Banksy update: someone has painted over the visible portions of the flowers in the original painting. The paint is beige though, not gray, so the perpetrator could be a “Gray Ghost” copycat. Intrigue in the world of guerilla graffiti. Photo by toaminorplace.

(Guest blogger Ken Foster is a founding member of SilenceIsViolence, an organizer of last year’s March for Survival on City Hall, and the author of several books, including Dogs I Have Met: And the People They Found.)

On the street outside the Ritz-Carlton last Friday evening, I stood among a group of about 75 people protesting the award of distinction to Mayor Nagin, which was being bestowed on him by a mysterious Excellence in Recovery committee (headed by the Mayor’s official photographer, Bernardo) at a party in developer Stewart Juneau’s penthouse. While most of the guests snuck in through a secret entrance, we gave out our own statuettes to people on the street, many of whom were too busy working, rebuilding and raising families to have heard the news of our Mayor’s excellence.

“Would you like an award?” I asked a young woman pushing a child in a stroller along with her girlfriend. “It’s for excellence in recovery,” I explained. “Don’t you think you deserve it?” A smile spread across her face as she took the fake Oscar from me. “I do!” she said. “But why are you doing this?” “They’re giving an award to the mayor right now, inside.” This was the first she’d heard of it. “To him?” she said. “After everything he’s done?” She then began to list some of Nagin’s most atrocious blunders as she continued down the street with her award in hand.

With one award left, a man in a white, Tom Wolfe-inspired suit asked if he could have one. “I’ll trade you,” he said, waving the official engraved party invitation in his hand. In fact, the small sample of people I talked to admitted they were only attending for free food and drinks. I called Karen Gadbois over, to see if she wanted to use the invitation. She declined. I offered it to Veda Manuel, who with Musa Eubanks had been holding the largest sign: WE’RE STILL HERE YA’ BASTARDS. She declined. I studied the invite: no dress code listed, admit two. It seemed a shame to waste it….

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Bruce Nolan of the Times-Pic shadowed federal recovery coordinator and retired Maj. Gen. Douglas O’Dell around for a few days, and files an interesting report:

O’Dell, who consults with dozens of federal, state and local agencies and troubleshoots regulatory logjams, said Mayor Ray Nagin’s recovery director, Ed Blakely, often does not return his calls and seems to be operating under the premise — erroneous, O’Dell thinks — that a new presidential administration next year “will reload the cannon and start shooting money down here.”….

But in several interviews, O’Dell expressed continuing frustration with Blakely, an urban planning professor from Australia who once served as deputy mayor of Oakland, Calif.

He said Blakely is often absent and unavailable and leads an office that produces “ethereal visions” of recovery that cannot be financed with federal recovery dollars.

“I’m basically asking Blakely, who’s probably getting paid a whole hell of a lot more money than I am, to do his damn job,” O’Dell said.

Salty! (That cackling I hear tonight from the Bywater: ‘zat you, Blakely anti-fan Andre Trevigne?)

If he was having trouble reaching the man, the modern major general should’ve shown up at the Ritz-Carlton for the Excellence in Recovery party Friday night; Dr. Blakely was there.

O’Dell also had some interesting things to say about another newish resident of the city:

Later, meeting with U.S. Attorney Jim Letten and New Orleans Inspector General Robert Cerasoli, he asked about the status of Cerasoli’s new city investigative office, which is still hiring staff. He told Cerasoli that Bush asked about his progress at a recent Cabinet meeting.

He later praised Cerasoli as “tough as a woodpecker’s lips, and smart.” A measure to embed Cerasoli’s office in the City Charter is on the Oct. 4 ballot.

In the coming weeks, “I want to be sure I’m hammering home the importance of that ballot measure,” O’Dell told Letten and Cerasoli.

Again, Mr. O’Dell could’ve stopped by later that night at Buffa’s, where Mr. Cerasoli himself dropped in as a few dozen members of the New Orleans blog community were dining on Recovery Pizza and excellent beer.

And, yes, the I.G. did seem polite but tough. Nice to have a new woodpecker in town who doesn’t seem easily bullshat.

(Blind item: Which local Internet-ite, upon meeting Cerasoli, promptly invited the I.G. to dinner in the coming days — not at some power spot…but for a home-cooked Creole dinner and some conversation? [Cerasoli accepted, with pleasure.]

(This post is actually by Michael Tisserand, former Gambit Weekly editor and participant in Saturday’s (8/23) Rising Tide III conference, which was excellent. Michael and his family have recently returned to New Orleans, and I know of his strong interest in public education, so I asked him to submit something to our blog about the education panel discussion at RT3. Here it is — and thanks, Michael.)

Paul Tough’s recent New York Times Magazine cover story extolling the New Orleans charter school movement didn’t have many fans on the Rising Tide III education panel on Saturday. “Garbage,” said Christian Roselund, a writer, former United Teachers of New Orleans communications director and (of course) a blogger. Around him, heads nodded in agreement.

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That’s not the only word, but it is the best word I can think of to describe Rising Tide III, from which I have just returned. High fives to the organizers, panelists, and participants for putting together an awesome and altogether memorable experience. And a great big “thank you” to all the bloggers for welcoming Gambit Weekly and blogofneworleans into your growing fold. On a personal note, it was really fun to finally put faces and names to all the local bloggers I’ve started reading in the past year. I would name you all here, but I’m quite sure I’d leave someone out, so forgive me if I acknowledge you collectively. You guys rock.

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Which New Orleans city councilperson is promising a hearing of which recent Gambit cover story at an upcoming meeting of the government affairs committee…and promising “a full hearing” with a panel of witnesses?

“Excellence” and “recovery” were the watchwords last night at the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans, where several hundred of the city’s swellest gathered to salute the mayor and give him the Award of Distinction for Recovery, Courage, and Leadership in the days, months, and years since Hurricane Katrina and the failure of the federal levees.

The evening went off without a hitch, despite the absence of the entire New Orleans City Council (still checking that, but I’m pretty sure it’s accurate) and a protest of about 75 people outside on Canal Street.

The real juice this morning: I’m hearing that a prominent French Quarterite, who was on the side of the protestors and not the celebrants, was actually booted from the hotel.

And now the photos:

Co-host Stewart Juneau and his wife Juli greeted guests at the front door of the Ritz-Carlton’s 2nd floor ballroom. The party had been moved at the last minute from the Juneau’s 15th floor penthouse to the ballroom.

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As of 6:30 pm, about 75 protestors had gathered on Canal Street outside the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans to protest the “Excellence in Recovery” award to be presented tonight to Mayor Ray Nagin…along with three marked NOPD cruisers in the neutral ground on Canal Street. The mood was a typical mix of outrage and hilarity tempered with some steel-cold bitterness…

Veda Manuel and Musa Eubanks

“On a scale of 1 to 10, how excellent do you think the mayor’s recovery has been?”

“He hasn’t even gotten on the scale.”

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Not much going on out on Canal Street outside the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans, where Mayor Ray Nagin is skedded to be fêted this evening with the Award of Distinction for Recovery, Courage, and Leadership. Travers Mackel of WDSU-TV is out there with a crew, waiting to go live at 5 and 6, but the rumored protestors? Nowhere to be seen.

“You think anyone is going to show up?” said Travers. I dunno.

Meanwhile, there’s some confusion over just where the event is being held. It’s listed on the hotel directory – rather tersely – as “Juneau Event” rather than its proper title “Excellence in Recovery Host Committee” or the “Award of Distinction for Recovery, Courage and Leadership.” And it’s shown as taking place on the Ritz-Carlton’s second floor Iberville Suites rather than the location specified on the invite, the penthouse home of developer Stewart Juneau.

Travers and I had both heard it had been moved, so I went up to the Iberville Suites and asked the desk clerk just where the party would be.

She took my name, called someone, went through several uh-hums and I wills, and then told me “The hotel doesn’t know anything about a party.”

“Really?” I said. “Because I’m a guest, and I need to know where I’m going.”

“The hotel doesn’t know anything about a party,” she repeated.

Odd. Odd.

Word of this evening’s “Excellence in Recovery” party has certainly spread. No, I’m not talking about The Times-Picayune’s Chris Rose and James Gill, but rather the Vallejo (Ca.) Times-Herald. It seems word of our excellence in recovery has reached the Napa Valley wine country and the letters to the editor page of the local broadsheet:

It just came to my attention that New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin will soon be receiving a “Courage and Leadership” award for his actions since Hurricane Katrina. [Gambit ed. note: The full and proper title is actually “Award of Distinction for Recovery, Courage and Leadership.”] I’m flabbergasted! Shocked! I cannot believe this outright fabrication of the facts of Nagin’s actions….

Ray Nagin is a monster and should be in prison….

The recovery of New Orleans has not gone well. Violent criminal activity has increased drastically and neither Ray Nagin nor the New Orleans Chief of Police have done a single thing about shutting down the criminal activity of bad guys….

– Bob Ireland, Vallejo

Sounds like someone’s jealous he didn’t get a party invite. Sour grapes in Napa!

Meanwhile, I’ve been working far too hard at home and need a break from this constant negativity, so I’ve decided to be a tourist in my own home town this weekend.