Photos by Brandon Robert

The Mother's Day shooting was no contest for the Original Big Seven, whose rescheduled June 1 second line came back bigger and bolder than the one on May 12.

As New Orleanians reflected on the Mother's Day shooting that left 19 injured, Seventh Ward residents gathered at the site of the crime for today's Community Response. Once Mayor Mitch passed the microphone, religious leaders, community activists, longtime residents, and Original Big 7 President Edward Buckner sent a clear message: yesterday's violence was not about the second line. 

A 15-year-old boy was shot to death Monday in New Orleans' latest murder, according to New Orleans police. The incident began about 6:30 p.m., when a group of teens were standing in front of an apartment complex in the 2100 block of Allen Street. 

A man was shot to death in a car and another man was injured Sunday night in a Seventh Ward shooting, according to NOPD. About 10:40 p.m., a 25-year-old man was found dead inside a Nissan Maxima in the 1900 block of N. Tonti St. The man's identitiy is being withheld pending notificaton of family members.

While the I10 has made life easier for drivers in New Orleans, many who reside along Claiborne Avenue hold a different perception of the bisected city. Officials are launching an initiative to get communities involved in the rehabilitation of the Claiborne Corridor, with a series of meetings all week long to discuss solutions.

In this week's canon of criminality, a green-thumbed thief thought better of his crime, the American Flag and the Bible were stolen on separate occassions and a cookie jar and machete were among the items wielded during fights. Every week, Crescent City Crime Bits runs down the lowdown.

by Shay Sokol

SEVENTH WARD -- After the City awarded his iconic store a million dollars, Dwayne Boudreaux, owner of Circle Food Store on Claiborne and St. Bernard, announced plans to reopen the neighborhood anchor by Easter 2013. The nearly 40,000 sq. foot building has sat empty since the market was flooded with five and a half feet of water during Katrina.  Seven years later, Boudreaux has finally secured sources for fresh local produce and funding. The City's $1 million loan (half of which is forgivable) is from a pool of money being used to encourage fresh food was the last step in getting funding. The new store will likely employ 75-80 people.

On this week's syllabus of sin, a cross-dressing thief picked up a few extra accessories, home invaders gave back a university area woman's cell phone after stealing it and summer strollers helped themselves to angel statues, a grill and a weed eater, among other items. Crescent City Crime Bits takes a tour of local wrongdoing every week:

On this week's index of infractions, cross-dressing crime returns in the French Quarter, carjackings abound and a snatched iPhone gets passed between three people. Here's the weekly blue light special of dispatches from the police beat:

Inside the Fair Grounds Race Course, a makeshift city is constructed every year for the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Not merely a music festival, JazzFest is designed as an all-encompassing showcase of New Orleans culture. But, outside the track's long fences, there is an entire neighborhood that springs to life each year with commerce - and, this being New Orleans, curioso.