The Humor & Harmony Festival (HHF) is being hyped by public officials as an overwhelming success. Using practically any criteria for judging the four day festival. it merits that praise.
However, like any major event on public property there are valid questions to be answered for the public. It should be noted that the City of Shreveport did NOT sponsor the festival, but as Mayor Arceneaux stated the City "facilitated" the HHF.
Often public officials and event organizers bristle when asked incisive questions involving public facilities and public dollars.
It’s the role of the media to make these inquiries and any resistance to providing information is counter to good government principles.
This list is not complete, but it is a start. Hopefully this information will be available in the near future without extended public record wrangling.
1. Was HHF required to pre-pay in full the rent for the Municipal Plaza, the Convention Center, Stage Works/Expo Hall, and Festival Plaza? Reportedly other promotional events are required to make full payment in advance although not so with HHF.
2. When will law enforcement officials working overtime (Shreveport Police, Caddo Sheriff, City Marshal, Louisiana State Police, Louisiana Office of Parole & Probation) be paid for their labors at the end of their overtime shifts?
3. Will HHF be billed for ALL city services provided for HHF. These services include personnel of Shreveport Parks & Recreation, Public Works, Property Standards, SPD, SFD, , State Police, Probation & Parole and SPORTRAN.
Initially, it was stated that Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson would reimburse ALL costs of the festival although recent comments have strayed from that absolute standard. Any billings for services, including payment deadlines, should be made public
4. How many law enforcement personnel from SPD, Caddo Sheriff, City Marshal, State Police and Probation & Parole worked at the HHF events. What was the impact on law enforcement in the parish with so much of law enforcement efforts concentrated in a small area?5. What criteria should be followed in the future for blocking off the Red River District and Commerce Street and any other city streets for festivals, and what requirements should beimposed on any event organizers requesting that these areas be restricted to vehicle traffic?Before any readers pick up brickbats to hurl at this writer and/ or launch social media attacks, certain facts should be recognized.
FOCUS SB and the SettleTalk blog has supported Jackson and HHF since it was first talked about in April of this year. Additionally, FOCUS SB, which is published by this writer, has run numerous positive op-eds and columns on the HH.Jackson was the cover person on the April 26 issue of FOCUS SB (at no charge.)FOCUS SB and SettleTalk are dedicated to reporting facts to its readers, many of which are not reported in other media.
Good government requires factual disclosures, be that good, bad, or neutral. The questions listed above are made with the goal of full transparency to evaluate not only HFF but any future such events.