Dozens of activists gathered near Jackson Square in the French Quarter on Tuesday (Sept. 16) to protest the Trump administration’s reported plan to deploy National Guard troops in New Orleans. The protest was organized by a local chapter for the Party for Socialism and Liberation, a national socialist political party and activist organization.
President Donald Trump has sent National Guard troops to two American cities beginning in June, when he activated thousands of troops to send to Los Angeles. In August, National Guard troops began occupying the streets of Washington, D.C. with Republican-led states, including Louisiana, sending troops as part of the effort. Most recently, on Monday (Sept. 15), he signed an order to send troops to Memphis, with plans to send troops to other Democrat-led cities with majority non-white populations, such as Chicago, St. Louis and New Orleans.
Last week (Sept. 13), The Washington Post reported that the Pentagon has plans to send 1,000 National Guard troops to urban areas in Louisiana, including New Orleans and Baton Rouge, and keep them there through the end of September 2026. Unlike in Los Angeles, where Trump activated the troops in spite of objections from California Gov. Gavin Newsom, he has state-level political support for the proposed Louisiana deployment.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a staunch Trump ally, expressed his support for Trump’s plan on Tuesday (Sept. 16). Since Trump began talking about sending the National Guard to the city in early September, city officials, many of whom are running for reelection or election to new public offices, and activist groups have spoken out against the plans. Hundreds of New Orleanians also marched through the city’s Central Business District last week (Sept. 9), speaking out against Trump’s plans to deploy troops in the city.
At the Jackson Square rally, Jade Woods, an organizer with the New Orleans chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, called the potential deployment a “racist smokescreen” for reducing low-level crime that could instead be addressed with social programs for minority groups.
“There are real solutions we could take if we want to talk about crime,” she said. “What they’re doing is reacting to a lot of poverty-based crime.”
Tuesday’s protest included mentions of Israel’s occupation of Gaza and U.S. military strikes on boats coming from Venezuela. Woods said her group is trying to get the public to understand that the exploitation caused by U.S. military involvement in other countries is likely to also happen in the U.S. cities where federal troops are deployed.
After an hour and a half of speeches from local activists, the protestors marched upriver on Decatur Street toward the Central Business District behind a motorcycle police escort. Chants included “No Trump, No KKK, No Fascist USA” and “Up, up with liberation, down, down with deportation.” Business owners, residents and tourists lined the street to watch as the protestors passed by.
Endesha Juakali, a lifelong New Orleanian who said he has been involved in social justice activism since the 1970s, said he’s “given up” on local government pushing back against the Trump administration.
“I don’t think they’re ever going to do what they’re supposed to do unless people like this make them,” he said.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s office issued a joint statement with the city’s police department on Sept. 3 that did not directly address possible plans to deploy the National Guard to New Orleans.
“Our federal and state partnerships have played a significant role in ensuring public safety, particularly during special events for a world-class city,” the statement read. “The City of New Orleans and NOPD remain committed to sustaining this momentum, ensuring that every neighborhood continues to feel the impact of these combined efforts.”
Juakali took part in the Tuesday protest to help raise awareness of the potential negative effects of the National Guard deploying to majority-Black neighborhoods in New Orleans, he told Verite News.
“It’s just going to be tougher on young Black people,” he said. “I don’t think the people who should be making noise are making noise.”
Sarah McKissack, who is visiting the city from rural Georgia, happened upon the protest while walking past Jackson Square. She said coming from a Republican area with few people who share her more progressive political views, she decided to join in.
“Being around people with the same opinions, you don’t really get to feel that in the town that I’m in,” she said. “So it’s really nice to be around people who stand with you.”
McKissack said she was given a sign to hold by fellow protestors, who told her of the possible plans to deploy federal troops to New Orleans.
“I just would feel unsafe on a daily basis,” she said. “It would be really scary, not just for the people who are at risk, but for everyone.”
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