Hello friends and neighbors!
Summer 2022 is ending pretty typically – folks are fed up with the afternoon rain and persistent heat, and our thoughts are turning to the common end-of-summer question “Is LSU gonna be any good this year?” But Summer 2022 didn’t start typically. It started in a very scary and atypical way for the Garden District with a series of brazen assaults, thefts, and robberies.
Quite understandably, the neighborhood was on edge but came together to support each other. Our neighbors provided critical evidence to the EBR Police that led to the arrest of four individuals responsible for the crimes, and a fifth person associated with the events was arrested later in the summer. I’d like to commend the police department for making this a top priority and achieving a quick result, and I give thanks to my GDCA neighbors who came together in a scary time.
Since the arrests, crime in the Garden District has returned to normal levels, which was described as “almost nonexistent…I don’t really have anything to report” by our off duty EBR Police security patrol liaison Cpl Seth Gautier. Crimes of opportunity still abound, so make plans for delivered packages, don’t leave valuables or firearms in your car, and please please please lock your car doors!
The rest of 2022 has seen the neighborhood, and the GDCA getting back to some familiar activities. We had the Annual Meeting in March; the Easter Egg Hunt for the kids in April; and a neighborhood favorite, the Crawfish Boil Block Party, in May. This year, the crawfish boil was held on Oleander between Drehr and 22nd Street to take advantage of the shade from some of our lovely live oaks.
Speaking of live oaks…the Garden District’s Live Oak Love Collective is still in full swing. A big shout out to the folks on the 1100 block of Park Blvd., who raised the funds to complete some long overdue maintenance for all the trees in their median. If you want to donate to the collective or would like more information on the effort so that you can put a little healthy peer pressure on your neighbors to get your median done, please visit gdcabr.org/liveoaks.
Finally, a quick reminder of our upcoming fall events:
- The Fall Picnic is Sunday, September 25th, from 4-6pm under the oaks on the corner of Drehr and Cherokee. GDCA will provide fried chicken and a bounce house for the kids and kid-like adults. Come on out and share some food and a few laughs with your neighbors.
- The Garden District Champagne Stroll is back! On Sunday, October 30th, four gracious hosts will open their homes to their neighbors as we sip champagne and enjoy some food at what many think is the best GDCA event of the year. Space is limited, so make sure you pay attention to the GDCA emails and get your tickets early.
Have a lovely fall and I look forward to seeing you around the neighborhood.
Cheers,
Justin Kozak
President, Garden District Civic Association
[email protected] • gdcabr.org • @gdcabr on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter
