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New Orleans DA under fire for taking on high-profile private case; Queer activism during the AIDS epidemic in Shreveport

ACT UP Shreveport members marching during the height of the AIDS crisis, carrying the iconic "Silence=Death" banner and signs reading "NIH = National Institutes of Healthcare." Original cover photograph for Small Town Rage: Fighting Back in the Deep South (c. 1990)
Photo courtesy of the Small Town Rage Preservation Project Archive
ACT UP Shreveport members marching during the height of the AIDS crisis, carrying the iconic "Silence=Death" banner and signs reading "NIH = National Institutes of Healthcare." Original cover photograph for Small Town Rage: Fighting Back in the Deep South (c. 1990)

Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams has come under fire for taking on a case with his private law practice. This is typical among Louisiana’s top prosecutors, and Williams has been lending his name to cases for five years. But this case, which involves a New Orleans man who made a fortune investing in Raising Cane’s, has become high-profile.

Joey Cranney, a reporter with the Deep South Today Investigative Reporting Center, tells us more about why this case is garnering attention.

It’s the last day of Pride Month, and throughout June, we’ve been bringing you stories about queer history in South Louisiana. Today, we’re looking north.

The new book, “Small Town Rage: Fighting Back in the Deep South,” tells the story of fearless activists who challenged government indifference, medical neglect and religious hostility during the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Northwest Louisiana. The book highlights the voices of those who spoke up in conservative Southern communities, cared for one another and refused to be silenced. And this book follows an award-winning documentary of the same name.

David Hylan, author of the book, joins us for more.

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Sara Henegan. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber, and our assistant producer is Aubry Procell. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman.

You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at noon and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, the NPR App, and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Sara Henegan is the host of <i>All Things Considered</i> and the Tuesday host <i>of Louisiana Considered</i>. As a life-long listener and fan of NPR, Sara loves any opportunity she gets to speak with other public radio nerds about their shared love of news, arts &amp; culture, and public media in general.
Alana Schreiber is the managing producer for the live daily news program, Louisiana Considered. She comes to WWNO from KUNC in Northern Colorado, where she worked as a radio producer for the daily news magazine, Colorado Edition. She has previously interned for Minnesota Public Radio in St. Paul.