NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Not only are neighboring residents surrounding Louis Armstrong Park continuing to protest Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s plans to move City Hall to Municipal Auditorium, but now community leaders including Councilmember Kristin Palmer are joining in opposition.
Palmer, who represents District C, which includes the French Quarter and Treme, both of which border the park, announced a motion has been filed to temporarily stop the move without community say and a vote by the City Council.
“The residents of Treme have been left out of the decision to move City Hall to Armstrong Park,” said Palmer. “A project of this size will have a huge impact on the future of Treme. The people who live here have to be at the table.”
Despite recent protests, including a march last week, Mayor LaToya Cantrell is still moving forward in the process, which according to statements made just days ago may or may not include moving City Hall into the auditorium that has sat in decay since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
“Moving City Hall nearly on top of Congo Square is just fundamentally wrong,” said Alonso Knox, Treme resident and six-year member of the Historic District Landmark Commission. “Congo Square is a sacred place to our community.
“The people of Treme have been working for years on envisioning how to revitalize the Municipal Auditorium in a culturally appropriate way. These ideas from residents deserve to be taken seriously.”