Times-Picayune Cuts Confronted at Rock 'n Bowl Rally

Photos by Shay Sokol

by Shay Sokol

As the Iguanas were playing, Joan of Arc was dancing with an older man holding up a sign that read, “Publish 7 Days or Sell to Owner Committed to the Common Good." Moments later, Lolis Eric Elie was applauded on the bandstand like he was handing down divine revelation. Monday afternoon's Save the Picayune assembly was something between a protest and a tailgate, leaning more to the latter. The event brought out about 150 people, young and old, in support of the Da Paper. The bitter news of less news was washed down with burgers and beer.

After firing up the crowd on the bandstand, Elie, a former Times-Picayune columnist who now writes for Treme among other ventures, said, “It’s a real disappointment. If we were losing the paper because they were losing money, if they could not sustain financially, I would have a very different view. But the fact that it’s a popular, profitable enterprise being sacrificed to an experiment is particularly galling. It is made worse by the fact that I defy anyone who can go on nola.com and find a story. It’s a terrible website. So we’re losing a good paper for a bad website.”

The newspaper, which will stop publishing everyday in the fall and cut staff over the summer, also got a jolt of support from civic leaders calling themselves The Times-Picayune Citizens' Group on Monday. That group turned out in written form, with a strongly-worded letter signed by an assortment local business, political and cultural luminairies. Among their complaints: New Orleans recovered after the flood, and should have a newspaper to represent it as a large American city. Plus, we have a lot going on.

Local singer Margie Perez put a voice to those concerns.

“It’s unbelievable," she said of the cuts. "For us to be the biggest, largest city without a daily newspaper is just, it doesn’t make any sense. Especially after we rebounded so much after Katrina. It’s the almighty dollar of the corporations, the corporation is the devil,” Perez said laughing. “But if anything else, it’s the sentimental value of it. Like what are we going to do on Mondays after the Saints game? Not everyone has a computer.”

Joan of Arc, who usually rides on her birthday, Twelfth Night, and her companion, the Bastard of New Orleans, were out in full regalia, ready to defend the print. The Bastard said, “Yeah, John [Blancher, the owner of Rock ‘N’ Bowl] was supposed to get other characters out here, but we’re the only ones.” He sipped his beer while shifting his sheath. He pointed to Joan and said, “She saved France once before. Now she’s here to save the Times-Pic from… whoever it is.” The Bastard tapped Joan of Arc on the shoulder and said, “I think we gotta’ go to Chicago for this fight.”

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Times-Picayune Cuts Confronted at Rock 'n Bowl Rally

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