am
Midcity gal - there were a TON of cops and firemen there last year.