Recommended Viewing

Here is an excellent video concerning the Hard Rock Hotel collapse from 2019. Concise, thorough and easily understandable report on the causes and the blame. The creator of the video found some footage I hadn’t even seen. He doesn’t mention Cantrell’s name unfortunately.

Somehow, he missed the chance to include the footage the crane demolition that took place and the mention of a small fire that took place during the demo. All in all worth 17 minutes of time to watch it. The video creator is Dark Records on YOUTUBE.

Hard Rock Hotel Swept Away

Mayor Cantrell posted on social media on April 21,9021:

“Canal Street lake-bound is officially reopened to vehicle traffic for the first time since the Hard Rock collapse. Even as the challenges piled up in the last 18 months — the work never stopped. We grieve for the lives lost, and we are grateful for the progress that has been made. We thank our businesses and our residents for their patience.”

To read the Mayor’s words it would sound as if she is proud of the work her administration has done in clearing up the collapse site. ” Even as the challenges piled up in the last 18 months — the work never stopped. ”

A little perspective here: The entire World Trade Center disaster site was cleaned up in only SEVEN MONTHS. The Twin-fucking-Towers and several other buildings hauled away in less than half the time of one 18 story building.

“…the work never stopped ” The collapse occurred in October of 2019, demolition didn’t start until May of 2020. Correction, there was about seven months of nothing but thumbs up collective asses trying to un-cluster this fuck. The last body wasn’t recovered until 10 months after the disaster. Even by a Big Easy metric, this was slower than shit through a funnel.

There has been a long history of a corruption and incompetency with the New Orleans building inspectors going back to the Landrieu administration. There was a Federal investigation into bribery involving city inspector Kevin Richardson and charges were filed. He was dismissed from his position by then Mayor Landrieu.

Just months prior to the HRH collapse, the city leadership blustered about holding the permit inspectors accountable using the latest in GPS tracking and digital records. City building inspectors Julie Tweeter, Eric Treadaway were suspended and Thomas Dwyer resigned before he could be suspended (What a pussy).

With all of the current social outrage over the behavior of law enforcement recklessly taking lives and being held responsible, I ask why aren’t all government employees held to the same level of accountability? Officials, employed by the city failed at their positions whether by negligence or corruption and it resulted in the deaths of three construction workers and dozens more injured are just allowed to resign and walk away?

Would everybody have been cool with Derek Chauvin just handing in his resignation and walking away? I didn’t think so. Is it comparing apples and oranges? City employees fucked up and people died. In one case the city government throws the employee under the bus in the face of public opinion, the other city employees are quietly ushered out the back door of city hall.

Perhaps indicting those building inspectors for negligent homicide would open up a Costco-sized can of worms for city hall that they would prefer not to see the light of day. Disclosure would involve emails and records from with in the department and the depth of the incompetence would reveal more that there were more people involved in the endemic corruption of city hall. Where were their supervisors?

QR-ANON POSTS:

Julian Assange, Seth Rich, Delmer Joel Ramírez Palma

What do these three men have in common?
Think whistle-blower.
Think targeted.

Why was Delmer Joel Ramírez Palma deported back to Honduras after giving an interview about HRH construction safety issues?
How did ICE get suddenly involved with a migrant who had been here for 17 years? (Washington Post from 11/30/19)

Why would a federal agency (ICE) deport a material witness to an investigation of a serious construction accident that killed three and left 20 injured?


WQRWE
We’re Quarter Rats,
We’re Everywhere

The Quarter Rat’s TOP 20 Memes of 2020

(All memes by Eric T. Styles)
The only folks who loved the “Year of the Rat, 2020” were those of us who created memes. Here are the Top 20 Memes from TheQuarterRat.com.

20. We could only find 19 memes, NEXT!

19. I posted this in February before Mardi Gras ’20 as a warning. Back then it was all in the back of our minds about the potential for an outbreak from Corona but no one even dared to utter it. I caught a few comments from “No way! Really think they are?” to “Well, what are we supposed to do? Cancel Mardi Gras? NEVER!”

18. We got to see how the mayor handled hurricanes and natural disasters.

17. It took 10 months to recover three bodies from the Hard Rock Hotel collapse, which occurred in October 2019. Months after the tragedy, a leg of one of the victims dangling from the rubble could be seen from Canal Street. Mayor Cantrell was outraged that a photo was taken of the leg and posted on social media. We were outraged that there was a leg sticking out months later to photograph.

16. Bourbon Street hadn’t been this empty or clean in over 300 years. An eerie silent street with windows boarded up. I was told that it was busier in the days after Katrina than during the shut down. A couple of friends messaged me and asked if I needed help to actually paint this on Bourbon. As tempting as it was, in my older age wisdom I decided not to. Such public messages are only tolerated if it’s approved by the establishment to promote their agenda.

15. If anyone exemplifies a political “Karen” it’s our Mayor.

14. The George Floyd protests came to our city. Thousands went out to protest in various parts of New Orleans over the course of a week. With the exception of a few protesters getting pepper sprayed by cops on the bridge, they were all peaceful. No charges were brought against any city official for the deaths of three and injured dozens of construction workers. Selective outrage.

13. LaToya Cantrell thought that this summer was a great time for a photo-shoot to update her pictures on social media. Like somehow a resting bitch face would instill a sense of confidence in a community locked in their homes from a pandemic and collapsing local economy. I didn’t think the original City Hall background did her justice.

12. Admit it guys, who hasn’t at least once.

11. Ah yes, nothing like the classic memes.

10. The Hard Rock Hotel became a great example of incompetence from the city and it’s hired contractors. “How can we fuck up a collapsed building?” “I know! We’ll set it on fire!”

9. The Quarter Rat publisher kept after me to make a temperature gun meme. I think this one is now my favorite from 2020.

8. Remember when Mayor Cantrell went off on a reporter during a press conference about opening up businesses?

7. For those of you familiar with the humble beginnings of The Quarter Rat Magazine, you would agree that no one would ever dream that it had much potential to ever be taken seriously. In 2020 this web site has shown otherwise. The talent and professionalism of Dave Minsky has shown the QR as an emerging reliable source of news information. City officials now actually take the call without saying “The WHAT?” Don’t get me wrong, self-improvement is a lifelong journey and we still have a lot of work to do. Thanks for keeping the faith.

6. In the spirit of wokeness, DIXIE beer has decided to change it’s name (we know there’s a misspelled word in there; that’s the pint).

5. We couldn’t help noticing that those who pushed for a longer shut down seem also to be the same fucks always bitching about their jobs, getting fired a lot and are, coincidentally, Bernie Sanders supporters. Just saying.

4. Best. Headline. Ever. We may never be able to top this.

And the follow up meme.

3. When it comes to making memes, sometimes things just click.

2. The intent for us is not to make light of deaths of those construction workers. Our condolences go out to their families and loved ones. We do how ever wish to see justice, and want to see those responsible for deaths due to incompetence to be held accountable.

1. As if 2020 hadn’t been scary enough for us, NOLA had the distinction of being threatened by two hurricanes simultaneously. This meme got way more likes and shares than anything else posted. It just shows where all of your heads are at.

What will 2021 hold for us? I’m not optimistic. I think a year from now we will be looking back on 2020 as “The good old days.”

Crews demolish large portion of Hard Rock Hotel building

(Photo: Infrogmation of New Orleans | CC Flickr)
New Orleans crews demolished a large portion of the Hard Rock Hotel building as part of a controlled operation on Thursday.

The portion was a part of the Burgundy Street side of the hotel, according to WWL. The entire 18-story structure is in the process of being completely demolished.

The Hard Rock Hotel partially collapsed on Oct. 12, 2019, killing three workers and injuring more than a dozen people.

Watch a video of the demolition, courtesy of WWL:

Body of Jose Ponce Arreola recovered from Hard Rock Hotel collapse 10 months later