Feb. 19, 2009 | By Gary D. Myers

NEW ORLEANS –  Prayer makes a difference. That was the message Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro, Jr. sent during his first Community Outreach Prayer Breakfast at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary Feb. 12.

The recently-elected D.A. called together clergy members from across the parish to seek prayer and partnership in his efforts to combat the growing crime problem in New Orleans. The event, sponsored by Baptist Community Ministries, brought together some 125 religious leaders to hear from Cannizaro. Participants were also given a chance to voice concerns and ask questions.

Baptist Community Ministries (BCM) is a local, private foundation launched in 1995 with the proceeds from the sale of Southern Baptist Hospital in New Orleans. The foundation promotes the physical, mental, and spiritual health and community development in a five-parish area. BCM provides grants for numerous non-profit including the Baptist Crossroads/Habitat for Humanity housing project in the Upper Ninth Ward.

“I want to thank you for your thoughts, for your prayers and your support,” Cannizaro said to the ministers. “People have asked me ‘what can I do to help you?’ My most basic and standard answer has been ‘please pray for me.’”

“I know we are not going to solve our problems in Orleans Parish unless we go to that higher authority,” he continued.

Cannizzaro, who has been in office just 90 days, was elected at a time when public trust in the city’s criminal justice system is at an all-time low. He follows an unpopular district attorney, Eddie Jordan, who resigned in October 2007 after a tumultuous five-year stint in office. During Jordan’s term, portions of the city have experienced a dramatic spike in violent crime – especially since Hurricane Katrina devastated much of the city.

This January Cannizzaro’s office received its first high-profile murder case – the armed robbery and shooting death of a French Quarter resident. The crime garnered much attention because the suspects in the case are in their early teens.

“Let’s be very honest, we have a city in crisis,” Cannizzaro said.

Cannizzaro asked for help in developing solutions for the crime problems in New Orleans. He offered an open door to members of clergy calling on them to lend their grassroots experience by sharing ideas about crime prevention.

Next Cannizzaro confronted the deep distrust of the entire criminal justice system among many of the city’s residents. He noted that the prosecution of violent crimes is often short circuited by the reluctance of witnesses to testify. Victims and witnesses often fear retribution and some even fear the police.

Cannizzaro called on religious leaders to encourage witnesses to come forward and participate in the justice process.

“I’m going to ask you to go into your congregations and go into your communities and I’m going to ask you to encourage people that see things to get involved, he said. “We want to make a difference with regards to the violent criminal conduct that is going on.”

Cannizzaro also pledged his support for the many mentoring and crime prevention programs sponsored by area houses of worship. One of his goals is to keep low-level offenders from becoming career criminals.

Cannizzaro closed the two-hour meeting with an open question and answer session.

“I applaud District Attorney Cannizzaro for putting together this meeting with the ministers of our community, and Baptist Community Ministries for funding it,” said NOBTS President Chuck Kelley. “Problems as complex as crime in New Orleans will not be resolved without the deployment of both public and private resources at the neighborhood level.”

Events like the Community Outreach Prayer Breakfast will help foster communication and trust. Churches, he said, have a vital role to play in addressing the city’s crime problem, Kelley said

“The churches of New Orleans have been the backbone of neighborhood physical recovery [following Katrina]. They must also play an active role in the moral recovery we so desperately need,” Kelley said.

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