LOUISIANA, JIM CROW, AND NFAC

2020 has definitely seen its share of major issues. From a global pandemic, hightened racial tensions, more killings of blacks at the hands of police, the 2020 presidential election, and for Louisiana an unprecedented rash of hurricanes and tropical storms.

On October 3, 2020, five weeks after the senseless killing of 31-year old, Trayford Pellerin. the “black militia” NFAC (Not F****** Around Coalition) made a special visit to Lafayette, Louisiana after negative and threatening comments were made by Congressman Clay Higgins.

NFAC’s founder and leader, Grandmaster Jay, said he then made a decision to visit Lafayette because “we have a problem.”

Photo Credits: Tracy E. Antoine
Father of slain Victor White holds his son’s picture.

Not only did Grandmaster Jay address Congressman Higgins, outrageous remarks but he was accompanied by hundreds of members of the NFAC to “stand in solidarity with the sisters and brothers of Lafayette.”

Verone Thomas, a Louisiana activist also attended the march and spoke to the crowd about exercising their right to vote as well as educating themselves, so that they can work to get more African Americans on the ballot. I caught up with Mr. Thomas via phone and he had this to say,

Photo Credit: Tracy E. Antoine
Crowd at march holding signs.

A life long resident of the area, Cassandra Demouchet, along with her fiancé and their ten kids, ranging from age 15 years old to their one-year-old, said, “I am mesmerized by the amount of structure, discipline, and restraint the NFAC display. Im excited that my kids could see something like this, besides just in the movies.”

Horace Cheffin, who also attended the march said, “I have never been to a protest, so my friend asked me if I wanted to go, and we took that 3 hour drive. I wanted to see first hand how things really go down and how the media tries to make it into something else.” Cheffin goes on to say, “The overall protest was needed because it’s time to take a stand against injustice.”

Photo Credits: Tracy E. Antoine
Crowd of peaceful protesters.

Although, some white citizens also felt the need to attend the march, armed, the protest remained peaceful.

Photo Credits: Tracy E. Antoine
Crowd at Parc Sans Souci in Lafayette, LA

Verone Thomas and Grandmaster Jay (John Jay Fitzgerald Johnson) ran together on the presidential ballot in 2016 and have begun preparations to run again during the 2024 presidential election.

Photo Credits: Tracy E. Antoine
Grandmaster Jay – NFAC

Photo Credits: Tracy E. Antoine and Pixabay.com

For more information visit Black NFAC.

Photo Credits: Tracy E. Antoine
GrandMaster Jay NFAC Founder

LAKE CHARLES HURRICANE LAURA AFTERMATH : 30 DAYS LATER

On August 31, 2020, SWLA Center for Health Services opened one half of its facility to become North Lake Charles’ “command center” in the aide and recovery efforts following Hurricane Laura. Running on one generator, the Executive Director, Dianna E. Ross, staff members, and a handful of volunteers began receiving and distributing donations to Lake Charles’s citizens.

Estimations that 97% of the city of Lake Charles had structural damage, while 100% of the city and surrounding area was without electricity, gas, and clean water. Internet and phone services were also ineffective.

PHOTO CREDIT: TRACY E. ANTOINE. A home in North Lake Charles after Hurricane Laura.

Ms. Ross explained that “everything” is needed. So, the donations and volunteers began to roll in. From all over the country, convoys of church and social organizations inundated SWLA Center for Health Services. They brought health and hygiene, food, water, ice, cleaning products, gift cards, free hot meals, and more.

On September 3, 2020, SWLA continued to have people show up with donations of personal necessities, food, and more. The residents line up to receive whatever aid, available.

On October 2, 2020, I returned to visit SWLA to see what had changed, if anything.

Alyssa Stevens, SWLA Community Programs Manager, explains what has changed within the last month.

“Well we’re still doing distribution. Um, we have reduced our distribution to from six days a week. This week we went to four days a week. So, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Next week, we will be three days. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Our hours are generally from 10 to 2. We try to start as close to two o’clock (*correction ten o’clock) as possible and then we go until we run out of supplies, which is generally around two o’clock.”

The lines are shorter, and supplies are minimal, compared to previous weeks. The row of supply tables is fewer. Yet, small hot meals, hygiene essentials, and water are still being handed out by fewer volunteers.

However, both sides of the clinic are opened, and they have resumed providing health and dental services. The daily supply donations distribution will end between October 4, 2020, and October 11, 2020.

PHOTO CREDIT: TRACY E. ANTOINE| SWLA CENTER FOR HEALTH SERVICES | 2000 OPELOUSAS STREET

In a report by KPLC TV, Frank Green, an Entergy Lineman, and Lake Charles resident explain that the catastrophic damage to Lake Charles’s north side’s transmission lines is the reason for the delayed restoration.

PHOTO CREDIT: TRACY E. ANTOINE. ELECTRICAL LINEMEN TEAMS PREPARE FOR THEIR SHIFT.

An update released by Entergy states that power to North Lake Charles will be fully restored by September 23, 2020, and the outlining towns, by September 30, 2020.

As of October 4^th, 2020, the following infographic shows the number of outages in Lake Charles.

PHOTO CREDIT: ENTERGY.COM, RETRIEVED OCTOBER 2, 2020.

As the recovery effort continues, people are still in need of necessary personal supplies and meals. The elderly, the disabled, single parents, and other low-income households are still in need of rental and food assistance, home repairs loans and grants, and other services.

ABRAHAM’S TENT, MS. PEARL, AND LAKE CHARLES

Mural of Abraham inside the main dining hall.

Abraham’s Tent was established in 1986 by the Roman Catholic Diocese (RCD) of Lake Charles to provide food for the elderly and homeless. In 1989, Pearl Cole, a former RCD secretary, became the Executive Director.

Since COVID-19 and the occupancy limit, Mrs. Pearl has had to reduce her staff of volunteers to less than half, but Abraham’s Tent still supplies up to 300 meals per day, Monday through Saturday.

A break-down of the daily routine that consists of prepping the food and seasonings, then cooking. When everything is cooked, the volunteers line up and begin preparing the first meals to go out. A driver then takes the first 80 meals prepared to Chateau Du Lac; a high rise assisted living community for the disabled and elderly.

Abraham’s Tent volunteers, along with Ms. Pearl, continue fixing 80 more meals to be picked up by the Lake Charles Police Jury and distributed to displaced individuals and families of COVID-19, that are now living in a local hotel and receiving state assistance. With so many homeless rate in the United States, providing over 90,000 meals a year

At around 11:00 am baskets of fruit, dry/non-perishable milk, and flower, are wheeled outside underneath the covered patio. As the people walk, ride bicycles, and get dropped off by the city bus, Ms. Pearl walks to the gate and unlocks it. She leads the crowd to the patio, as her staff help people with getting their plates and the other food products provided from 11:30 to 12:30.

Abraham’s Tent relies on the community’s donations, with some families from the community, contributing monthly and yearly. Twice a year annual food drives are held. The Forêt family, long time parishioners of RCD, will have their annual, “Clean out the Freezer,” food drive on September 20th. Due to COVID-19 and, recently, Hurricane Laura, KPLC TV’s annual “Pack the Tent,” has not yet been scheduled.

When asked if how COVID-19 has affected Abraham’s Tent, Ms. Pearl explains that the reduction in help was a small issue, but the most significant thing was trying to buy food and supplies, with per-person limits on most item purchases. Overall, Ms. Pearl said, “we’ve been blessed to still be able to provide for the community.”

For more information about donations and services, you can reach Ms. Pearl at (337)721-7211.

Abraham’s Tent is located at 2424 Fruge Street, Lake Charles, Louisiana 70601