In the recent article “New Carnival rules OK’d,” the newspaper reports that grills, tents, furniture and portable toilets remain prohibited in public spaces along New Orleans parade routes, but the fines for violators will increase from $250 to $1,000 and $2,000 each day thereafter. Blah, blah, blah.
Fines haven’t worked before, because enforcement is impossible. How will raising fines be different? What is the plan?
At the end of the parade days, l watch land grabbers lowering canopies and tents, locking up ladders and tables, bundling chairs and re-staking tarps, knowing they will be there the next day…