NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry’s effort to clear homeless encampments in New Orleans and relocate people to a newly opened temporary shelter in Gentilly sparked protests on Wednesday (Jan. 15), the shelter’s first day of operation.
A warehouse on France Road has been converted into a facility capable of housing up to 200 people.
The move, part of a larger strategy to address homelessness ahead of major events like Super Bowl LIX and Mardi Gras, has been met with support and criticism.
Before sunrise on Wednesday, officials with Louisiana State Police, the Department of Transportation, and other state agencies began clearing the homeless encampment beneath the Pontchartrain Expressway near the Superdome and Smoothie King Center.
FOX 8 cameras captured people boarding buses bound for the France Road shelter.
By noon, there were more tents and belongings than there were people.
“We are people. We’re not all crazy, …