New Orleans is a city marked by tragedy. But don’t call locals resilient

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — She ran around in silver sparkling shoes, her faux chainmail tunic shimmering in the freezing breeze, maneuvering horses made of paper mâché, a giant green dragon, and sheep constructed from milk cartons.

Antoinette de Alteriis was preparing with hundreds of others to put on the Joan of Arc parade, a joyous, freewheeling kickoff to Carnival season.

Just a few blocks away, people wept and laid flowers and crosses at the site of a horrific truck attack that killed 14 people only six days earlier. A memorial to the dead stretched for half a block.

“That’s a hard thing. How do you reconcile that with having a parade?” de Alteriis said. “Here’s how we reconcile it: We chose hope.”

Countless times in the past week, politicians and outsiders have praised the city for its ability to bounce back. New Orleans has faced tragedy again and again, perhaps more than any other American place.

Locals wince when people praise the city’s “resilience.” They say they're exhausted at being asked to endure the systemic problems and inequities and government failures.

Mark Schettler, a veteran bartender, said he prefers to think of this parade, and all the ones that will come after it, as an act of defiance that inspires others to follow, to act. That, he said, is what the city needs most right now.

“We’re so sick and tired of having to be resilient. How about for once things just work?" Schettler said. “But as long as I have two middle fingers I will always be waving them around defiantly.”

Schettler watched the parade from the Double Club on Chartres Street, at a party reserved for people in the service industry. It was his 39th birthday -- he had a stack of dollar bills pinned to his chest, a New Orleans birthday tradition -- but there was a bittersweet tinge to the celebration.

Schettler grabbed random people at the bar and quizzed them: What’s the R word that you hate the most? Most knew the answer right away.

“Resilience?” said service industry worker Andy Pratt. “Pay us! We’re sick of being resilient.”

“It’s not fair to be judged by your ability to navigate trauma,” said Dominic Hernandez, the club’s co-owner with his wife Cierra.

“It is so dismissive,” said Cierra Hernandez.

“It’s honestly insulting,” said Rafaela Lopez, a tattoo artist and bartender.

They were given little choice but to keep moving: Bourbon Street reopened a mere 36 hours after the carnage, before all the bodies had yet been identified by the coroner. The Sugar Bowl was delayed, but by less than 24 hours. Officials, eager to move forward, plugged the upcoming Super Bowl.

Many people who work as waiters, bartenders or dancers in the French Quarter had to go back to work the day after the attack.

Still grappling with the bloodshed in their streets, some said they felt forced into a state of resiliency by leaders prioritizing those who visit the city, over locals’ need for time and space to heal. Louisiana relies on tourism, with 42.6 million visitors in 2022 generating $17.1 billion.

Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, who oversees Louisiana’s marketing and tourism efforts, said that while he understands the need for time to mourn, he also recognizes that the state needs tourism dollars to survive.

“Those tourism dollars are what keeps the rest of the city and the rest of the state working,” Nungesser said. “How we shine for the Super Bowl will affect tourism for years to come."

And although some view the return to normalcy as resilience, others don't share that view or see it as a compliment. It’s a forced state of being that requires nothing of anyone but the people who are hurting.

Dressed in leopard print with glitter sparkling all over her cheeks, Lopez said the only real resilience is in the support that the community has for itself.

“The only people who take care of each other is us,” Lopez said.

Someone brought out shots for the table, and they all raised a glass. They laughed and made a toast: “To resilience, y’all!”

It's been just 20 years since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, and in the decades since there have been more hurricanes, the BP oil spill, and spasms of violence. The city had the highest per-capita homicide rate in the nation in 2022. The numbers have decreased in the years since, but residents still say violence is so ingrained in city life, they’re often numb to it.

On New Year’s Day, just hours after the carnage on Bourbon Street, the owner of a Vietnamese supermarket was gunned down in a robbery. Thanh Vu, a mother of six and widely known as Ms. Maria, was described to the local media as a “beloved matriarch.” Two others were killed in separate shootings that same day: 19-year-old Kayron Hall and 41-year-old Percy Baytop.

“Things keep happening here — hurricanes, floods, now a terrorist attack. We’re just expected to dust ourselves off and keep going,” said New Orleans native Julie Laskay.

De Alteriis said she still has post-traumatic stress disorder from surviving Hurricane Katrina. She spent months after living in a makeshift shelter with her elderly mother, her son and two cats, and still gets pangs of fear when a bad storm rolls in, a compulsion to check in with friends – the same instinct she felt after the attack on New Year’s Day.

Some people have criticized Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Chief of Police Anne Kirkpatrick for leaving the French Quarter vulnerable on New Year’s Eve; the city was in the midst of replacing the steel barriers, leaving a security gap that gave the attacker an entry onto the street. The mayor later admitted she remains unsure if the expensive new barriers would be able to stop a similar vehicle attack.

The parade marched on. It was a motley assembly of hundreds of volunteers, smaller than in past years, from retirees who had participated for nearly two decades to twentysomethings who signed up on a whim for the first time ever.

Spectators expressed gratitude for the knights, monks, angels and others who had donned their elaborate costumes in near-freezing weather: “Thank y’all!” “Y’all look so great!” “Gorgeous!” Strangers smiled at each other, friends reconnected and hugged along the route and the warmth of the moment seemed to hold the city together.

Hannah Miller held a sign reading “I love you New Orleans”″ with little lights around it.

“Tonight felt almost like a protest or a rally,” she said. “Because love is bigger than fear.”

It felt, some said, like a light in the darkness.

Wren Misbach, a marcher dressed in a silvery tunic, viewed it as an act of service to the city she loves.

“We take care of ourselves here,” Misbach said. “We rise again, we live to fight another day, we put ourselves back together.”

Yasin Frank Southall and his friends celebrated in a most New Orleans fashion: Pouring out free hot toddies and slicing king cake for anyone who passed.

“Going back to normalcy is really important. It’s about tradition, it’s about love,” said Southall, a 42-year-old community engagement manager for a housing organization.

As the parade wound to a close, Kathleen Ford, a 56-year-old realtor draped in a pink and white coat with a bejeweled felt crown, called out to the marchers: “Pray hard!”

She had to be here tonight despite the cold, despite how tired she was of bouncing back ever since she lost her house beneath 10 feet of water after Hurricane Katrina. A former French Quarter resident, her favorite bar was just a block away from where the attack happened.

This parade, she said, isn’t about resilience. It's about the city, and what it means, its beauty, its pain, its grit.

“It’s what we do, it’s part of our DNA, my DNA,” Ford said. “It’s the soul of my heart and soul of New Orleans.”

As the parade ended before her, a procession of angels brought up the rear, their white-gloved hands clasped in prayer to the tune of Hallelujah.

They marched through a flutter of confetti and flashing blue police lights.

Galofaro reported from Louisville, KY, and Cline from Baton Rouge, La. Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Brook on the social platform X: @jack_brook96. Follow Cline on the social platform X: @SaraLCline.

Marchers in the Joan of Arc parade on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, in New Orleans, hold aloft a banner with a quote from the French saint. (AP Photo/Jack Brook)

Antoinette de Alteriis, co-captain of the Krewe de Jeanne d'Arc, organizes volunteers before the start of the Joan of Arc parade on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Jack Brook)

Antoinette de Alteriis gathers props in preparation for the Joan of Arc parade Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, in New Orleans' French Quarter. (AP Photo/Jack Brook)

Volunteers carry a makeshift dragon through the streets of New Orleans famed French Quarter for the Joan of Arc parade kicking off the start of the city's carnival season Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Brook)

A marcher in the Joan of Arc parade carries a wheel symbolizing the sainthood of St. Catherine at the Joan of Arc parade on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Jack Brook)

A person dressed as Joan of Arc rides a horse during the annual Krewe de Jeanne d'Arc parade, kicking off the Mardi Gras season, in New Orleans, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Parade-goers walk during during the annual Krewe de Jeanne d'Arc parade, kicking off the Mardi Gras season, in New Orleans, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

A woman holds a torch during the annual Krewe de Jeanne d'Arc parade, kicking off the Mardi Gras season, in New Orleans, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Parade-goers dressed as angels walk during the annual Krewe de Jeanne d'Arc parade, kicking off the Mardi Gras season, in New Orleans, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

A person dressed as Joan of Arc holds a sword on-top of a horse during the annual Krewe de Jeanne d'Arc parade, kicking off the Mardi Gras season, in New Orleans, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

A person dressed as Joan of Arc holds a sword on-top of a horse during the annual Krewe de Jeanne d'Arc parade, kicking off the Mardi Gras season, in New Orleans, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Parade-goers walk during the annual Krewe de Jeanne d'Arc parade, kicking off the Mardi Gras season, in New Orleans, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Parade attendees toast to victims of the deadly New Years truck attack, during the annual Krewe de Jeanne d'Arc parade, kicking off the Mardi Gras season, in New Orleans, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)