New Orleans, LA – On Wednesday, November 19, a crowd of 30 people rallied outside of Loyola University Law School to protest a private court hearing on the termination of the federal consent decree over the New Orleans Police Department. After over a decade, this marked the end of federal oversight of the NOPD.

Protesters outside the court chanted loudly, at times reportedly drowning out the superintendent’s victory speeches inside the building. They held signs demanding no to termination, as well as a criminal justice committee meeting by City Council Member Oliver Thomas that could address the question of local police oversight.

“The DOJ said NOPD is violating our rights, that’s why we have this consent decree. It’s the only protection we have. And now they want to get rid of it and send Border Patrol and National Guard to our city!” said Sister Shanta Scott, a member of the New Orleans Alliance. Scott demanded justice for her son Jace Lee Scott, who was killed in 2019 by Andrew Gant, son of NOPD Officer Victor Gant. Scott continued, “No termination until community oversight is permanently in place!”

Protesters confronted NOPD leadership with condemnation as they left the hearing. As officers attempted to hold a press conference, chants of “No justice, no peace, no racist police!” drowned them out. As NOPD tried to leave, the angry crowd stopped one SUV in its tracks, surrounding it and forcing it to retreat backwards down the street.

The consent decree has been in place in New Orleans since 2012 after an FBI and DOJ investigation revealed a long list of constitutional violations by the NOPD. For over a decade, the decree has been a legally binding agreement between the city and the feds that demanded the New Orleans Police Department comply with constitutional policing, including a action on stop-and-frisk practices, car chases, documentation, use of force rates, and more.

In January 2025, Federal Judge Susie Morgan ruled that the New Orleans Police Department was still not in compliance with key benchmarks, such as use of force and racial bias. However, after pressure from the city, she still allowed the NOPD to move into sustainment. This “sustainment period” is a span of two years, where the NOPD must prove capable of maintaining reforms made under the decree.

But the sustainment period never happened. In October, Judge Morgan agreed to end the consent decree at the request of the Trump administration and the city. MAGA Governor Jeff Landry and State Attorney Liz Murrill also cheered on termination, as the Trump administration is slashing consent decrees across the U.S.

“We are here today saying it loud and clear that the community has never played a determinate role in this consent decree process,” said New Orleans Alliance Chair Toni Jones. “We want community control of the police – that is what we need to keep these officers in their place. And we will not stop fighting until we get it.”

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New Orleans, LA – On Tuesday, December 17, community organizations and New Orleanians impacted by police misconduct or police violence united at the Consent Decree Fairness Hearing to demand that Judge Susie Morgan rule against the New Orleans Police Department sustainment plan.

The consent decree is the federal oversight instituted in 2013. That year, the Department of Justice found the NOPD to be practicing unlawful misconduct and unconstitutional policing. Different community groups rallied outside against the motion.

The people came together around five points of unity. These included demanding a transparent and community-led process, an end to conflicts of interest, an independent investigation into officers with a history of misconduct complaints, an end to racist and biased policing, and that the judge rule against “sustainment.” A decision in favor of the “sustainment plan” would mean the beginning of the end of the consent decree, despite NOPD’s ongoing lack of compliance with the federal oversight.

While giving public comment during the hearing, Toni Jones, chair of New Orleans for Community Oversight of the Police, spoke against moving to sustainment, declaring, “We need more oversight of NOPD, not less.”

Data from the Office of the Independent Police Monitor reveals that a staggering 90% of “use of force” by NOPD is used against Black people, although they are a mere 56% of the city’s population. Despite cries from the community that this disparity is racist, NOPD pushes the narrative that “disparity is not bias.”

“The NOPD cannot be trusted to hold itself accountable. I humbly ask the court not to yield to political pressure or a false sense of urgency generated by the NOPD or federal monitors to enter sustainment prematurely. The people of New Orleans deserve constitutional policing,” Jones continued.

Nikeysha Gonzalez, a community organizer with Unión Migrante, spoke in opposition to NOPD moving into sustainment. She expressed concern regarding NOPD’s current lack of compliance with the consent decree, stating, “Preemptively moving into sustainment will have a direct harmful impact on all community members of New Orleans.”

Gonzalez also stressed the threat that removing the consent decree poses to immigrant community members, stating, “Currently the consent decree has provisions that prohibit officers from taking law enforcement actions on the basis of actual or perceived immigration status, also preventing collaboration with ICE. And we need to see that continued.” A scenario that would end with a ticket for others – such as a traffic stop – would end up with detainment for an immigrant even if they had not committed any crimes.

Published researcher Kristi Dayemo spoke, representing New Orleans for Community Oversight of the Police, breaking down the faulty methodology used by NOPD in an attempt to frame their policing as bias free.

Dayemo stated, “The NOPD is just substituting one disparity test that does not look good for another that makes them look good. A population weighted disparity test assesses the rate a specific demographic is subjugated to officer action compared to the prevalence of that demographic in the population. When conducting a population weighted disparity analysis, results show NOPD targets Black people anywhere from four to 13 times more than white people depending on the specific types of action.”

Dayemo told the court. “For all of the many problems with data collection and methods, not to mention the conflicts of interest and integrity issues with the federal monitoring team, NOCOP and many of our community allies strongly refute the claim that the NOPD is ready for sustainment. We felt it important to challenge these statistical practices because we have repeatedly witnessed representatives from the DOJ, the federal consent decree monitors and NOPD officials use these questionable findings to invalidate and dismiss the concerns and experiences of community members.”

Community organizations will rally outside of the official consent decree hearing, where the judge will make a decision. They will advocate for the judge to rule against sustainment, and they encourage community members to show up to amplify community concerns. The motion hearing, which will decide the fate of the consent decree, will take place on January 8, at 1 p.m. at the Hale Boggs Federal Courthouse.

Endorsing organizations included Union Migrante, New Orleans United Front, Eyes On Surveillance, New Orleans for Community Oversight of the Police, Liberate and Unite New Orleans SDS, Party for Socialism and Liberation, and Freedom Road Socialist Organizations, New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP), UNO SDS, and Evolve Louisiana.

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