Support for Louisiana.

The state we're in is provided by Entergy.

Louisiana is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

We're reinforcing infrastructure to prepare for stronger storms, reduce outages, and respond quicker when you do need us.

Because together we power life.

Additional support provided by the Fred B and Ruth B Ziegler Foundation and the Ziegler Art Museum, located in Jennings City Hall.

The museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is a historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana.

And the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting and viewers like you.

Thank you.

New Orleans is celebrating the start of Carnival, just days after the Bourbon Street terror attack and a candid conversation with Lieutenant General Russell Honoré about how the U.S. Army veteran turned terrorists may have been lured into extremism.

Victor Houle continues his look back at the life of Billy Cannon, from winning the Heisman Trophy to his time in Angola prison and hidden history.

How one family rediscovered an ancestor who played a key role in the fight for equality and civil rights.

Let's get started.

Let's do this.

Hello, everyone.

I'm Karen LeBlanc, and I'm Dorothea Wilson.

Much more on those top stories in a moment.

On this week's edition of Louisiana, the State we're In.

But first, massive wildfires burning out of control in Los Angeles.

Thousands of people have been forced out of their homes as fires continue to spread.

We'll have more on that a little later in our show.

Back here in Louisiana.

Carnival season officially got underway this week.

The crew of Joan of Arc rolled through the French Quarter on Monday night, five days after a deadly terror attack.

With investigations underway.

Details are still unfolding.

Now here's the latest.

And the mood of the moment.

As the first parade of the Mardi Gras season makes its way through the lower French Quarter, a few blocks away, revelry gives way to mourning.

Where the French Quarter meets Canal Street.

Three friends from Baton Rouge show their respects, laying flowers at a memorial honoring the 14 victims killed in the terrorist attack early New Year's Day.

We were actually in the quarter and we were on bourbon for a little bit, but we went to a side street and ended up leaving about an hour before, the attack.

This easily could have been us.

We just thought we should pay some respects.

12th night marks the feast of the epiphany in the Catholic Church.

It officially kicks off carnival season.

Just five days after the terrorist attack.

As crowds braved the cold to watch the Joan of Arc walking procession, the largest in its history.

This is our 17th annual Joan of Arc Parade.

We're meeting this year at the French market because we've changed our route, so we are starting in the lower quarter.

We do pass Joan of Arc statue and sing Happy Birthday to her.

The Joan of Arc Parade took place on the same day that President Joe Biden visited the French Quarter Memorial and attended Mass at Saint Joseph's Cathedral with other officials and dignitaries.

I know events like this are hard.

The shock and pain is still so very raw.

My wife Jill and I are here to stand with you.

There aren't as many concerns as we would have had if the president wasn't in town.

And if there wasn't a major interfaith mass at the cathedral, there's so many extra police, both plainclothes and and very visible National Guards because of the attack.

We have stepped up our security and they're being extra cautious and mindful and being trained by Homeland Security officer who's going to help them just with a few extra notes.

The annual medieval themed parade honors Joan of Arc, who liberated the citizens of Orleans, France, from a British siege in 1429.

Each year, the parade picks a real life Joan of Arc to star in the procession.

This parade is sort of a way to lift the community spirits.

I think she's what we need to really help the city, continue to flourish.

And hope is not lost.

Hope is not lost on this city often described as resilient.

Some say an overused term that sounds trite, given the official response in the immediate aftermath of the New Year's Day terrorist attack.

Tell me who you're with, WDSU, WDSU.

Okay.

And CBS and NBC's Over Here on the right.

Oh, that's unusual position.

I don't get it.

You wouldn't.

We should have never had a press conference dominated by political talking heads because it looked like, state and local and federal partners and leaders were not on the same page, and they didn't have the right people talking in terms of expertise about public security, intelligence.

And it wasn't a good look for us.

New Orleans Councilman Oliver Thomas joins a growing chorus of public officials calling for an investigation into how and why the tragedy happened.

He points to one root cause a lack of communication at all levels of government and public safety.

As I understand it, the council was not briefed on the public safety plan prior to New Year's Eve.

Prior to the Sugar Bowl.

No, no.

And I was not aware of the 2019 report where, experts say they briefed city leadership on the potential for events like this.

And I think when American cities were put on notice about vehicular pedestrian access.

And how do we keep them safe?

No one said that report with me.

No council members, as well as no one with the city and no one with our security force moving forward.

That level of communication has to get better.

Just like the level of communication in partnership with federal, state and local has to get better.

A 2019 security consultant report outlined vulnerabilities in the French Quarter and concerns over the conditions of certain public safety assets.

Councilman Thomas called for a joint meeting of the Public Works and Criminal Justice Committee as part of his fact finding mission.

The revelation comes as the FBI released video footage recorded by Shams Din Jabar as he rode a bike through the French Quarter on October 31st to scouting the area.

I want to know who assessed the functionality of our public safety assess before a major event, or the audits that are done in preparation of an event to say what works.

The parade circled back to the French market, the staging area where costumed performers gather to rehearse and warm up.

Given the 30 degree chill that evening, do you have any trepidation marching through the quarter tonight?

No.

But I think it's, something that we should do to, you know, kind of keep moving forward with life.

I think it's important to keep doing this stuff you love to do.

And, you know, like, you can't you can't have that stolen from you.

We're a city that relies heavily on tourism.

Millions of people, heavily on culture.

Hundreds of thousands of people coming out every weekend.

If we can't keep them safe, we can't be a city.

One of the victims killed on Bourbon Street has been called a hero on social media.

Jack Bass shared a text message saying the FBI found video showing his brother Tiger Bash pushing a girl out of the way as a terrorist truck approached.

The 27 year old Lafayette native was hit by the truck and later died from his injuries.

Meanwhile, in a follow up filed this week, President Joe Biden has signed a bill allowing millions of former public servants to claim their full Social Security benefits.

The legislation, spearheaded by Congressman Garret Graves, rolls back the windfall elimination provision and government pension offset.

Those rules reduced Social Security benefits for public employees who earned pensions.

That includes people like teachers, police officers and their spouses.

When the law is fully implemented, it will boost their Social Security payouts by an average of $360 per month.

From hashtags to headlines, here's what's trending this week.

Everyone is talking about the wildfires burning across Los Angeles.

It's been called hell on Earth Armageddon.

And boy, does it look like it.

Absolutely, Karen.

It is devastating.

Take a look at some of the incredible photos.

People are trapped in their homes trying to salvage what they could.

And I even write about a young lady.

She had to be forced out of her home because she couldn't bear the thought of losing everything.

Now strong winds are causing the fires to spread quickly and sparking new fires, even including Hollywood Hills.

Yeah, and there is a loss of a lot of buildings.

The latest estimates are like 10,000 plus structures.

A lot of those are famous and iconic.

Yeah, just a real big hit to Los Angeles and greater Los Angeles and, quite frankly.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has come under heavy criticism because of all the water shortages.

You know, firefighters don't have enough water to fight the fire, right?

And I was so surprised by that because a lot of the water in California is bought out like it's privately owned.

And I had no idea that it would be that intense to try to get those fires out.

And a lot of those celebrity homes are lost.

And some of those celebrities have been very outspoken about the lack of preparation and the lack of resources.

So, you know, it's it's going to be interesting to see how this all ends, when the winds will stop and when firefighters can get control of this.

We wish everyone in California the best.

Our hearts go out to you.

That's right.

Now we do have some good news to tell you about, including a special screening in Baton Rouge, free for all.

The public library celebrates the founding and history of public libraries in America.

The filmmakers, Don Logsdon and Lucy Falconer were inspired by East Baton Rouge librarians who helped evacuees and, in their words, acted as first responders during Hurricane Katrina.

The film will air in April on independent land here on LPB.

Next Saturday, the 18th, people in Baton Rouge can be among the first to screen the film and take part in a panel discussion.

You can find more information at lpb.org/free for all.

Now, 100 years after his death, the family of Louis, a martinet, are learning more about his legacy and role in the fight for desegregation.

Martinet played a key role in Plessy versus Ferguson, providing a blueprint for future generations to take up the battle for equality.

I'm taking you on a journey through Martin's life, as he is honored with a historical marker in New Orleans.

Upside down.

Louis, a martinet, a pioneer and Louisiana legend, is honored with a historical marker on Canal Street in New Orleans.

For his work that heavily impacted the state of Louisiana and ultimately, the world, he co-founded the organization that would challenge segregation and white supremacy.

In 1891, the Citizens Committee claimed its first rep.

The members of their Citizens Committee were not like Booker T Washington.

They were bold.

They will unapologetic.

They will believe us in resistance.

And they will committed to the promises of the United States across cities.

Louis, a martinet, played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement in New Orleans.

Born on December 28th, 1849, to an enslaved woman of color and Belgian father, he spent his early years as a slave.

But his adult life was lived out as a free man.

Although there are no known photos of Martinet to date, historical data shows that at the age of 23, Martinet, along with other black politicians during reconstruction, served in the state legislature representing his hometown of Saint Martinville and made history in 1876 by becoming the first black graduate of State University Law School, now known as Dillard University Paving the way for future generations of people of color.

Many historians say this honor was much overdue, as his work continues to be a blueprint, telling the stories of the past and providing inspiration for the future.

It is very important to understand this work because as we try to understand in America and who the people are, the conversations today were originated during the time of slavery, and it is where the idea of race was actually created.

And so to tell his story gives us such a tremendous, rich history of a person, of color, first of all, to be born of a free person of color, but that his maternal great grandmother was an enslaved woman gives us the richness of the story, because in that we have the story of free people of color and also freed people.

He strategically selected Homer Plessy, a man of mixed race, to violate the segregation law by sitting in a white only train car and organized Homer places arrest, leading to the revolutionary 1896 Supreme Court case Plessy versus Ferguson, which established separate but equal as constitutional.

Martinet strategic efforts were instrumental in this pivotal legal challenge.

He was very much into equality.

Not not, reparations for blacks or anything he wanted there.

He.

Yeah, he was in a lot of organizations, and he tried to get the word colored taken out.

You know, it's a American civil rights, organization.

It's not an American colored civil rights issue.

You know, he was he was very, very much into that.

So, so, you know, it came time for the separate car law that was, that was like, a moment in history where, there's never been a problem with blacks and whites on, you know, cars.

But, the legislature decided socially, you know, to, to split it.

Martinet was a man devoted to his community and believed in justice and equality for all.

His objectives were to encourage an interchange of ideas, uphold the order of ethics of the courts, and promote the welfare of the legal profession in Louisiana.

He died in late 1917, but not before he set on the city board of school directors in Orleans Parish, served on the board of trustees at Southern University, and received a medical doctor degree from Flint Medical College in New Orleans 100 years after his passing.

His descendants are immortalizing his life and legacy with this historic marker by placing it in the heart of the area where he served most before the marker was placed.

The room was filled with the Martinet family, young and old, white and black.

Not separate, but equal.

Lieutenant General Russel Honoré is a well-known figure in Louisiana for his response to both natural disaster and terror attacks.

I sat down with the retired general to talk about his perspective on the New Orleans attack, and whether military service members are more susceptible to radicalization.

Now, we are here to talk about the devastating event that occurred in New Orleans, just at the top of the year, sir.

And, it was something that nobody expected.

But the warnings were there.

Yes.

From the FBI and Homeland Security.

Based on events that had happened recently in Germany, what do you feel that the city of New Orleans did right in that instance?

Well, the they eventually stopped the, villain from killing people and they stopped him.

In your expert opinion, what are some things that you feel the city could improve upon in instances like the one we just saw?

Well, there are extensive reviews going on right now from the state, the federal government and internal look by the police.

You know, on any given day in the French Quarter, particularly if we look at that as the area that we're concerned with.

Even the barriers that were used, it unused because they were out of operation for maintenance and repair.

Most of that is designed for, traffic control.

Not necessarily a jihadist bomber that would give up his life to kill people.

So when we look at the temporary barrier to car, that was a police car that was parked there, he found a way around it.

Yeah, but he had done extensive planning and done intelligence work on where he would probably go in.

But with a suicide bomber, as we used to train our troops going to Iraq and Afghanistan.

They will go to no end to accomplish their mission, which is to kill people.

Another idea the jihadist handbook did to kill until they're killed.

So when you are faced with that type of a terrorist attack, the police did what they had to do.

Kill him.

How do you retain the culture.

How do you remain retain to fund the Mardi Gras.

And said we going to prevent every corner and every group of people from a vehicle that could be used by terrorists to kill people?

It's almost an impossible task.

This is why it's so important that in our lives, as we listen and look and the job of the public say, if you see something, say something.

Yes, someone that might be disturbed, somebody that might be saying something on social media.

Because if we can know ahead of time, we can stop them.

So this is something new.

We've got to be able to live with.

So police and and barriers now and not just to control the traffic.

Is to prevent a terrorist attack.

And that is a big burden not only city of New Orleans but every city in America.

There was also a recent attack in Las Vegas and some speculation that there is some correlation in the radical attacks that we've been seeing over the span of about ten years and involving, ex-military.

What are your thoughts on that?

That's a reality.

Let me go back to Timothy McVeigh in the Oklahoma City bombing.

Yes.

I participated in a study at Georgetown University in a recent study last year from University of Maryland.

Clearly indicate that subversive groups focus on disgruntled members in the military and disgruntled veterans that have grievances.

Why do you think those groups target our former military?

The phenomenon that was described at Georgetown is that we're a super charged with patriotism.

What's what we believe is good for the country.

And anything taken to an extreme and you're influenced by outside force saying you got to do this to save the country.

They were supercharged to believe that he was saving the country.

Yeah.

Wow.

And the, the radical groups play into that with our veterans and even with our active duty.

So do you believe in you, or you're going to really live up to your oath to protect the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic?

And that's why the few and that get engaged in these activities, they're vulnerable.

Wow.

Which came out of the Georgetown study that that participated.

We cannot let the terrorists win by us totally changing our life.

We need to have our priorities.

We have to choose for a reason.

Thank you so much.

It's been a pleasure speaking with you, and I hope to see you again and talk to you again soon on a better occasion.

Well, it's good to be back at LBB.

In 1983, former LSU Tiger and Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon pled guilty to federal counterfeiting charges.

He served almost three years in prison.

But the fall from grace became a turning point in Cannon's life.

In part two of Victor Hall's visit to a new Billy Cannon exhibit, he spoke to Cannon's daughter about her father's climb back to acceptance and how his tribulations led to a new found path.

Through his service to others.

In where did dentistry enter?

Was that something he studied at school?

Did that come after he got out of school?

Where did the medical side come from?

He was in the fourth and fifth grade, and he saw a dentist who would have parties for all the kids, you know, youth groups and such like that.

And he wanted to be that guy.

All right.

So now we have to kind of go to the other side of it, because you've got the rise in football and what he's doing, the community.

And you said your dad was about family and education and community and education, but we also talked about how he was a bit of a loner, and I know a lot of his former players say we didn't really get to know him then.

He has a downfall with the counterfeiting and he has to serve prison time for a lot of people when that happened.

Taken aback and wondering why we really didn't know him because he was somebody that kept so much to himself.

Yeah, and I think that's where all the misconception comes in, because he, you know, when you're when you are idolized by everybody and you make a mistake, I think that plays on them more because they feel like they let everybody down.

And it led to just despair, really.

And it wasn't until he started working at Angola, where he.

And there's a trustee named Roosevelt, what they did together and the last 25 years of my dad's life.

They write.

They write it a lot of injustice, things that were going on with the prisoners there.

So much so that they saved a lot of lives.

And it's that story that I want to tell because they healed each other and they didn't even know they were doing it.

Right.

And so their friendship and their story is really short of amazing.

So they'll take us to Angola because the prison time he serves in Texarkana.

He's inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

This happens.

They rescind the invitation to the Hall of Fame.

As you were saying, being a dentist in the community, a lot of people.

And it happens in the business to this day.

They refer others to people they know.

He wasn't getting referrals.

He is, as you mentioned, he's now the criminal in the spotlight that you can't turn off.

So how did he get to Angola to then start the rebuild?

So broken was had I think he had just become the new warden whole a long time.

And he was looking for someone like my dad to come in and clean up the program and also just come to it part time.

If you don't like it, you can leave.

Just come do it part time and he went out there and he started part time, and then he ended up full time.

And then he ended up over the dental clinic and then over the medical clinic and EMS.

And so I think Burl realized by the time he left, it was a completely different place when he when the prisoners would come in, the shackles would come off.

And he didn't see color, he didn't see religion.

He didn't he didn't see any of that.

He saw a human sitting there that needed help me to help.

And then what Roosevelt would do is Roosevelt tell us the story that he would say, you know, go see Roosevelt about that, because he Roosevelt about that with what else can we do to help you?

And so Roosevelt counseling all these people on the side and after hours and he go, doctor, can I why don't you send those people to come talk to me?

And he said, because they need help.

And that's what our job is, is to help them with all of the accolades that we walked past throughout this entire exhibit NFL, the awards, the ten times, the amount of stuff you have at home.

Yeah, if you were to if he was here and we had a chance to ask him, what is he more proud of?

What made him feel better?

The trophies I got this before this and those gifts that they all gave him.

These are all the the gifts that the prisoners gave him, that they made for him, that I thank you for the friendship, the service, just the honor.

Just because.

Just because, just because.

What was the one that maybe meant the most to your dad?

I know he liked the Spurs.

And then that picture over there is is etched wood.

It's burned in wood.

Like that one right there.

Yeah.

And if you'll go look at the detail of that, it's incredible.

The bad wasn't that bad because in our family it was always laughter through tears.

And so we laughed more during the the worst times than most people would ever think of.

They probably think me and y'all are kind of a little, little different, but you have to have laughter and you have to put it in the right spot.

And what everybody sees as it was really, really bad for us.

It wasn't that bad.

It was bad.

But it wasn't catastrophic.

And so you have to put things in perspective.

He didn't have cancer.

He didn't die.

He led a great life for 80 years, and we've been blessed with health.

We don't have it that bad.

Two years in the federal pen is not that bad.

You know, there's so many people.

If they're nothing more than LSU fans, your dad's name and memory will will last forever because of the Halloween night a lot of people don't remember.

He also made the tackle on the other end.

Towards the end of the game.

You can't forget about that.

And he says he made that stop.

He made that run.

He hit.

He was over that line on Tennessee that next year.

He said, I'm going to hit.

He always told me, he goes, I will go to my grave.

We did pass a lot and he'd be glad that we brought that up.

But Tiger fans, Tiger fans will always remember that and it will always be replayed.

I don't know how many people know the full story about Angola and going to prison and the counterfeiting, but as you look around now, with everything you've set up, with the boxes and boxes that you still have at home, what does this mean for you?

You know, it really is a chance just for other people to see it.

I grew up with it, I had it, I had him, but for other people to see it and for it to mean as much to them, it's important for.

Well, that's our show for this week.

Remember, you can watch anything LPB, any time, wherever you are with our LPB app.

That's right.

And you can catch LPB news and public affairs shows, as well as other Louisiana programs you've come to enjoy over the years.

And please like us on Facebook and Instagram for everyone at Louisiana Public Broadcasting, I'm Karen LeBlanc and I'm Dorothea Wilson.

Until next time.

That's the state we're in.

Support for Louisiana.

The state we're in is provided by Entergy.

Louisiana is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

We're reinforcing infrastructure to prepare for stronger storms, reduce outages, and respond quicker when you do need us.

Because together, we power lights.

Additional support provided by the Fred B and Ruth B Ziegler Foundation and the Ziegler Art Museum.

Located in Jennings City Hall, the museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is a historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana and by Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center.

Visit Baton Rouge and the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting and viewers like you.

Thank you.