As murder numbers haunt New Orleans, a church still honors the names
By Harrison Golden
WDSU 6 News
January 23, 2022
NEW ORLEANS — Deacon Luigi Mandile wishes he never has to write another murder victim's name ever again. But at St. Anna's Episcopal Church in Tremé , that's his job.
Mandile has done the work for years, updating the church's "murder board" by adding names and ages of New Orleans' latest victims. Next week, he will add those killed so far in 2022 — almost one each day during the year's first two weeks. Their names, ages and details on how they were murdered will join hundreds etched outside Esplanade Avenue church.
"I'm seeing more, and it's disheartening," the deacon said. "But this is my role, and I hope I'm making some people feel their loved ones are remembered.
The project is Father Bill Terry's brainchild. He started posting the names of the city's murder victims in 2007. With more murders, a list that started on one board spread to two by 2012.
"Why do we keep doing it?" Terry said. "Well, you tell me, because murders keep going on."
And to stop more children from becoming names on the wall, St. Anna's broadened its canvas. The church started Anna's Place, a K-12 after school program, more than a decade ago.
"We pick them up and drop them off, irrespective of where they live in the community," Terry said. "We offer safety, a sense of continuity in the world."
Program coordinator Darryl Durham describes his mission as one of tearing down walls -- proverbial ones like racism and economic inequality.
"It's not a quick fix," he said. "It's about disrupting the cycle of violence."
Durham says Anna's Place has shown hope. So far, none of its kids have dropped out of high school, and none have died in violent crimes.
"While the memorial wall grows, I guess the invisible wall you don't see is all those kids who will never be up on that wall because of programs like this," he said. "I think that's beautiful."
The New Orleans City Council will hold a special meeting to address violent crime in the city. Members will hear from Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams, juvenile court judges and from aides in Mayor LaToya Cantrell's office. The folks at St. Anna's have a message for them all.
"A short-term resolution of violence in our city is important," Terry said. "But perhaps more important is the preventative."
(This story first appeared on WDSU. Click here to see the original post.)
By Harrison Golden
WDSU 6 News
January 23, 2022
NEW ORLEANS — Deacon Luigi Mandile wishes he never has to write another murder victim's name ever again. But at St. Anna's Episcopal Church in Tremé , that's his job.
Mandile has done the work for years, updating the church's "murder board" by adding names and ages of New Orleans' latest victims. Next week, he will add those killed so far in 2022 — almost one each day during the year's first two weeks. Their names, ages and details on how they were murdered will join hundreds etched outside Esplanade Avenue church.
"I'm seeing more, and it's disheartening," the deacon said. "But this is my role, and I hope I'm making some people feel their loved ones are remembered.
The project is Father Bill Terry's brainchild. He started posting the names of the city's murder victims in 2007. With more murders, a list that started on one board spread to two by 2012.
"Why do we keep doing it?" Terry said. "Well, you tell me, because murders keep going on."
And to stop more children from becoming names on the wall, St. Anna's broadened its canvas. The church started Anna's Place, a K-12 after school program, more than a decade ago.
"We pick them up and drop them off, irrespective of where they live in the community," Terry said. "We offer safety, a sense of continuity in the world."
Program coordinator Darryl Durham describes his mission as one of tearing down walls -- proverbial ones like racism and economic inequality.
"It's not a quick fix," he said. "It's about disrupting the cycle of violence."
Durham says Anna's Place has shown hope. So far, none of its kids have dropped out of high school, and none have died in violent crimes.
"While the memorial wall grows, I guess the invisible wall you don't see is all those kids who will never be up on that wall because of programs like this," he said. "I think that's beautiful."
The New Orleans City Council will hold a special meeting to address violent crime in the city. Members will hear from Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams, juvenile court judges and from aides in Mayor LaToya Cantrell's office. The folks at St. Anna's have a message for them all.
"A short-term resolution of violence in our city is important," Terry said. "But perhaps more important is the preventative."
(This story first appeared on WDSU. Click here to see the original post.)