White boys gang up

Equal opportunity bad guys: Black dudes make up the bulk of the suspects in crimes in the 8th District and usually command a lot of space here. Last week it was the Hispanics turn to take the spotlight (and hey, don't blame me because ICE cracked down on them!) This week 3 white guys jump into the fray.

Late Wednesday night (3.30.11) around 11:32 p.m., a 39-year-old white man walking near St. Louis and Bourbon streets asked a pack of 3 white fellas if any of them had a cigarette. Instead of indulging his unhealthy habit, the 3 began beating him and took his back pack.

The 3 fled on foot but 8th District cops caught up with all of them and had them in Central Lock 4 hours later. Charged with simple robbery and simple battery were Ronald Ansardi (top), 31, Joseph Stover (middle), 31, and Kody King (bottom), 22. Each is being held on $25,000 bond.

It's not known if any of the 3 are linked to another robbery earlier that morning around 8:15 a.m. 2 blocks away at St. Peter and Bourbon streets.

A 50-year-old white man walking on St. Peter was accosted by 3 white guys who grabbed him and held him against the wall while demanding money. He complied and the 3 perps fled on foot down St. Peter, turning on Bourbon toward Canal Street.

The victim described one of his attackers as 5'8" tall, weighing 130 pounds, with a goatee and wearing a black shirt with writing on it. Joseph Stover, arrested Wednesday night for a robbery 2 blocks away, has a faint goatee.

A second perp was described as 5'10" tall with a thin build; the third perp was merely described as a white male.

Caught on tape: A homeowners video camera caught on tape 2 suspects in the armed robbery of a 53-year-old white woman Monday (3.28.11) around 11:45 p.m. on Gov. Nicholls Street near Dauphine--where a bartender was brutally murdered 2 years ago.

The tape shows 2 black dudes lurking on the corner before the victim approaches. They followed her and demanded her purse. When she wouldn't give it up, one of the dudes pulled a pistol and demanded it, finally forcing it from her shoulder.

The one perp was described as 25 years old, 5'2" to 5'4" tall, with a medium build, wearing a light-colored shirt and black jacket.

A couple of problems with the tape: The tape is about 15 or so minutes fast--though the episode happened around 11:45 p.m. 3.28.11, the tape's time stamp shows it as a few minutes past midnight on 3.29.11. And though the victim described one of the robbers, according to the police report, as wearing a black jacket, neither perp seemed to be wearing a jacket. The report did not mention his red baseball cap or dreadlocks.

The lesson to be learned: If you see creeps like these hanging around on your street, call 911. Let them sort out the good from the bad and ugly.

Something peculiar here: So here's this 26-year-old white dude on the can in his bathroom and someone fires a bullet into his chest--and he tells the cops no one was in the apartment with him and that he has no idea who shot him.

The shooting happened around 4:26 p.m. last Tuesday (3.29.11) in a tiny 3rd-story condo at 929 Dumaine St. Although the victim, who is in stable condition in the hospital, said no one was in the apartment, Cmdr. Edwin Hosli of the 8th District told the Times-Picayune that a handgun and a spent shell casing were found in the bathroom.

Ballistic and forensic evidence has been sent to the NOPD's crime lab and results are pending. The victim has still not given a description of his assailant.

Second killer guilty: After nearly 6 years, a second thug who killed a French Quarter waitress on her way home from her job at Crescent City Brewhouse has been convicted of murder.

Darnell Gilmoree (right), 24--who was only 18 when he shot Alyssa Kovash (left), 20, in the head near her Uptown home 4.29.05 during a robbery--was found guilty of second-degree murder by a jury last Wednesday (3.30.11).

This was the second trial for Gilmoree after a mistrial last year when a jury couldn't come to a verdict on charges he was the shooter in this case.

Marcus Pleasant, 23, the driver of the getaway car that Gilmoree and Ahmad Hill allegedly got out of to rob Kovash and a friend, was sentenced 3.25.11 to life in prison without parole after being convicted by a jury in February of first-degree murder.

Hill, 23, was found not guilty by Judge Darryl Derbigny after a non-jury trial in 2009.

Gilmoree is due to be sentenced this Friday (4.8.11) to a mandatory life sentence without parole.

In good company: It's interesting to note that 5 of the 16 new NOPD commanders Chief Ronal Serpas appointed last week are current or recent alumni of the 8th District:

• Capt. Edwin Hosli, commander of the 8th District since the Spring of 2007, now carries the rank of commander;
• Capt. Darryl Albert, once the public integrity officer of the 8th when he was a lieutenant, is now commander of the 2nd District in Uptown where Hosli was commander before being assigned to the 8th;
• Lt. Eddie Selby, who's been Hosli's sidekick for 9 years and led the 8th's detective bureau, is now commander of Special Operations, including the SWAT team;
• Lt. Paul Noel, who preceded Selby as head of the 8th's detectives and most recently was in command of the NOPD's Sex Crimes Section, is now commander of the department's Criminal Investigations Division;
• Capt. Bernadine Kelly, who was once public integrity officer of the 8th as a lieutenant and was most recently commander of the 5th District, is now commander of the Records and Identification Division.

* * *
Crimes last week in the 8th District
(Click on the Crime Map to enlarge it)

Sunday (3.20.11)

Theft, 301 Canal, 2:07 p.m.
Bicycle Theft, 500 Frenchmen, 3:33 p.m.
Bicycle Theft, 500 Frenchmen, 4:52 p.m.
Auto Burglary, 1000 Conti, 9:55 p.m.
Auto Burglary, 843 Carondelet, 10:23 p.m.

Monday (3.21.11)

Business Burglary, 840 Elysian Fields, 4:27 a.m.
Theft, 1010 Common, 1:23 p.m.
Theft, 400 Burgundy, 2:51 p.m.
Auto Theft, 444 St Charles, 4:43 p.m.
Aggravated Battery, Canal & Elk, 6:40 p.m.
Auto Theft, Burgundy & Esplanade, 11:47 p.m.

Tuesday (3.22.11)

Shoplifting, 134 Royal, 11:21 a.m.
Auto Burglary, 727 Ursulines, 1:49 p.m.
Shoplifting, 500 Port of New Orleans, 2:23 p.m.

Wednesday (3.23.11)

Shoplifting, 900 Canal, 7:25 a.m.
Theft, 727 Bourbon, 10:33 a.m.
Theft, 437 Esplanade, 10:56 a.m.
Auto Burglary, 800 N Rampart, 4:09 p.m.
Auto Burglary, 1001 Iberville, 4:19 p.m.

Thursday (3.24.11)

Theft, 817 Iberville, 6:19 a.m.
Auto Theft, Decatur & Iberville, 1:07 p.m.
Theft, 730 St Peter, 11:14 p.m.
Auto Burglary, Iberville & N Rampart, 11:53 p.m.

Friday (3.25.11)

Aggravated Battery, 500 Bourbon, 3:07 a.m.
Shoplifting, 134 Royal, 8:04 a.m.
Auto Theft, 1041 Constance, 9:24 a.m.
Theft, 936 St Charles, 1:50 p.m.
Theft, 344 Camp, 2:16 p.m.
Residence Burglary, 1023 Gov Nicholls, 3:33 p.m.
Theft, 50 French Market , 5:03 p.m.

Saturday (3.26.11)

Auto Burglary, Burgundy & Iberville, 4:15 a.m.
Theft, Bourbon & St Louis, 4:41 a.m.
Theft, 701 Dauphine, 1:33 p.m.
Theft, 501 Bourbon, 1:33 p.m.
Theft, 1113 Bourbon, 3:18 p.m.
Auto Burglary, Barracks & N Peters, 5:16 p.m.
Pickpocketing, 441 Bourbon, 5:22 p.m.
Theft, 1005 Esplanade, 6:14 p.m.
Theft, 817 Common, 9:13 p.m.,

* * *

As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome at NOcrimeline@gmail.com

Thom Kahler

The ICEman cometh

Adios amigos: New Orleans wouldn't have recovered as quickly from Katrina as it did without them. Now they are becoming a problem. Bored, unemployed and hundreds of miles from home and family: a perfect prescription for trouble. We're talking about immigrants.

These immigrants--usually involved more in fights than robberies--have been rounded up by NOPD, and ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has its eyes on them. They can expect the long, lonely ride back home:

• Friday (3.25.11) 3:07 a.m.: Two black dudes, 23 and 24, got into a fight with a gang of 5 Hispanics in the 500 block of Bourbon Street near St. Louis Street. They got the worse of it when one of the Hispanics began striking them in the head with a beer bottle and were taken to the hospital.

8th District cops managed to grab one of the 5. They charged Gamaliel Rodriguez, 32, with aggravated battery. He is being held in OPP on $25,000.

• Tuesday (3.22.11): Once cops figured out what they think is his real name, they were able to book Apolonio Canseco, 23, with 2nd-degree battery and armed robbery with a firearm (reduced later by a magistrate to simple robbery) for allegedly robbing a roommate on 3.16.11 in the 1000 block of Frenchmen Street. The victim, a 35-year-old Hispanic, told police that several of his roommates had tied him up, pointed pistols at him, and demanded cash.

At first, police thought they were looking for a 22-year-old Mario Cruz, but that turned out to be an alias Canseco used. Canseco is being held on $100,000 bond in OPP.

• Tuesday (3.22.11): When 8th District detectives got Carlos Berroa-Reyes, 20, back from Jefferson Parish where he'd been arrested a week earlier for aggravated burglary, they charged him with aggravated assault for the machete attack on a House of Blues bouncer around 4 a.m. on 2.27.11 after Berroa-Reyes and 2 of his posse were ejected from the club in the 200 block of Decatur Street.

It took 2 days for the court to find a translator to explain to the suspect that his bail was set at $35,000. It took only 2 days more for Berroa-Reyes to come up with mucho dinero and say adios to OPP.

Look for him in a neighborhood near you, unless he bolted for the old country.

Justice at long last: It took nearly 6 years, but last week (3.25.11) the thug who killed a French Quarter waitress on her way home from her job at Crescent City Brewhouse was sentenced to life in prison without parole by Judge Darryl Derbigny.

Marcus Pleasant, 23--who was only 17 when Alyssa Kovash, 20, was shot in the head near her Uptown home 4.29.05--was found guilty of first-degree murder by a jury in February. Pleasant was the driver of the getaway car that Darnell Gilmore and Ahmad Hill allegedly got out of to rob Kovash and a friend.

Hill, 23, was found not guilty by Judge Derbigny after a non-jury trial in 2009. Gilmore, 24, goes on trial for a second time on Tuesday (3.29.11) after a mistrial last year when a jury couldn't come to a verdict on charges he was the shooter in this case.

Bonds, David Bonds: After slipping and sliding through the justice system since he was a kid--including beating the rap for the murder of beloved musician and band leader Dinerral Shavers--David Bonds, 21, has been sentenced to 50 years of hard time without parole after being convicted of attempted murder.

The little weasel, who was acquitted in April, 2008 of Shavers' murder when the star witness feigned failing eyesight, was arrested less than 4 weeks later after he fired shots into a 25-year-old white guy in a crowd at Canal Street and St. Charles Avenue in the early morning hours of 5.4.08.

A jury found him guilty last May and Judge Julian Parker sentenced him to the maximum 50 years on 3.11.11.

Detective praised: Cops who go about their jobs professionally and conscientiously rarely gather notice like the bad apples singled out by the recent fed investigation do. But one citizen took the time last week to praise Det. Mike Flores of the 8th District, who's been instrumental in busting a number of cases recently. Says the citizen:

"Kudos to Det. Flores. He is one of the best. I was burglarized by a thug along with 2 of my friends in November and Det. Flores was determined to catch the thugs.

"I broke my hand when I fell running away and one of my friends is still traumatized because she had the gun to her head and he drug her to the ground before taking off with her purse and his accomplice. He not only came to the hospital but came check on us several times and asked us questions to help him. He also pursued the beast on his own time and kept us up to date on what was happening and when the thug was arrested.

"I have the highest praise for him and we were very satisfied with all."

* * *
Crimes last week in the 8th District
(Click on the crime map to enlarge it)

Sunday (3.13.11)

Auto Burglary, Conti & N Rampart, 9:16 a.m.
Auto Burglary, Conti & N Rampart, 11:13 a.m.
Theft, 1415 Tulane, 11:46 a.m.
Auto Burglary, 862 St Charles, 7:08 p.m.
Theft, Canal & S Peters, 7:39 p.m.

Monday (3.14.11)

Auto Burglary, 900 Lafayette, 7:20 a.m.
Theft, 300 Camp, 10:33 a.m.
Pickpocketing, 129 Royal, 10:37 a.m.
Theft, 225 Decatur, 6:34 p.m.
Theft, 516 Natchez, 8:14 p.m.

Tuesday (3.15.11)

Pursesnatching, St Ann & Royal, 2:33 a.m.
Theft, 718 N Rampart, 9:56 a.m.
Auto Theft, 618 Magazine, 6:16 p.m.

Wednesday (3.16.11)

Bicycle Theft, 1400 Burgundy, 12:17 a.m.
Shoplifting, 134 Royal, 9:21 a.m.
Theft, 800 Decatur, 5:39 p.m.
Theft, 830 Union, 6:00 p.m.
Armed Robbery, 1000 block of Frenchmen, 8:47 p.m.
Armed Robbery, 800 block of St Peter, 9:19 p.m.

Thursday (3.17.11)

Auto Theft, Loyola & Perdido, 12:22 a.m.
Theft, 504 Esplanade, 12:58 a.m.
Bicycle Theft, 1009 Frenchmen, 1:24 p.m.
Theft, 838 Canal, 5:59 p.m.
Auto Burglary, Decatur & Elysian Fields, 7:35 p.m.

Friday (3.18.11)

Pickpocketing, Dauphine & Iberville, 5:46 a.m.
Theft, 600 Decatur, 8:41 a.m.
Auto Burglary, 1000 Iberville, 11:58 a.m.
Auto Theft, 500 Chartres, 11:17 p.m.
Auto Burglary, 900 Julia, 11:31 p.m.

Saturday (3.19.11)

Theft, 423 Bourbon, 4:03 a.m.
Theft, 222 N Rampart, 10:28 a.m.
Theft, Convention Center & Notre Dame, 10:29 a.m.
Shoplifting , 400 N Peters, 11:27 a.m.
Rape, 1000 block of Dauphine, 11:43 a.m.
Theft, 900 Convention Center, 6:37 p.m.
Auto Burglary, Conti & N Rampart, 7:32 p.m.

* * *

As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome at NOcrimeline@gmail.com

Thom Kahler

Whoa, not so fast

Who you calling "defective"?: It's disturbing to read a headline that blares "NOPD deeply defective" (TP 3.18.11), particularly if you don't read the whole story.

The report on the NOPD's past sins released this week by the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division didn't tell us anything we didn't already know or suspect.

It didn't tell us how far back the feds investigated, but it did give credit to Chief Ronal Serpas--who's been on the job only 10 months--for already making changes before being told to by the feds.

The decreased crime during Mardi Gras this year tells you Serpas is doing something right:

• Major crimes (murder, rape, robbery, assault) were down in the 8th District--the heart of Mardi Gras festivities--by 42% this year: only 14 crimes this year versus 24 last year.

• Overall, crime in the 8th District was down 15%.

• 35 guns were taken off the streets of the French Quarter by 8th District officers and 31 gun arrests made this year versus only 22 guns last year--a 59% increase in the number of guns seized.

That meant the safest Mardi Gras in years. Make a note of that, feds.

Who you say be "discriminating"?: The feds, as you might expect, were appalled at the number of blacks arrested in New Orleans compared to the number of whites.

They noted in the report that in 2009 the NOPD arrested 500 black boys under 17 and only 8 white boys--16 times more blacks than whites. Yeah, that is a lot--you don't think it's because more blacks committed more of the crimes, do you?

You've got to question the fed's investigation methodology: It's easy to tally the number of blacks arrested, buy why not have questioned the victims as to the race of the suspect who victimized them? What do you expect the police to do: "Sorry, ma'm...we've exceeded our quota of blacks this month--you'll have to pick a white boy out of the line-up."

The feds made a similar observation that when the police fired their weapons at suspects between January 2009 and May 2010--27 instances in all--that all 27 of the intended targets were blacks.

Again, you've got to ask: You don't think it was because more blacks were involved in crimes than whites. Or at least the whites where smart enough to stop when the police ordered them to halt?

I can tell you from following crime--mostly in the 8th District--for the past 4 years, that virtually all the victims I've tracked were white and virtually all the criminals were black. If the feds are concerned about civil rights, they ought to look into that discrepancy: Whites being preyed upon.

If it was the other way around--whites targeting blacks--they'd be all over the Quarter like flies on you-know-what.

And talk about discrimination: New Orleans has had a succession of black police chiefs for at least the past 16 years (until Serpas took over in May 2010) and more than 50% of the current officers are black (the last I heard)--so do you mean to tell me it was the brothers who were hauling other brothers in? That's discrimination?

Citizens are happy with the cops: Well, most of them are satisfied, anyway. The latest survey of citizens' satisfaction with the NOPD shows a dramatic turnaround.

In 2009, 60% of the city's residents were dissatisfied with the cops; this year--based on phone interviews in February--it is just the opposite: 60% are totally satisfied with the job the NOPD is doing under Chief Serpas.

The 8th District had the second highest approval rating (only the 3rd District was higher--but what happens in Lakeview of importance?) at 68%. What is particularly significant is that 2 years ago, the approval rating was only 19%--the lowest of any of the NOPD's 8 districts.

I think it would be fair to say that the huge increase in satisfaction is due to the huge reduction in crime.

Hardly any crime, but...: It was a whole week after the curtain came down on Mardi Gras before the bad guys took to the streets again:

• Tuesday (3.15.11) 2:45 a.m.: A 21-year-old white woman standing at the corner of Royal and St. Ann streets had her purse snatched by a black guy who fled on foot.

Police soon had Romonde Henry, 27, in hand. But he must have given the cops a great deal of difficulty: In addition to be booked for pursesnatching, he was also charged with simple battery, public intimidation, and 3 counts of extortion--charges usually leveled if a suspect threatens police officers during an arrest.

He won't see the light of day outside of OPP unless he gets his hands on $115,000 for bond.

• Wednesday (3.16.11) 6:00 p.m.: A 35-year-old Hispanic man fell victim to several of his roommates (all Hispanics too) in his home in the 1000 block of Frenchmen Street. Like a Mexican showdown, they tied him up, pointed their guns at him, and demanded his money. When he told them he didn't have any, they ran away.

Det. Mike Flores is following leads as to the identity of the suspects (generally it's not a good idea to try to rob people who know you).

• Wednesday (3.16.11) 9:15 p.m.: A couple of poor white people, she 48, he 26, were walking in the 800 block of St. Peter Street (between Bourbon and Dauphine streets) when they were accosted by a white dude who pulled a pistol and demanded their money. When they could only scrape up $4 between them and hand it to the robber, the frustrated thief got angry at the trifling amount and fled on foot.

Police soon arrested Matthew Bumpers, 23, and charged him with 2 counts of attempted armed robbery. If he'd taken the $4, he'd need only $199,996 to bail out of OPP.

CrimeStoppers stops machete man: A tip to CrimeStoppers led to the arrest of Carlos Berroa-Reyes for allegedly whacking a bouncer at the House of Blues in the head with a machete.

The bouncer, 30, had ejected Berroa-Reyes, 20, and 2 other Hispanics from the club on Decatur Street late last month. They returned around 4 a.m. and the armed confrontation ensued before the suspects fled in a light-colored Nissan Titan pickup truck.

The CrimeStoppers' tip to 8th District Det. Willie Jenkins indicated Berroa-Reyes was in the Jefferson Parish lockup on a charge of aggravated burglary after being arrested last week and held on a $30,000 bond. Det. Jenkins issued a warrant for Berroa-Reyes on a charge of aggravated battery and is still trying to identify the other suspects involved.

Misunderstood: Some misinterpreted my comments last week about the savagery of 5th District cops against errant Krewe of Eris paraders.

I, in no way, meant to imply the police shouldn't have arrested those whose vandalism marred the parade. But I did mean to condemn the foul-mouthed buffoons in blue who were brandishing firearms, beating, and tasing some of the marchers (of course, they could have given some extra whacks to whoever broke the side mirror off my vehicle and left footprints on the hood). Let's see how many of the 12 they arrested are actually convicted.

If we're going to have the police force we want to protect and serve New Orleans, we've got to expect them to act like professionals at all times.

* * *
Crimes last week in the 8th District
(Click on the crime map to enlarge it)

Sunday (3.6.11)

Pursesnatching, 900 Camp, 12:57 a.m.
Rape, 850 Convention Center, 2:15 a.m.
Bicycle Theft, 310 Royal, 12:56 p.m.
Aggravated Battery, Burgundy & Canal, 9:27 p.m.
Theft, Bourbon & St Louis, 9:34 p.m.
Aggravated Battery, Bourbon & St Louis, 10:02 p.m.
Theft, Andrew Higgins & Tchoupitoulas, 11:50 p.m.

Monday (3.7.11)

Pickpocketing, 800 Canal, 12:24 a.m.
Pickpocketing, Bourbon & Canal, 12:36 a.m.
Simple Robbery, 400 Elysian Fields, 1:15 a.m.
Theft, 241 Bourbon, 3:06 a.m.
Car Jacking, 100 Elk, 5:17 a.m.
Auto Theft, Dauphine & St Philip, 8:39 a.m.
Auto Theft, Andrew Higgins & Constance, 2:20 p.m.
Auto Burglary, 930 Gravier, 5:03 p.m.
Auto Theft, Decatur & St Louis, 5:03 p.m.
Armed Robbery, 1400 Tulane, 7:37 p.m.
Pickpocketing, 240 Burgundy, 7:42 p.m.
Theft, Burgundy & Iberville, 8:35 p.m.
Pickpocketing, Bourbon & St Louis, 11:51 p.m.

Tuesday (3.8.11)

Simple Robbery, 1000 Canal, 12:32 a.m.
Pickpocketing, Bourbon & St Louis, 12:36 a.m.
Theft, 541 Bourbon, 5:44 a.m.
Auto Burglary, Girod & S Peters, 9:50 a.m.
Auto Burglary, Commerce &Julia, 4:10 p.m.
Theft, Bourbon & Toulouse, 4:48 p.m.
Attempted Armed Robbery, 500 Esplanade, 7:15 p.m.
Auto Burglary, Camp & Poydras, 9:21 p.m.

Wednesday (3.9.11)

Theft, 300 Bourbon, 12:02 a.m.
Auto Burglary, 100 S Villere, 2:44 a.m.
Aggravated Battery, 700 St Peter, 5:45 a.m.
Rape, 2 Poydras, 7:34 a.m.
Theft, 201 St Charles, 11:29 a.m.
Auto Theft, Andrew Higgins & Constance, 12:06 p.m.
Auto Theft, S Rampart & Union, 1:16 p.m.
Shoplifting, 134 Royal, 2:15 p.m.
Shoplifting, 633 Canal, 2:23 p.m.
Auto Theft, Chartres & Dumaine, 3:47 p.m.
Bicycle Theft, 500 Barracks, 4:43 p.m.
Auto Theft, 911 Burgundy, 6:15 p.m.
Auto Theft, 900 St Louis, 6:17 p.m.
Auto Burglary, 330 Loyola, 6:34 p.m.
Auto Theft, Bienville & Burgundy, 7:42 p.m.

Thursday (3.10.11)

Auto Theft, 2113 N Rampart, 5:01 a.m.
Theft, 209 Decatur, 12:47 p.m.
Auto Theft, Baronne & Canal, 12:54 p.m.
Shoplifting, 633 Canal, 3:19 p.m.
Auto Theft, 1400 Tulane, 5:30 p.m.
Auto Burglary, 600 Commerce, 6:47 p.m.
Auto Burglary, Dauphine & Epslanade, 6:50 p.m.

Friday (3.11.11)

Theft, 439 Dauphine, 5:48 a.m.
Auto Burglary, 2110 N Rampart, 6:44 a.m.
Theft, 1541 Tulane, 10:55 a.m.
Auto Burglary, 155 Poydras, 11:47 a.m.

Saturday (3.12.11)

Auto Burglary, 2100 Decatur, 12:02 a.m.
Auto Burglary, 300 Loyola, 12:30 a.m.
Business Burglary, 435 Esplanade, 12:35 p.m.
Theft, 921 Canal, 12:41 p.m.
Theft, 900 Convention Center, 3:28 p.m.

* * *

As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome at NOcrimeline@gmail.com

Thom Kahler

Mayhem before Mardi Gras (2011): Paraders pummeled by cops

Parade runs amok: You've probably heard by now of the melee that ensued after the Krewe of Eris staged a rogue parade Sunday (3.6.11) night. The exact route is not clear, what really happened is foggy, and the police and paraders don't even agree on where the police arrested 12 paraders.

Some say the parade began in the Faubourg Marigny, across Elysian Fields Avenue in the NOPD's 5th District, and migrated into the French Quarter; its route is not clear.

In the Quarter, 8th District cops tried to escort the 200 or so--maybe as many as 400--marchers and musicians back across Elysian Fields and make it the 5th's problem. The parade was tailed up Bourbon Street by at least 6 of the 8th District's patrol cars. At Esplanade Avenue, the patrol cars fanned out to direct the parade toward the 5th.

The parade did cross Elysian Fields around 10 p.m. and was intercepted by the 5th District's taskforce which told the paraders they would have to disband "as a result of the group's riotous behavior" and because they did not have a parade permit, the police report said.

The report did not say what constituted "riotous behavior" (though one marcher was seen scrawling graffiti on at least one parking sign in the Quarter).

"As a result of the police disbanding the group, the large crowd of people began to physically confront the officers by cutting the tires on 2 marked police vehicles, aggressively throwing glass bottles and bricks at the officers, resulting in 12 suspects being arrested" after 6 officers were injured and had to be taken to the hospital, the report stated.

That sounds like the "riotous behavior" came after the police ordered the marchers to disband.

This all happened at Chartres Street and Elysian Fields, the police report seems to indicate, but those arrested say it happened about 4 blocks further into the Marigny where Chartres converges with St. Roch and Franklin avenues.

You'd think the police would be accurate on where it occurred, but it seems to be another questionable fact in the NOPD's report.

The cops went wild while confronting the crowd with unholstered guns, Tasers, and pepper spray, according to citizens who were there. There is video of one officer knocking the cellphone camera out of the hand of a citizen recording the arrests, clearly showing the police were out of control.

One of the paraders arrested has anonymously written a first-person account of the whole episode that's worth reading. If that report is accurate, Chief Ronal Serpas should at least wash out the mouths of some of the 5th District officers with soap--they're definitely not the kind of officers he wants representing the NOPD.

The NOPD's Public Integrity Bureau is now investigating and welcomes any and all witnesses' reports and videos of the incident.

(Where, by the way, was the 5th District commander while all this was going on? Capt. Edwin Hosli, commander of the 8th District, was out patrolling the French Quarter and the Marigny Triangle on horseback until 2 a.m. that night. The 5th has a history of lax supervision, going back to when X-Big Chief Warren Riley was commander there as a captain.)

Certainly no one wants to stifle the spontaneity of Carnival by curtailing random parades, do they? Controlled chaos is what Carnival season is all about--the final frolic before Lent.

The problem with parading without a parade permit, I suppose, is basically it gives no notice to the police to provide protection along the parade route. That's why Endymion had to follow Baccus on Sunday after it was rained out on Saturday: there are not enough cops to man 2 parade routes for major parades at the same time.

That, of course, doesn't explain why there was virtually no police presence when St. Ann marched--or strolled, if you will--down Royal Street on Mardi Gras.

So really: What is the objection to Eris? It staged a very energetic and musically-muscled parade that seemed to be the epitome of Carnival season.

Isn't the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution sufficient permission to parade when and with whom one wants?

Quiet Mardi Gras, except...: Responding to a 911 call of a "male down" at Burgundy and Canal streets on Sunday around 9:27 p.m., 8th District officers found a 22-year-old black guy who had been stabbed multiple times in the abdomen, back and arm. He was hauled to the Interim LSU Public Hospital and was listed in good condition.

Cops initially listed it as aggravated battery, but if you stab someone enough, I guess you have to call it attempted murder, which is what the police are doing. No suspect or description of one was available.

More hot heads: Who knows what they fight about, but they do:

• Sunday (3.6.11) 10 p.m.: A group of black fellas were walking near Bourbon and St. Louis streets when one of them got into a confrontation with 2 other black guys. When one of his buddies tried to extricate him from the situation, the 26-year-old peacemaker was stabbed in the lower back by one of the other dudes.

He was taken by EMS to Interim LSU Public Hospital and police began looking for 2 suspects described thusly: Both in their mid-20's, one 6' tall, with shoulder-length dreadlocks, wearing a red baseball cap, dark hoodie and black jeans; the other 5'7" tall, weighing 155 pounds, with a goatee and short hair, wearing a gray hoodie.

• Wednesday (3.9.11) 5:45 a.m.: Just because Mardi Gras is over doesn't mean you can't still act stupidly and get into a fight, like these 2 guys.

A black dude and a white guy, both 24, got into some sort of tiff in a bar in the 700 block of St. Peter Street (between Bourbon and Royal streets). The black guy left, but came back an hour later and got into a fight with the white guy. The white guy allegedly pulled out a knife and slashed the black guy twice on his left arm.

Police arrested Joshua Bauers of Oklahoma on a charge of aggravated battery. He was released from OPP this morning on $25,000 bond.

And a few robberies: What would a holiday be without a few robberies? But, in truth, there were no more reported than in a usual weekend:

• Tuesday (3.8.11) 12:30 a.m.: Just as Mardi Gras day began, a black dude descended upon a 23-year-old white guy standing on Canal Street near N. Rampart Street and grabbed the iPhone out of his hand. The victim struggled with the would be robber and flagged down a passing cop.

The police charged Jeffery Ard, 22, with simple robbery. He spent his Mardi Gras in OPP in lieu of $10,000 bond and may be there through Lent.

• Monday (3.7.11) 7:00 p.m.: A 42-year-old white man walking in the 1400 block of Tulane Avenue by Tulane University Hospital was accosted by a black thug armed with a semi-automatic pistol who demanded his money. The victim surrendered his money and his cellphone.

The thief fled in a newer model silver 4-door Pontiac Grand Prix. He was described as 6' tall, with a slim build, wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt.

• Monday (3.7.11) 12:30 p.m.: A 42-year-old white man hopped into what he thought was a taxicab in the 500 block of Esplanade Avenue (between Decatur and Chartres street) and found himself looking down the barrel of a pistol held by a white dude sitting in the back seat. The armed thug demanded money, but the victim struggled with him and the white driver before breaking away and fleeing the vehicle.

He described the would-be robbers as 25 to 30 years old, the gunman as 6' tall and weighing 200 pounds.

• Monday (3.7.11) 5:20 a.m.: Two men, one 61 and the other 20, were sitting in their car in the 100 block of Elks Place, just off Canal Street, when a black thug tapped on their window with a pistol and demanded they get out of the car. The victims exited and the hijacker and 2 buddies got in the gray Ford Focus and sped away, turning on Tulane Avenue toward S. Claiborne Avenue.

The robbers were described as in their 20's, one 6'1" tall, weighing 180 pounds, wearing a dark hoodie and khaki shorts; another 5'9" tall, with short hair and a dark complexion, wearing a white T-shirt and dark-colored jeans; the third was possibly a female, 5'4" tall, with a twist hairstyle and dark complexion, wearing a black hoodie and blue jeans.

• Monday (3.7.11) 1:00 a.m.: A security guard at a parking lot on Elysian Fields Avenue, right behind the Hotel De La Monnaie on Esplanade Avenue, wound up loosing his cellphone to a gang of black boys when he tried to apprehend one of them who was spraying graffiti on a wall. The other 2 punks began punching the guard while the other took his iPhone from his belt.

The guard managed to grab one of the miscreants, while the other 2 fled, and flagged down Det. Mike Flores who arrested the 16-year-old.

Once again, it begs the question of why there isn't more effort to round up juveniles breaking curfew. When ever you look at the rap sheet of a criminal, it seems his gateway crime was a curfew violation--running the street just looking for trouble.

* * *
Crimes last week in the 8th District
(Click on the crime map to enlarge it)

Sunday (2.27.11)

Rape, 123 Baronne, 12:14 a.m.
Pickpocketing, 600 Bourbon, 12:22 a.m.
Pickpocketing, 400 Bourbon, 12:47 a.m.
Simple Robbery, 511 Bourbon, 3:37 a.m.
Aggravated Battery, 200 Decatur, 4:04 a.m.
Aggravated Assault, 700 Iberville, 5:53 a.m.
Auto Burglary, 700 Kerlerec, 10:54 a.m.
Theft, 633 Canal, 2:27 p.m.
Bicycle Theft, 200 Girod, 9:47 p.m.

Monday (2.28.11)

Auto Burglary, 400 Esplanade, 12:49 a.m.
Theft, 441 Bourbon, 1:42 a.m.
Business Burglary, 602 Frenchmen, 7:21 a.m.
Auto Burglary, Camp & Calliope, 10:05 a.m.
Auto Theft, 930 Poydras, 10:49 a.m.
Theft, 621 Esplanade, 2:54 p.m.
Auto Theft, 400 block of Girod, 9:02 p.m.
Theft, 511 Bourbon, 10:54 p.m.

Tuesday (3.1.11)

Shoplifting , 301 Canal, 2:39 p.m.
Theft, 509 Iberville, 10:55 p.m.

Wednesday (3.2.11)

Shoplifting, 134 Royal, 5:34 p.m.
Auto Burglary, Dauphine & Esplanade, 7:50 p.m.

Thursday (3.3.11)

Theft, Bourbon & Canal, 1:22 a.m.
Theft, Common & St Charles, 12:53 p.m.
Theft, 1001 Convention Center, 8:42 p.m.
Theft, Canal & St Charles, 10:48 p.m.

Friday (3.4.11)

Residence Burglary, 600 block of Iberville, 12:40 a.m.
Auto Burglary, 1100 St Anthony, 2:34 a.m.
Theft, 935 Burgundy, 7:51 a.m.
Auto Burglary, 900 Tchoupitoulas, 9:17 a.m.
Theft, 1040 St Charles, 12:31 p.m.
Auto Theft, Burgundy & Iberville, 6:13 p.m.

Saturday (3.5.11)

Auto Burglary, Conti & N Rampart, 12:11 p.m.
Theft, 315 Magazine, 12:23 p.m.
Auto Theft, Constance & John Churchill Chase, 3:34 p.m.
Theft, 123 Baronne, 3:34 p.m.
Shoplifting, 414 N Peters, 5:39 p.m.
Pickpocketing, 228 Poydras, 8:39 p.m.
Theft, 400 Bourbon, 9:13 p.m.

* * *

As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome at NOcrimeline@gmail.com

Thom Kahler