...

safestreetsnola.org History

As seen on

Safe Streets is a non-profit organization located in New Orleans that advocates for a novel criminal justice system that promotes the development of secure streets and robust communities for individuals – irrespective of their economic background or racial identity. This article will provide a historical overview of the organization and its website, safestreetsnola.org, which is the primary source of information about the group’s mission, goals, and activities.

Background

The public safety system in New Orleans has been in crisis for years, with high crime rates, abuse, and corruption within the New Orleans Police Department, Orleans Parish Prison Complex, and court system. These broken systems have caused national scandals, limited economic growth and opportunity, and devastated families and communities. Hurricane Katrina created a unique opportunity for meaningful change, and Safe Streets was formed to lead the way.

Goals

Safe Streets envisions a system that keeps people safe from all forms of violence and crime, including street violence, domestic violence, prison pipeline, and law enforcement violence. Besides these, these community organizations also address issues like the prison industrial complex, education, healthcare, and affordable housing. The organization also aims to make the system fair, democratic, transparent, and responsible. Additionally, Safe Streets endorses community-led solutions to address criminal activities, which are rooted in evidence-based approaches.

Accomplishments

Since its inception, Safe Streets has made significant progress in generating community support, building a strong reform coalition, re-framing the media debate, and effecting policy change. Some of the organization’s accomplishments include:

  • Botched Evacuation of Orleans Prison – Exposing the botched evacuation of Orleans Parish Prison (OPP) by sharing members’ stories with the public, resulting in a commitment from Orleans Sheriff Marlin Gusman to release Louisiana’s incarcerated children.
  • Office of the Independent Monitor – Securing a city council resolution and funding to launch an Office of the Independent Monitor, an independent agency that will oversee police policies and practices and will report quarterly to the general public.
  • The Orleans Parish Indigent Defender Board – Leading the call to replace the Orleans Parish Indigent Defender Board, long wrought with political patronage, and successfully winning the appointment of a new board comprised of strong advocates who will ensure that the constitutional rights of poor defendants are protected.
  • Coalition Building – Building a strong coalition of likely and unlikely allies to work towards reform.
  • Advocacy Training – Facilitating four peer advocacy trainings and providing direct advocacy support to family members facing the inhumane and unconstitutional treatment of their incarcerated loved ones.
  • Membership Base – Building a strong membership base through direct contact with over 900 individuals from impacted communities.

Transforming the System

Safe Streets aims to transform the public safety system in New Orleans through the execution of grassroots organizing, community empowerment, leadership development, mental health, peer advocacy, coalition building, direct actions, and policy advocacy. The organization diligently carries out door-to-door surveys with respect to law enforcement issues; which enables them to scrutinize and identify matters that various communities recognize as concerns and entices them to partake in the movement.

They provide a plethora of monthly trainings aimed at fostering leadership skills. These trainings focus on a wide range of topics; such as advocacy sessions tailored for families of inmates, knowledge-based seminars to inform young individuals of their legal rights, and organizing and outreach programs designed to hone members’ analytical and organizational skills.

Safe Streets leverages its own coalition, along with its position in other coalitions, to disseminate valuable information concerning effective practices, coordinate media efforts, spearhead a Juvenile justice project, devise optimal policy, and direct action strategies. Through this multifaceted approach – Safe Streets effectively garners resources, builds allies, and furthers its mission to promote safety and justice in Safe Streets strong communities.

Ask a question

If you still have a question about this topic after reading the article, let us know and we'll update the article. Include your email if you want us to reply to you.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
Make sure to include: Who are you traveling with? What passports and residency permits do they have? What's your reason for the trip?
Jenilyn Samortin
Written by

Jenilyn Samortin is an Environmental Science graduate and a content writer at Visas for Future, a company that supports reforestation and urban forestry projects. She is an expert at e-visas and travel documents, such as India e-visa and Turkey e-visa, which she handles and assists customers every quarter. She loves helping people with their international travel needs and providing them with the latest information, tips, and guidance on how to apply online.

Glen Vidania
Managed by Glen Vidania

Glen Vidania is the Content Manager at Visas for Future, a company that offers online visa services for eco-friendly travelers. He is a certified Content Marketer and an experienced academic writer. He writes and promotes content that is informative, engaging, and relevant to the readers. He had work experience and gained skills in writing articles, data entry, SEO email marketing, and guest posting. He is also an expert in applying for visas for Turkey and India.

Glen Vidania
Published by Visas for Future

Visas for Future strives to help you virtually, so that your research is complete in one visit. Our articles are informative, complete and to-the-point. We write in an accessible way, so that non-native English speakers will understand. Our website is accessible for the visually impaired. We have full oversight of our articles and are unbiased in writing. Check our editorial guidelines.

Send fan mail

We love to hear from you! If our article helped you in anyway, let us know and we'll share it with the team on our Friday meetings.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Cite this article

MLA Style

Samortin, Jenilyn. "safestreetsnola.org History." Visas For Future, https://www.visasforfuture.com/safestreetsnola-org-history/. Accessed on 27 June 2023.

Chicago Style

Samortin, Jenilyn. "safestreetsnola.org History." Visas For Future. June 27, 2023. https://www.visasforfuture.com/safestreetsnola-org-history/.

Published: 27 Jun 2023 11:25 UTC

Last modified: 8 Nov 2023 13:40 UTC

Reading time: 4 minutes

Check our editorial guidelines


How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 0 / 5. Vote count: 0

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

Table of Contents