Residents of New Orleans have long marched to the beat of their own drum, and this remains true even as they crawl through the recovery process after yet another major hurricane wreaked havoc on the city.
Hurricane Ida was so troubling, in fact, that nearly three weeks removed from the storm there remains an unbelievable amount of trash piled high in the streets, baking into a putrid and wretch-inducing smell in the late summer heat.
So, in true New Orleans fashion, the citizens decided that a parade was in order.
New Orleans often celebrates with parades: Mardi Gras to honor the city’s storied culture, funeral parades to celebrate a well-lived life, and now, a garbage parade to do the opposite of celebration — to protest.
Over three weeks after Hurricane Ida devastated parts of Louisiana, residents in New Orleans are still living alongside piles of household trash due to delayed trash collection pickups. The city’s mayor says the situation has reached the point of a crisis.
Some residents agree and found a very New Orleans way to make their outrage known: they held a “Trash Parade,” dressed in trash fashion, and marched carrying protest signs.
Images from the event were soon circulating on social media.
— Ryan Nelsen (@rc_nelsen) September 18, 2021
posting from saturday … new orleans' trash parade https://t.co/uh5yrtAxW9
— Culturally Delicious (@PaulBaidoa) September 20, 2021
New Orleans residents have been waiting for a trash pickup since Hurricane Ida, and they’re getting tired of the stench.
Their solution?
Draw upon a city strength and throw a parade. https://t.co/jWg3Al8lxR
— TalkPoverty.org (@TalkPoverty) September 20, 2021
New Orleans residents host trash parade – Global Times https://t.co/phg6881ssk
— Sarang Pokhare (@sarang143u) September 19, 2021
Leave it to New Orleans to take a situation so foul and turn it into a chance for revelry.
