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Louisiana Considered: Desire, Louisiana

The Desire Public Housing development, seen from above.
Historic New Orleans Collection
The Desire Public Housing development, seen from above.
  • In a story originally aired October 2018 as part of the series “TriPod: New Orleans at 300,” former WWNO/WRKF reporter Laine Kaplan-Levenson tells the story of New Orleans’ Desire community, a housing project originally marketed toward Black veterans of World War II and later toward low-income residents. Houses in Desire were built hastily and cheaply on top of an old landfill, and residents of the community were forced to start over in new communities or stay and risk exposure to high levels of carcinogens.
Patrick was the Regional News Director for the news collaboration between WRKF Baton Rouge and WWNO New Orleans, from 2019 through 2023.