Baton Rouge City Profile

[Antrell Williams]

Sheriff all day err day.

[richyb83]

As youths speed training & playing ball in the park...we used to wonder WHY the creepy old men would walk into the woods; post signs saying "no trespassing"...now we know. Not very family friendly.

[cajun]

As youths speed training & playing ball in the park...we used to wonder WHY the creepy old men would walk into the woods; post signs saying "no trespassing"...now we know. Not very family friendly.

That is incredibly creepy. How long has this park been the favorite among creepy gay men?

Did Baton Rouge lack adequate gay bar options at the time?

[itsjustme3]

Did Baton Rouge lack adequate gay bar options at the time?

Who knows, but that doesn't excuse them from screwing in a public park.

[cajun]

Who knows, but that doesn't excuse them from screwing in a public park.

That's not what everyone is upset about, and unfortunately that wasn't the focus of their particular sting.  I have no problem with law enforcement cracking down on lewd acts in public.  Nobody would be upset if someone exposing themselves in public were arrested.   That kind of activity is unacceptable. 

 

Per the article: 

 

An undercover East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff’s deputy was staking out Manchac Park about 10 a.m. one day this month when a slow-moving sedan pulling into the parking lot caught his attention. The deputy parked alongside the 65-year-old driver and, after denying being a cop, began a casual conversation that was electronically monitored by a backup team nearby.

 

As the two men moved their chat to a picnic table, the deputy propositioned his target with “some drinks and some fun” back at his place, later inquiring whether the man had any condoms, according to court records. After following the deputy to a nearby apartment, the man was handcuffed and booked into Parish Prison on a single count of attempted crime against nature.

 

There had been no sex-for-money deal between the two. The men did not agree to have sex in the park, a public place. And the count against the man was based on a part of Louisiana’s anti-sodomy law struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court a decade ago.

 

The July 18 arrest is among at least a dozen cases since 2011 in which a Sheriff’s Office task force used the unenforceable law to ensnare men who merely discussed or agreed to have consensual sex with an undercover agent, an investigation by The Advocate has found.

 

You don't see a problem with this?  I'm sure even you would raise an eyebrow on this practice.

 

Moore noted that public sex acts and the solicitation of “unnatural carnal copulation” for money remain illegal. But those elements were lacking from these 12 cases, and most of the men were arrested after agreeing to have sex away from the park at a private residence.

 

Edited July 30, 2013 by cajun

[cajun]

Gautreaux issues apology, begins push to have La. law erased

http://theadvocate.com/home/6641204-125/gautreaux-issues-apology-begins-push

 

East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid Gautreaux apologized Monday for a series of sting operations in which his deputies used an unconstitutional anti-sodomy law to arrest men agreeing to have consensual sex with undercover agents.

 

Amid a firestorm of criticism, Gautreaux said he would push to have the unenforceable portions of the law removed from the state’s criminal statutes — an effort some lawmakers said would be an uphill battle.

 

“Our agency made mistakes,” Gautreaux said in a statement, adding it was not the Sheriff’s Office’s intention to target gay men. “We will learn from them and we will take measures to ensure it does not happen again.”

 

The sheriff, who has been sharply criticized over his use of department resources, also said he has begun “a comprehensive evaluation of undercover operations made by our deputies” and vowed to “make changes to ensure better supervision, training and guidance.”

Edited July 30, 2013 by cajun

[buckett5425]

That is incredibly creepy. How long has this park been the favorite among creepy gay men?

Did Baton Rouge lack adequate gay bar options at the time?

 

 

Out gay men don't go to parks to find tricks. Closeted "straight" married men go to parks to DISCRETELY find tricks. It's that simple and I really wish that more people were aware of that before labeling all gay men as sexual perverts. 

[cajun]

It's that simple and I really wish that more people were aware of that before labeling all gay men as sexual perverts.

 

There's no post in this thread that even attempted to label all gay men as sexual perverts.  

[Antrell Williams]

He has a point. People often assume gay men are perverts and the mention of lack of options for them kind of implies that all gay men are the same.

[buckett5425]

There's no post in this thread that even attempted to label all gay men as sexual perverts.  

 I am referring to the public at large. 

[itsjustme3]

Out gay men don't go to parks to find tricks. Closeted "straight" married men go to parks to DISCRETELY find tricks. It's that simple and I really wish that more people were aware of that before labeling all gay men as sexual perverts.

You have a habit of screaming fire when there isn't one. Nobody said anything about labeling gay people.

[buckett5425]

You have a habit of screaming fire when there isn't one. Nobody said anything about labeling gay people.

 

 

I was referring to the general public and the tone generated from the advocate article and I was not singling out a single person on this forum. For the record, no one in this forum made such a statement, but I think we all knew that already, but thanks for clarifying...

 

 

You have really made communicating on this forum rather frustrating. No longer can anyone have a general  casual discussion over a topic, every word must be meticulously stated as if you are on trial, because if you leave any room for error in your statement, you will narrow in on it and make that the topic of discussion, ignoring the actual content of the statement. Sorry, but I'm not looking to engage in those types of debates with you.

Edited July 30, 2013 by buckett5425

[cajun]

Great. This "sting" was just discussed on national TV.

Edited July 30, 2013 by cajun

[buckett5425]

The Business Report has been noticeably silent on this issue. I suppose this has something to do with their one moderate voice, J.R. Ball, leaving for Nola.com. 

[cajun]

The Business Report has been noticeably silent on this issue. I suppose this has something to do with their one moderate voice, J.R. Ball, leaving for Nola.com.

Why would they comment anyways? They are business focused.

It's unfortunate but MSNBC did not mention anything about the problems this park had in the past...which is irresponsible of them.

The DA refused to prosecute and the sheriff is outraged about it just as many citizens are. That isn't making national news either.

It's being portrayed as a Law Enforcment officials seeking out gay people in public, and charging them for crimes they haven't committed....which is not responsible reporting. They have to follow the "typical backwards south" meme.

Edited July 30, 2013 by cajun

[buckett5425]

The Business Report often covers local stories that aren't necessarily related directly to business. 

 

 

I agree with the national coverage of the issue too, the media has generalized the matter and eliminated the back story. However, every article I have read did make a mention of the DA and his refusal to prosecute these cases. The HuffPost article I read early also added an "edit" mentioning the Sheriff's apology and new  stance on the issue, but I doubt that will make it to the cable networks.

 

 

Regardless of good/bad reporting, I am more concerned that a story as this one will negatively affect Baton Rouge's image. It could however serve as a wake up call, but considering most of our politicians are remaining silent, I find it unlikely.  Delgado has certainly taken the lead on this issue, most likely to raise his profile within the community, but I hope it doesn't backfire against him in future elections. 

[richyb83]

From Aug 2nd...

 

Baton Rouge gets No. 1 ranking in U.S. for economic growth potential

 

Business Facilities magazine says Baton Rouge has greater potential for economic growth than any other U.S. city in its 9th Annual Rankings Report, a portion of which was released today. "Louisiana's capital has had great success in executing its strategy of bringing together business and higher education in innovative public-private partnerships that spur initiatives in new high-growth sectors," says the trade magazine's Editor in Chief Jack Rogers. "With a dynamic new riverfront development, a cutting-edge IBM tech center and some of the hippest digital media studios in the nation, we expect great things from Baton Rouge for years to come." The complete results of Business Facilities' 9th Annual Rankings Report will be posted on the magazine's website Monday. Baton Rouge is not the only Louisiana city on the list of the nation's top 10 metros for economic growth potential: Shreveport is No. 9 on the list. As previously reported, the magazine also ranks Louisiana as having the second-best business growth potential among all states and the fourth-best overall business climate this year

 

http://www.businessreport.com/article/20130802/BUSINESSREPORT0112/130809935

Edited August 5, 2013 by richyb83

[cajun]

That's great news. I think most of us here agree that this region is tops for potential.

It simply needs more investment into infrastructure and to stop being ignored by the legislature for bit projects.

[Antrell Williams]

Potential is such a loaded word. I think this entire region has potential to become a version of the Texas Triangle, but that potential has to be tapped into first.

 

Also, Shreveport seems awfully high on this list.

[Antrell Williams]

http://businessfacilities.com/baton-rouge-named-no-1-metro-for-economic-growth-potential-in-business-facilities-9th-annual-rankings-report/

 

Shreveport, Mobile, and Huntsville are also in the article, surprised Lafayette isn't mentioned.

I'm happy for Mobile. Underrated city and I'm all for the cities along the Gulf Coast.

[cajun]

Saw this shared on Tigerdroppings....Barbie dolls by Baton Rouge neighborhood.

Link: http://www.bayerworld.com/blog/2007/6/26/baton-rouge-barbies.html

Edited August 16, 2013 by cajun

[richyb83]

Ha...that's funny!!! Thanks for sharing Cajun!

[nickels]

http://demographics.coopercenter.org/DotMap/index.html

 

interesting map. Check out Baton Rouge

[richyb83]

Thanks for posting Nickles...that is a interesting map!

 

We know Florida Blvd is basically a dividing line...it's just fascinating to see visually on a map like that! Flip over Atlanta and it's nearly the same way...

[garrett_225]

I'm thrilled they've improved this dot concept. I can remember seeing this a few years ago, but all you could see was a picture of different metro areas. It wasn't interactive/user friendly at all. I see room for further improvement, but this is excellent. Thanks for sharing!

Edited August 22, 2013 by garrett_225