Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home

Episode 123 Chase Boytim - "Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home"

So much wisdom in this conversation about what we make a 21st Shreveport-Bossier into. You can find my full discussion with Chase Boytim, Proprietor of Fatty Arbuckle's Pub, here.
 
Here are the questions I asked:
 
0:32 1. You are deeply entrenched in Shreveport restauranteur and bar owner history, having gotten your start with the Cush brothers.
 
Let’s start here today.
 
Tell me about the Cush’s, how you first got in with them, and some of the key things you learned during your time of working with them.
 
12:48 2. You are celebrating your 20th year of being at Fatty Arbuckle’s, the sole remaining original Red River District business. What keeps you committed to downtown?
 
16:35 3. I should know these things but I don’t. What are the rules today in the following categories.
 
a. Can you smoke in a bar in Shreveport?
 
b. How old do you need to be to get into a bar? And how old do you need to be able to order a drink at a bar?
 
c. At one point, if I’m not mistaken, the Red River District allowed for open container. Does it still?
 
27:32 4. During my travels, I have been to a number of cities where a body of water runs through the city center. Most, if not all of these cities, have a pedestrian bridge that easily connects the two sides. Do you think a pedestrian bridge connecting Downtown Shreveport and Bossier would make a major impact?
 
31:34 5. I’ve heard you talk about how we need to bring our city into this century. Talk to me some about this if you could. What would an ideal 21st century Shreveport-Bossier have, that it currently lacks?

Episode 122 Africa Price - "Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home"

Sitting down with Africa Price, this week's guest, it's so clear how she has excelled in numerous, key positions in our community. You can find our full discussion here.
 
0:34 1. You’ve had a varied and rich professional career. From executive editor of the Shreveport Times to Chief of Staff, Director of Governmental Affairs, and Director of Communications and Public Relations for two different Mayors of Shreveport. From Executive Director of Step Forward to now the Assistant Vice President of Government Relations for the North Louisiana Region and Ochsner LSU Health.
 
In a little while, I want to talk some about the traits you have that have enabled you to excel in so many chapters of your life. But let’s start here.
 
Tell me some about your current work with Ochsner and some of the important information you are working to convey to policymakers across the state.
 
4:58 2. I participated earlier this year in Ochsner’s Community Health Needs Assessment, a process that all tax-exempt hospitals are required to conduct every three years. Tell me some about this assessment, its purpose, and some of the key findings coming out of this year’s report.
 
10:20 3. You also oversee the community engagement and outreach work for Ochsner in the North Louisiana region. Tell me about some of this work and how Ochsner sees its role in the community.
 
13:14 4. So what is it that has made you so nimble professionally, so capable of excelling in a number of different professional arenas?
 
16:10 5. As you look out at our community, what are some of the things that concern you most?
 
18:32 6. What are some areas that make you feel that we are making progress and moving in the right direction as a community?

Episode 121 John Dean - "Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home"

People like John Dean who for many years have been both business leaders and incredibly active in trying to make our community better make me want to call them "business activists".  You can find my full discussion with John here.
 
Here are the questions I asked:
 
0:34 1. John, you have had a great career as a CPA at the accounting firm Heard, McElroy & Vestal but what I want to focus on today is how much you have done and continue to do for our community.
 
Let me but graze the surface. Presently or formerly, you have been the Early Education Chair for the Committee of 100, Chairman of the Shreveport Chamber of Commerce, part of the Early Childhood Education Advisory Committee for Community Foundation, President of the Committee of 100, part of the Advisory Committee for VOA’s Communities in Schools, President of Step Forward and President of the Grayson Foundation.
 
Let’s start here. You once said, “If we’re going to do anything to improve our community, we’re going to have to put significant resources – time and energy – into early childhood education.”
 
Tell me a little, if you could, statistically where we are with early childhood education and why it’s so important.
 
6:02 2. I see advertisements in national newspapers like the Wall Street Journal about Communities in Schools (CIS). I understand that the Caddo Parish School Board has partnered with VOA to implement this program in key schools in the parish.
 
Are you familiar with CIS? What’s your impression?”  
 
10:21 3. Like me, I know that you are very concerned about the future health of Downtown Shreveport. Talk to me about where you see Downtown Shreveport today and what we can do to ensure it remains vital into the future.
 
19:42 4. As I mentioned earlier, you are the President of Grayson Foundation, one of the largest private foundations in Northwest Louisiana. Talk to me, if you could, about some of the types of projects Grayson Foundation is looking to fund.
 
33:38 5. You had a great career as a CPA and could have simply focused on your profession and your family. How did you learn the importance of giving back so much of your time to trying to make our community better?
 
37:16 6. My last formal question is, what are some of the things that make you optimistic that our community might be headed in a positive direction?

Episode 120 Oliver Jenkins - "Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home"

Stepping up because your community needs you and because there's so much opportunity to make a difference are at the heart of this week's discussion. You can find my full conversation with Oliver Jenkins here.
 
Here are the questions I asked:
 
0:25 1. One of the themes I want to explore with you today is how to get more people like Oliver Jenkins in our community.
 
To highlight but a few things about your life and career so far - you received your BA from Dartmouth, flew 150 combat missions over a 20 year career as a Marine, served two terms on the Shreveport City Council, and are currently the Board Chairman of the Shreveport Airport Authority and the President of Phillips Energy.
 
You once said, “We need people to step up across the spectrum, in my opinion to serve, whether it's in the military or their community.”
 
Who taught you this sense of service or where do you think you learned this trait that has been such a key part of who you are?
 
3:18 2. Let’s talk 9/11. Tell me where you were on 9/11 and where you spent the next few days and months.
 
9:34 3. As I mentioned earlier, you served two terms on the Shreveport City Council, from 2010-2018. Talk to me a little about your legacy. What do you count among your greatest achievements while on the Council and maybe a few of your main regrets?
 
18:14 4. You have two kids. What would have to change, if anything, for you to want them to come back and be important members of this community like you and your wife, Anne, have been?
 
20:34 5. Lastly, as you look out at the community, what are some of the things that make you feel that we might be headed in the right direction?

Episode 119 Barrow Peacock - "Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home"

How to work across the aisle and get transformative projects done like the new Jimmie Davis Bridge are at the core of this week's discussion. You can find my full discussion with Barrow Peacock here.
 
Here are the questions I asked:
 
0:28 1. Many people know you as Senator Peacock. But before you became Senator Peacock, you ran four unsuccessful campaigns for both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature.
 
Let’s start here today.
 
What convinced you initially to pursue political office? And how did you overcome the initial setback of four defeats to persist?
 
3:38 2. You were very involved during your 12 years in the State Legislature with the Jimmie Davis Bridge. Tell me some about this long, difficult project and where it is today.
 
8:28 3. You had a reputation as someone who could work across the aisle. There’s a story where your first vote as senator was the lone “nay” in the election of President John Alario for the 2012 term, after which you asked President Alario for a ride to New Orleans for that night’s BCS game between LSU and Alabama.
 
In a community where politics often continues to separate us, what are some words of wisdom you can share with the rest of us to help us to get along and work better with those who may think differently than us?
 
12:36 4. How did you decide when to tackle an issue and/or author a bill?
 
16:22 5. You had a very impactful and effective 12 years as State Senator, including serving as Chair of the Senate Retirement Committee and the Judiciary A Committee. As you look back on your time in the State Senate, talk to me a little about your legacy. What do you count among your greatest accomplishments? How about your biggest regrets?

Episode 118 Dr. Barzanna White - "Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home"

Supporting our students as administrators, teachers and parents is our focus this week as we sit down with Dr. Barzanna White, Caddo Parish District School Psychologist.
 
Here are the questions I asked:
 
0:41 1. You are the Caddo Parish District School Psychologist. In your role, you focus on student supports, positive school climates, suicide prevention, bullying prevention and safe and drug free schools. You are also the lead responder for all crises in the district.
 
I want to get into a number of different areas of your expertise today but let’s start here.
 
In speaking about cyberbullying, you once said that certain conversations need to take place between a parent and a child before the child is ever allowed to enter cyberspace. Can you talk some about what you recommend parents explain in these early conversations? And are there other precautions that you suggest parents take as their kids become users of social media and participants in cyberspace?
 
8:47 2. You were in your role with Caddo Parish Schools during COVID. We have spoken numerous times on this podcast about the negative impact that COVID had on our school-aged kids and the challenges it posed for our students and teachers. Because I have heard you speak about this some in the past, what are some of the positive things that came out of COVID?
 
15:08 3. We spoke about the conversations that you recommend parents have with their children in an effort to reduce or prevent cyberbullying. What are some other things our parents can do in the home to help our schools and teachers?
 
17:39 4. You once said, “It always becomes the balance in education. How much mental health should we provide and still be an academic learning community?”
 
If you could, briefly talk about some of the mental health initiatives that have taken place in Caddo Schools in the last 10 or so years and how you think about this balance between mental health and academic learning.

Episode 117 Howard Pernell Allen - "Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home"

I have completed 117 episodes so far about fascinating people doing important work.  But the journey of Howard Pernell Allen is as riveting as I have found.  You can hear my full discussion with him here.
Here are the questions I asked:
 
0:38 1. You were born in 1964. In 1981 you were arrested and sentenced to Angola for murdering someone. You were sentenced to life without parole, probation nor suspension of sentence.
 
Judge John R Ballard when sentencing you said, “We’ve had in you in our juvenile facilities, now we’ve finally got you. All your dreams, hopes and goals are over. I sentence you to life. I confine you for the rest of your life to hard labor.”
 
Talk to me about your early childhood and life. What put you on this initial path that led to you being at Angola?
 
3:06 2. I’ve read that the death of a childhood friend altered your life. Talk to me about this and how you ended up working for Warden Burl Cain.
 
8:00 3. In 2000, Time Magazine came to do a story on Warden Cain. While doing the story, the Time Magazine reporter had your food. They wrote about it and wrote some about your story. Tell me about this.
 
15:13 4. You served 22 years at Angola. What happened on Christmas Day 2003?
 
20:00 5. I don’t want to spend too much time on this next question but tell me about your time with the next Louisiana Governor, Kathleen Blanco.
 
22:48 6. Tell me about some of the work you are doing now and some of the different work you have been doing since being back in Shreveport.
 
25:05 7. I have two more questions. The first is as follows:
 
What do you attribute your ability to be rehabilitated to compared to most of the people you met while in Angola?
 
29:45 8. Do you have any advice on how we do a better job with our reentry work here in Caddo Parish and any guidance on how we work with the 1500 people at CCC in a safe way?

Episode 116 Roy Murry - "Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home"

So many of my guests are people who have been in the trenches, often far removed from the spotlight, doing invaluable work for our community. This week's guest is no exception. You can hear my discussion with Former Director of Security for Caddo Schools, Roy Murry, here (or wherever you get your podcasts by searching "Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home").
 
Here are the questions I asked:
 
0:38 1. You were the Director of Security for Caddo Schools for nearly three decades, retiring at the end of April 2023. I want to start with this great quote of yours because I think it will frame the conversation well:
 
“For a lot of years, I talked about the things that you do to make schools safe and really it kinda boils down to about two things. If you can control who comes and goes on your school campuses and you can supervise people that are on your school campuses then you can pretty much keep schools as safe as you possibly can. But if you can’t do one of those things or if you can’t do either of those things then you can’t keep any school safe.
 
So pretty much in Caddo what we’ve tried to concentrate on for the last 25 years is to find ways to control who comes and goes on our campuses and to better supervise the people that are on our campuses.”
 
I want to cover a number of things security-related in our schools. How did you approach mass shootings that occurred around the country and tell me some of the things your team learned from looking at them?
 
3:32 2. I’ve heard you talk about how important situational awareness is for our teachers and students. Talk to me some about that if you could.
 
15:48 3. I thought this was an amazing stat that I needed to share. I read in an article from 2020 that when you became director of security for Caddo Parish schools in 1993, your budget for safety was about $490,0000. Today, as worries about possible school shootings increase across the country, the parish spends about $6.7M/year on security for its schools.
 
How are searches done on students in Caddo schools?
 
20:20 4. I know that one of your main priorities was access control. Tell me what this means, some of the challenges that Caddo schools face in achieving this, and how we’re coming with limiting point of entry at all our schools.

Episode 115 John Hoffman - "Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home"

What do we sound like as a community? This week for the first time we dive into our local music industry. You can find my full discussion with Drummer John Hoffman here (or wherever you get your podcasts by searching "Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home").
 
Here are the questions I asked:
 
0:44 1. You are at least a second-generation local musician. Tell me about your dad, Stan Hoffman.
 
6:34 2. You have been and are currently a member of a number of local bands. Tell me about the groups you’re currently fronting and/or a part of.
 
9:14 3. Talk to me about the local music scene. Is it healthy? Where is it thriving, how could it continue to evolve to become even more vital?
 
15:12 4. Where and how do you suggest someone network who wants to be a part of the music scene here?
 
21:26 5. We all know that New Orleans has this amazing, vibrant music scene. What keeps you here? And how do we keep more of our local, musical talent from moving to New Orleans or places like Nashville or Austin?

Episode 114 Commissioner Stormy Gage-Watts and Captain LaTienda Pierre - "Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home"

Collaboration, Communication and Capitalizing on External Resources are the themes of this week's episode. You can find my full discussion with Commissioner Stormy Gage-Watts and Captain LaTienda Pierre here.
 
Here are the questions I asked:
 
0:43 1. Commissioner, let’s start with you. You serve as the Chair of the Juvenile Justice Committee. How often does the committee meet and can you share some of the issues you are currently discussing?
 
4:22 2. Captain, it was recently announced that you will serve as the Captain of Community Programs for Sheriff Whitehorn. Can you tell me about this new role and some of the responsibilities associated with it?
 
10:38 3. Commissioner, you recently attended the North Carolina Rehabilitation and Reentry Conference. Can you tell me about this conference and some of the key takeaways for you?
 
15:41 4. Captain, I know that Sheriff Whitehorn is only about 90 days into his service, but is there anything you can share so far about his priorities?
 
20:53 5. These next few questions are for either or both of you. I know we’re having trouble with overcrowding at CCC. How’s treatment and re-entry going? Is that an area we could improve upon?
 
29:48 6. How are you working with the City in terms of combatting the issue of crime we continue to face?
 
32:14 7. For someone who wants to live in a safer city, any recommendations you have for how they can get involved as a concerned community member?
 
38:36 8. I know there has been some talk around the revitalization of the work release program. Is there anything you would like to share about that?