New Orleans: Noise demo outside Magnolia Ball targets city leaders, demands justice for Jace Scott
New Orleans, LA – On Saturday, June 6, community members and organizers rallied for a noise demonstration outside the Ogden Art Museum's annual Magnolia Ball Fundraiser. They demanded federal murder charges be brought against Andrew Gant for his role in the 2019 murder of Jace Lee Scott. The demonstrators also demanded Gant’s father, NOPD officer Victor Gant Jr, be fired from the New Orleans Police Department for corruption.
Jace's mother, Sister Shanta Scott, has been fighting to get justice for her son Jace's murder since 2019. Through information requests, she was able to get police records that showed that Andrew Gant called his father, NOPD’s Victor Gant, before 911 as Jace was on the ground dying.
“The last thing we need is police policing the police. And the city council won't listen to us. The mayor has ignored my letters. So now we're here at this fundraising event to make sure they know we won't stop demanding justice for my son and all families impacted by police violence,” said Sister Shanta Scott to the crowd outside the event.
Over 20 people banged on drums and cookware, chanted, and blew whistles to disrupt the event and call attention to the continuing injustice.
Vonne Crandell of the New Orleans Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression highlighted the class discrepancy at play, saying, “While they [city council members, NOPD] are inside having their fancy gala, you know who's out here demanding justice? The people! And it's these same city officials that are supposed to serve us that not only turned a blind eye to this perversion of justice, they aided and abetted in this criminal cover-up.”
A friend of one of the demonstrators attended the fundraiser and informed them that Mayor Helena Moreno had opted to not show up, despite it being on her event calendar.
Moreno has been a target of the campaign since Shanta Scott sent her a letter in April 2026 demanding her to take action and fire Victor Gant Jr. The New Orleans Alliance and Jace Scott’s family plan to continue targeting the mayor’s calendar of events to pressure a response from her on the case.