Competing to be the best s-p-e-l-l-e-r inside Angola prison
A buzzed-about spelling bee returns to the United States’ biggest maximum security prison.
Recent Posts
Judge extends an additional 90 days of protection for Angola Farm Line
Order continues for the second consecutive summer. Once the heat index hits 88 degrees, the DOC must provide some relief to the men working for pennies an hour in the prison’s fields.
Football coach leaves Sarah T. Reed High after alleged paddling incident
Though Louisiana legislators passed a statewide ban against physical punishment in 2023, parents can still give permission for their children to be physically disciplined in school.
Oily gunk from Roseland explosion flows towards Lake Pontchartrain
A mix of chemicals released by the explosion are being carried by the Tangipahoa River and could enter the local food chain, experts fear.
‘Even in decay, life continues.’
Inspired by the floodwaters after Katrina and the birth of his son, photographer Gus Bennett created a new photography series, Organic Watermarks. Some images include 18 different layers of post-storm textures.
Reforms resulted from the thousands left to drown in OPP
The 2005 abandonment of incarcerated people within the flooded Orleans Parish jail complex became one of the catalysts to reform the city’s dysfunctional justice system
Finding hard-fought stability after the storm
“There’s something full circle about our Katrina baby protecting swimmers in the Lower 9th Ward from deep water,” Lens editor Katy Reckdahl writes in an essay about the city and her son, who was born 23 hours before Katrina struck the city.
opinion
New Orleans was not disposable after Katrina; its children are not disposable now
“We knew that our city was worth investment and protection,” writes Cierra Chenier. “The same must be true for our children.”
Power out, profits gone: how Louisiana’s grid failures harm local businesses
Lost Coyote restaurant in Treme was on track for its first record-profit day during Memorial Day weekend, when a sudden blackout brought it all to a standstill.
Let’s acknowledge the Alabo Wharf’s place in history
In a lawsuit about a slaughterhouse that once stood at the Alabo site, the U.S. Supreme Court first interpreted the 14th Amendment, which later became pivotal in civil rights rulings, and led to four little 9th Ward girls desegregating the first public schools in the Deep South.
The Cry That Wasn’t Heard Could Be the Cry That Lights the Awakening
That day, I could hear the baby crying. I could hear Nicholas unraveling. Then the phone went dead. Looking back, I see the baby’s death as an indictment.
PODCAST
Episode 282: Orleans Parish Prison after the storm ‘We’re still in here’
Bernard Smith and Katy Reckdahl on the men trapped in the Orleans Parish Prison and Broad Street Bridge in the wake of the levee breaches after Hurricane Katrina that flooded New Orleans.
About the Lens
The Lens aims to engage and empower the residents of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. We provide the information and analysis necessary to advocate for more accountable and just governance.