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Activists Want Danziger Bridge Renamed \r \r \r

The African-American Leadership Project has announced a proposal to re-title the structure where the NOPD killed two innocent men after Hurricane Katrina.

Though the victims cannot be brought back to life, a community activist group is seeking to ease community pain by renaming the Danziger Bridge.

 

On Monday evening, the sixth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the African-American Leadership Project held a ceremony to announce a proposal to rename the bridge where two innocent men were killed by New Orleans police just days after the storm.

 

Less than a week after Katrina hit, Ronald Madison and James Brissette were killed on the bridge by New Orleans police officers. The five current or former cops were convicted in the killings of the men and for wounding four other civilians who were walking on the bridge.

 

In 1934 the bridge was named in honor of the Assistant State Attorney General Alfred David Danziger, who was also a friend of former New Orleans Mayor Robert Maestri and Governor Huey P. Long.

 

"We don't mean this to show we are against the NOPD," Walter Umrani, a group member told the Associated Press. "It is to be an important reminder for everyone of what happened and the improvement of the justice system in New Orleans since then."

 

In order to rename the bridge an act is required by the Louisiana Legislature. Representative Austin Badon (D-New Orleans) says that if the act came to a vote he would support it, but he knows that the bridge cannot be named after all victims. He suggests a memorial at the foot of the bridge to commemorate all victims.

 

The organization plans to soon contact the city council and state legislature about the proposed change.

 

 

To contact Danielle Wright, follow and tweet her at @DaniWrightTV.

(Photo: Mario Tama/GettyImages)

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