7th Ward residents hope Hardin Park will help curb crime | News

The playground and ball field at the historic Hardin Playground in the 7th Ward currently sit mostly empty, but a new project to revitalize the park for neighborhood children is gaining momentum from an unexpected source.

The Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office is working with the city and community stakeholders to restart the program at the park to combat gun violence in an area that has long been plagued by crime.

Prosecutors analyzed recent gun violence in and around the park – a problem that community members say is due to decay, rampant drug trafficking, homelessness and a lack of recreational opportunities for youth.

Last week, about 40 to 50 people gathered for a community meeting at New Journey Word Church to discuss these issues. Members of the district attorney's office presented data, residents relived their memories of the once vibrant neighborhood, and a former Saints player spoke about his goal of working with outside partners to get the park back on track.

Currently, families do not feel safe bringing their children to Hardin Park, residents say, and it lacks basic amenities like trash cans. They want a return to organized team sports and after-school programs.

“We want to revitalize the park with youth programs to get the kids out, because kids live here,” said OPDA Community Officer Jessica Strange. “They need a safe place to play and gather.”

The neighborhood – roughly bounded by Elysian Fields Avenue, St. Bernard Avenue, Broad Street, Florida Avenue and North Galvez Street – is the latest community to be the focus of the DA's New Orleans Data Informed Community Engagement program, which researches crime prevention strategies and uses a data-based Risk Terrain Methodology to analyze patterns in crime hotspots.

Park investments

Formerly known as Crescent Star Park, the park opened in the 1940s as the first community-run park for New Orleans' nearly 150,000 black residents. By contrast, according to a study by the University of New Orleans, there were more than 30 parks for white residents at the time.

Over the decades, recreational programs have come and gone.

“I played football. I played basketball. I played baseball and ran track, so my life was here in this park,” said community activist and Saints Hall of Famer Tyrone Hughes, who grew up in the area in the '70s and '80s. “I had two parents at home who didn't have to worry about where I was because they knew after school.”

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the 7th Ward. The park was subsequently overrun by FEMA supporters and later abandoned as part of the 7th Ward's reconstruction plans.

Years later, community-led reinvestment efforts took hold.

Former New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul inaugurated a new basketball court in 2009 and a new playground was built.

Rudy Macklin, director of the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, helped establish a Little League team and other programs at the request of NORD and dedicated community members, purchasing uniforms and equipment.

But that momentum has waned, in part because the neighborhood has struggled with gun and drug crime for years.

In addition, Macklin said that public recreation programs would not be sustainable without funding and volunteers.

“Many parents cannot afford to let inner-city children participate in special activities,” he said in an interview. “You have to raise money and find sponsors.”

Macklin said the responsibility for maintaining the programs falls largely on park directors, who need to get to know the neighborhood and the kids and round up volunteers. It's also up to the community to demand more.

The park is currently listed as a priority reinvestment project in the city's 10-year master plan, which aims to improve parks and playgrounds.

Long-lasting plague

During the meeting, residents reminisced about the 1970s when the park was a positive resource for the neighborhood. It was family-oriented and everyone knew everyone.

There are hardly any abandoned homes left, residents said, expressing concern about the city's longstanding problems with abandoned properties and dilapidated homes – a widespread problem after Katrina that has led to the building inspection department being overwhelmed with cases.

But according to Daniel Shanks, director of strategic initiatives in the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office, the fight against neglect has already shown promise.

Last year through the end of July, six people were killed and there were 15 nonfatal shootings, compared with three homicides and six nonfatal shootings this year, according to data compiled by The Times-Picayune.

Shanks attributes the decline to the eviction of squatters who lived in 13 vacant duplexes on Allen Street and fueled much of the drug activity last year. The homes changed ownership earlier this year, prompting the NOPD to clear the properties.

After the homes were evacuated, three of the apartments caught fire, Shanks said. But since then, the fires have added to the distress of residents, who now have a rodent problem.

“Since the fires, all you see all night are big rats. My sister lives across the street and she said the rat ran up the stairs,” said Edwina Jones, calling on the city to intervene and help.

Back to life

Shanks said the district attorney's office is working closely with the New Orleans Recreation and Development Commission, which operates the park, to bring it back to life.

Anthony Roman, NORD's athletic director, said before they could resume team sports and extracurricular programs, they would need to hire a new site director.

They would also need an increased police presence to curb drug-related crime in and around the park, Roman said. Then NORD would start small, building programs, beginning with the youngest groups of children, ages 5 or 6.

In the meantime, Hughes said he is in talks with community partners to build a baseball field, cover the basketball court and remove some of the existing infrastructure.

“We want to turn it back into something the kids can be proud of,” he said.