Tag: French Quarter

New Orleans Police search for Bourbon Street graffiti vandalism suspects

Surveillance camera footage that allegedly shows two suspects who vandalized the Cat’s Meow with graffiti on Saturday. NOPD contributed photo.

Two suspects are wanted by New Orleans Police for allegedly vandalizing several Bourbon Street businesses with graffiti on Saturday.

The two are wanted for criminal damage to property, according to NOPD Eighth District officials, whose area of responsibility includes the French Quarter protected historic district.

The suspects were seen on surveillance camera footage tagging several Bourbon Street businesses at about 1 a.m. on Saturday, according to New Orleans Police.

Several tags included the letters “BJF” and “Fos,” New Orleans Police said, adding that a female suspect wrote “Julia” on one of the buildings.

New Orleans Police on Monday released alleged surveillance camera footage of the suspects, who are pictured above.

The Cat’s Meow on Saturday. David Punch via Facebook.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced elected officials to shutter “nonessential” businesses, including the vast majority of bars and shops in the French Quarter, which would normally crawling with tourists — and cops — on a Saturday morning.

The vandalism appeared around the same time graffiti art from artist Josh Wingerter popped up along plywood window coverings in other parts of the French Quarter and Frenchmen Street, but aren’t included in the vandalism investigation.

Anyone with information regarding the identities and the location of the two Bourbon Street vandalism suspects are asked to contact NOPD Eighth District detectives at 504-658-6080. Anonymous callers can contact Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans at 504-822-1111 or call toll-free at 877-903-7867.

Mystic Krewe of Barkus launches fund to assist pet owners with vet care during COVID-19 pandemic

The Krewe of Barkus parade in 2009. Photo by Mark Gstohl | CC.

A fund was launched by the Mystic Krewe of Barkus on Sunday to assist pet owners with veterinarian care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Barkus is a canine-centric krewe. Founded in 1993, the krewe parades with dogs and their human companions through the French Quarter during Mardi Gras.

The fund, however, isn’t meant only for dogs.

The crowd-sourced Barkus COVID Care Fund was established by the krewe to help pay for urgent, non-emergency care for any pets.

Other serious veterinary care needed beyond routine procedures, including surgery and medications, will also be considered.

Additionally, pets with serious chronic health problems will be reviewed.

Since launching on April 13, the fund has generated more than $400.

Funding applications and instructions are found on barkus.org. The amount provided is determined on a case-by-case basis and goes directly to the veterinarian, not the individual.

For more information or to consider donating, email info@barkus.org or visit the krewe’s Facebook page.

Brennan’s bunny hops and pops champagne down Royal Street in uplifting, slightly terrifying Easter video

Courtesy of @CityOfNola.

Note: video is not optimized for smartphones or tablets.

Easter Sunday — a holiday normally celebrated with parades and festive crowds was instead marked by a lone Brennan’s restaurant Easter Bunny prancing down Royal Street with saber in hand, popping champagne bottles amid the backdrop of a shuttered and empty French Quarter during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The city of New Orleans’ official Twitter account shared an April 11 video of a person in a bunny suit skipping down Royal Street and stopping twice to pop champagne bottles with a saber, all while reminding us to social distance six feet apart from each other.

A scene that normally depicts a bustling scene of pedestrians, traffic and commercial activity instead portrayed a picturesque, yet bleak urban landscape nearly devoid of human presence — with the exception of a person in a bunny suit holding a sword while skipping to a recorded singsong tune.

The video is an uplifting sign because the French Quarter hasn’t completely lost its weirdness during the pandemic.

A March 22 stay-at-home order issued by Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards closing nonessential businesses and limiting physical movements of citizens to curb the spread of coronavirus, and a proactive local campaign enforcing gatherings, has led to a virtual shutdown of the French Quarter and its tourist economy.

More than 525,000 presumptive cases, including at least 20,000 deaths, of coronavirus were reported in the U.S. on Sunday, according to data published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Louisiana public health officials have confirmed more than 20,000 cases of coronavirus, which is attributed to at least 840 deaths across the state, according to statistics reported on on Sunday.

At least 5,600 cases, and 235 deaths, attributed to coronavirus have been reported in Orleans Parish.

Thanks for the champagne, Brennan’s bunny. When the pandemic is over, quarter rats will be popping bottles too.

‘Queen of Bourbon Street’ Mamie Marie recovered from coronavirus just in time for Easter

As soon as Mamie Marie Francois recovered from a bout of coronavirus, she resumed her Bourbon Street rump-shaking booty duty with a vengeance in a sign that the French Quarter is starting to resemble the way it was before the COVID-19 outbreak.

And just in time for Easter Sunday.

In a video post to social media by user Nancy Mae, Marie was recorded riding her signature rolling tricycle disco down an empty Bourbon Street at midday on Friday before disembarking and twerking in a pink bunny suit.

Described as the “Queen of Bourbon Street,” Francois has become a fixture of the Vieux Carre gracing pedestrians with dance moves and a decorated musical tricycle.

Francois, 72, came down with a 100-degree temperature in the days following St. Patrick’s Day and eventually went to the doctor where she tested positive for coronavirus, according to the The Times Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate.

She has since recovered, at least to some degree, and is back patrolling the streets making sure the French Quarter stays weird.