Taylor Swift mania is sweeping New Orleans, and the arrival of Taylor and her fanbase is causing what some call a "sweeping" of the unhoused in encampments that surround downtown.
Governor Jeff Landry authorized state troopers of Troop NOLA to clear any homeless persons in the area ahead of this weekend.
Local leaders who are at the forefront of the homeless issue in New Orleans decided to push back.
Councilmember for District B, Lesli Harris says that for one, moving homeless individuals has nothing to do with Taylor Swift.
"Taylor Swift has stopped in major cities such as Los Angeles and New York with bigger homeless populations and their Governors didn't feel the need to do this. This is just sweeping people under the rug."
Harris says ultimately this will hurt, not help, progress made with transitioning the people into housing.
"Some of them already have vouchers and were just waiting for placement, but if they are pushed out of the area, it will make outreach difficult."
Governor Landry's office said in part in a statement that the Governor "understands the No. 1 issue facing the city of New Orleans right now is the homelessness crisis, and he is working with LSP and local officials to fix this problem."
