The number of children killed in New Orleans from gunfire is heartbreaking. Parents should not bury their kids and it is tragically sad that there is a need for child-size coffins, but that is a reality.
Often children in New Orleans are killed by stray bullets and are not the target of the shooter. It doesn’t matter how children die - they shouldn’t die.
New Orleans is famous for the jazz funeral, which features a slow marching group with a band celebrating the life of the deceased. There is another tradition in New Orleans for remembering, particularly children, who have been killed.
This other tradition for remembering mostly children who have been killed is the release of Mylar and latex balloons and is dangerous because it can kill wildlife and marine life and knock out power to entire communities.
The desire to release Mylar and latex balloons has just been banned in the state of Louisiana. The area that may be most affected is the New Orleans area. From what I see on the news, the release of balloons in memory of a child who has been killed is mostly popular in the African-American community and there may be backlash from that community when it comes to the release of balloons.
The release of balloons to remember the death of a loved one may satisfy those releasing the balloon by giving them the feeling that they are doing more to remember and bring attention of the death, but the release of balloons is very dangerous and I agree with the state of Louisiana’s new ban on Mylar and latex balloon released.
In addition to harming wildlife and marine life, entire communities have been affected by balloons knocking out power.
On August 6, 2024, a released balloon hit the power line at a Carrollton water plant that set off power failure that dropped water pressure to the point where a boil water advisory was issued for a densely-populated area of New Orleans. Boil water advisories are a pain in the a** because they require all water used to be boiled before using. Under boil water advisories also require that citizens not bathe or brush their teeth. It is extremely inconvenient.
On August 11, 2024, a group of balloons caused an outage for 1,200 customers on the West Bank of New Orleans.
On October 6, 2024, a balloon release knocked out power to over 2,000 Entergy customers in the Warehouse District and Central City.
August 9, 2025 over 5,000 customers in the Mid-City area of New Orleans lost power because of a balloon release.
These recent power outages inspired the city of New Orleans to ban Mylar balloon release, but the balloon releases have continued. And now the state of Louisiana has banned balloon releases.
Following the passage of the ordinance banning Mylar balloon releases in New Orleans, those balloon releases have continued. While I can’t imagine how painful it would be to be arrested while releasing balloons in memory of your child’s death, we have to enforce the laws that are designed to protect the community as a whole.
This is not intended to be mean-spirited, but police would have clues as to where Mylar balloon releases might occur since the releases are usually on or near the location where the child or individual was killed. I hate to think about police being near those areas to actually stop the Mylar balloon releases, but what good is a law that is never enforced? And why shouldn’t we hold people accountable for the danger they pose to the city or the state?
I agree with banning Mylar and latex balloon releases and I also agree with strict enforcement of the laws. A threat to wildlife and marine life and a threat to the power grid of an entire city or area is serious and these laws should be enforced.
Controversy could erupt over the banning of balloon releases and a sense of entitlement or cultural norms might be used to condemn the banning of balloon releases as discriminatory. But there is nothing discriminatory about requiring all citizens to obey laws that protect cities and communities.
The fact is that balloon releases may bring temporary satisfaction to grieving parents, family, and friends - but no balloon release is bringing back anyone.
