FRENCH QUARTER—A five-hour blockade of the RN7 in French Quarter ended at 12:15pm Wednesday following an hour-long emergency meeting on site between Gendarmerie, Collectivité and Préfecture officials, to address the issue of 13 fires occurring in French Quarter in the same area during the last two months.
Residents were protesting the lack of security in the district and demanded accountability and assurance that decisive action would be taken to prevent more incidents.
It was decided to implement extra Gendarmerie and Territorial Police patrols in the affected area immediately. It also emerged that one of three minors held recently as suspects, admitted to lighting one of the fires. Files of other suspects will be reviewed by the Prosecutor to see if their cases warrant transfer to juvenile correctional facilities.
French Quarter District representative Steven Patrick indicated the family who lost their home in the fire on Tuesday has been put up in a guest house by the Collectivité until alternative accommodation can be found.
The family of eight that was evicted on September 11 during the first demonstration about the fires is due to be re-located from their temporary accommodation in French Quarter to French Cul-de-Sac today Wednesday, Patrick said. According to Patrick, one of the children from this family is the minor that has been charged.
