Editor’s Note:
Some readers have asked why we’re revisiting themes like displacement, gentrification, and housing justice. These are issues that began decades ago. We believe it’s precisely because this has been happening for so long that it demands continued attention. The erosion of New Orleans’ working-class neighborhoods isn’t just history. It’s an ongoing crisis that we should continue to address. At Big Easy Magazine, our mission is to amplify voices and issues that risk being ignored or forgotten. This has been something we’ve been doing since our founding in 2018 and have been more dedicated recently. This piece blends current data with historical context to show that while our city is not lost, it is in danger. New Orleans is still an iconic city, and that’s precisely why we should fight for it. Ignoring the concerns and ongoing problems almost guarantees the erasure of our city’s rich culture.
Disappearing in Plain Sight
New Orleans is changing in more than just subtle ways. From families being quietly priced out to homes flipped into high-end Airbnbs seemingly overnight, the people who are New Orleans, to include its workers, caretakers, and culture-bearers, are being priced out of their own city.
The French Quarter still echoes with jazz, second lines still roll, and gumbo still simmers. But fewer and fewer New Orleanians can afford to live within the city limits due to the impacts of gentrification, and consequently, cultural erasure.
Jaron “JRoc” Williams: Holding On in the 7th Ward
In November 2022, the Louisiana Illuminator published a story about one resident’s experiences on how his block located in Tremé had changed drastically over the years. For more than 30 years, Jaron “JRoc” Williams has given haircuts on his front porch in the 7th Ward, an area long known as the beating heart of Creole culture in New Orleans. His corner was once filled with kids, aunties, neighbors playing music and sharing food. Now, he says, it’s quiet.
“I’ve cut hair through three generations in this neighborhood,” Williams told Louisiana Illuminator. “Now, half the people I used to see every day are gone. Moved out, priced out, or bought out.”
The numbers back him up. According to the Data Center, the Black population of the 7th Ward has fallen from approximately 93% in 2000 to approximately just 69% in 2023. These are the latest publicly available numbers as of 2025. Gentrification has brought new developments and renovated homes, but the culture and community that once defined the neighborhood are eroding fast.
“It’s not that we don’t want better homes or safety,” Williams added. “We just want to be part of it, not pushed out by it.”
A Crisis Measured in Rent and Wages
As of March 2025, the average rent for an apartment in New Orleans is $1,410, with variations depending on location and apartment size. In contrast, the median household income in the city stands at $55,339.
This disparity means that many residents are spending a significant portion of their income on housing, leading to financial strain.
Eviction Trends
Eviction filings in New Orleans have seen a notable increase. According to the Eviction Lab, eviction filings have returned to pre-pandemic levels, indicating a resurgence in housing instability.
Stephanie Mingo: A Legacy of Resistance
Stephanie Mingo, a third-generation resident of the St. Bernard public housing development, became a prominent housing justice advocate after Hurricane Katrina. Her voice was crucial during the debates over the demolition of public housing and the privatization of redevelopments like Columbia Parc.
“This wasn’t just about buildings. It was about community,” Mingo said in a 2007 interview with Democracy Now! “The people in St. Bernard took care of each other. And now that community has been scattered.”
Although Mingo has not made recent public statements, her advocacy stands as a legacy moment in the broader struggle for equitable housing in New Orleans. Her historical advocacy continues to resonate as a warning about what happens when policy favors profit over people.
When Culture Becomes a Commodity
New Orleans’ culture is celebrated around the world, but increasingly, the city treats that culture as a product to be consumed, rather than protected.
From Mardi Gras Indians to brass bands, local culture-bearers are often marketed to tourists while struggling to pay rent. Many musicians now live in Baton Rouge or Houston and drive hours back for gigs. Second line organizers fundraise just to keep parades going in gentrified neighborhoods where permits are harder and police presence heavier.
The culture that once held these neighborhoods together is now a marketing hook for developers pushing locals out.
Who Owns the City Now?
Ownership is power. And today, that power is slipping out of local hands.
- In neighborhoods like Treme, the 7th Ward, and Bywater, housing advocates have raised alarms about increasing acquisitions by LLCs and out-of-state investors. While exact ownership percentages vary, past analyses and reports from groups like Jane Place and media coverage (e.g. Verite News, The Lens, and Big Easy Magazine) point to a visible and growing shift away from owner-occupied homes toward speculative or absentee ownership. This shift has been especially apparent in areas with high short-term rental density.
- Short-term rentals (STRs) account for over 6,000 residential properties, many controlled by multi-property hosts or corporate entities.
- Tax-lien sales and rising insurance premiums have forced elderly homeowners to sell homes they’ve owned for decades.
Neighborhoods like Treme, Bywater, and the Lower Garden District have seen explosive shifts, with local homeowners replaced by absentee landlords and Airbnb empires.
Fighting Back: Reclaiming Space
Despite the bleak outlook, resistance is growing. Organizations like Jane Place Neighborhood Sustainability Initiative, HousingNOLA, and the Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance are advocating for stronger tenant protections, community land trusts, and a right to return for displaced residents.
Some communities are creating cooperative housing models or fighting back against STR saturation and zoning loopholes. And artists like JRoc and legacy voices like Mingo continue to inspire new generations to demand better—even as the city transforms around them.
While the city has taken steps in the right direction, including a major policy shift in March 2025 that limits short-term rentals to one per block, with no exceptions, the question remains whether enforcement will match the ambition. It’s still unclear whether out-of-state investors and corporate owners will be held accountable, or if legal loopholes and court challenges will continue to stall real progress. For many residents, policy change is only as good as its implementation. And in a city where enforcement has often lagged, there’s justified skepticism.
It’s Not Too Late—Unless We Stay Silent
Yes, much of this began long ago. And yes, voices like Stephanie Mingo’s warned us. But the work of protecting New Orleans’ working-class soul is not finished, and the crisis is not frozen in time. It continues to unfold around us, block by block, lease by lease.
At Big Easy Magazine, we refuse to treat this story as over. The city is not lost. But if we keep treating displacement and inequality as background noise, what remains will be a hollowed-out version of the complex, dynamic, culturally rich, and beautiful New Orleans we know.
The question isn’t whether this has been happening.
The question is what we’re going to do now because it hasn’t stopped.
Editor’s Note:
If you’re reading this and thinking, “This isn’t just a New Orleans story”—you’re right. What’s happening to our city’s working class mirrors a national trend. From lost purchasing power to decades of policies that favor profit over people, the middle class across the country has been squeezed into survival mode.
We explored this bigger picture in a piece recently picked up by The Economic Times:
“The Rise and Decline of America’s Middle Class: A Tale of Policy, Purchasing Power, and Inequality”
It connects the dots between national economic forces and what we’re experiencing right here at home.
