A member of the National Guard stands alongside a military vehicle parked in front of Union Station, near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 18, 2025. (Photo by Jane Norman/States Newsroom)
When I think about troops coming to New Orleans, I get anxious about the potential impacts on our young people because I know what it’s like to be a kid who is seen as “trouble” in the eyes of authority.
I grew up in the 7th Ward of New Orleans, and I was repeatedly pushed out of school instead of supported — treated as a threat instead of a child with potential. So I know firsthand what could happen if the National Guard is deployed into Louisiana communities under the guise of public safety. There is a deeply misguided narrative about young Black men that criminalizes them instead of recognizing what they need…