What began as a press conference to address quality-of-life concerns for residents living along one of Third Ward’s nightlife corridors became an opportunity for residents, local officials, business owners, and police to discuss solutions to ongoing noise, trash, and public indecency issues stemming from nearby bars.
Held downstairs in the Eldorado Ballroom, the press conference featured Sharon Evans Brooks, a member of the Riverside Civic Association, who highlighted a dramatic deterioration in the neighborhood’s nightlife along Emancipation Avenue in recent months. She called upon local officials, civic leaders, and business owners to collaboratively address the issues.
“Everyone here represents lifelong residents and new, who embrace the diversity of our community and have skin in the game,” Brooks said. “There’s been conversation about ‘oh that’s just a bunch of gentrifiers calling a press conference.’ That is a lie.”…