New Orleans Man Threatens to Shoot Mayor Over Slow Trash Pick-Up

A New Orleans man was fed up with the uncollected trash left behind by Hurricane Ida. So much so that he threatened to shoot the city’s mayor if she didn’t resolve the garbage problem immediately.

On Sunday, Daniel P. Jenkins called 911 from a New York City phone number and made the threats. During the recorded chat, the 59-year-old said he would go to Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s office on Monday to shoot her if his trash wasn’t picked up or at least given a time when the city would remove it.

The police were dispatched to Jenkins’ home, where he confessed to making the call and that he wanted to shoot someone, though he did not tell the officers who that person was. He said that he was upset about being billed by the city’s Sewerage & Water Board despite his trash continuing to pile up. Jenkins was taken into custody.

Jenkins’ warnings come as many citizens in New Orleans have voiced their frustration with the slow removal of trash and debris following the devastation of Hurricane Ida. On Friday, city residents spoke at a City Council meeting. They demanded change after their garbage hadn’t been picked up for nearly three weeks after the Category 4 storm blasted the city and the rest of Louisiana. A clean-up effort called “Operation Mardi Gras” was deployed that same day to help with the clean-up efforts. The following afternoon, the “New Orleans Trash Parade” took place, with nearly 100 residents marching to City Hall to demand that city leaders address the waste problem. The demonstrators left trash outside of the building in protest of the lack of clean-up efforts.

Jenkins has been charged with a single count of terrorizing.