The New Orleans Tea Party was held at the memorial on Veterans Boulevard. It’s in the center of a large neutral ground – median, to you Yankees 
– with a small parking lot which is normally adequate for its purpose. Today it was jam-packed. People were walking from several blocks away and filling up the parking lot of the mall across the street.
I’ve never seen so many New Orleanians gather without the promise of music, beer, and crawfish! People seemed to be having a great time. Most people had never been to a protest. Many had come straight from work – there were a lot of people in office attire. A couple of local councilmen were scheduled to speak, and occasionally there would be a burst of applause or a roar from those close enough to hear them, but most people were more eager to speak than listen. They seemed relieved to find out, as one of the signs advised, that they were not alone.
The sound system was bad, so the speakers were inaudible at about twenty yards. People made the best of it – chatting, taking pictures of the protest, and lining up along the street. Passing traffic honked and waved to show support. Another 50 – 75 people stationed themselves on the upper decks of the mall parking garage across the street, waving, showing support, or just enjoying the spectacle.
The atmosphere was festive, but also very charged. As soon as people started talking, their anger and frustration was plain. The primary complaint was out of control government spending, and worries about how this massive government debt could be repaid. When I asked several people if they would come to another protest on Independence Day, they were eager to attend.
We may be on the edge of something big.
