Back in November, a Christian concert and rally was held in the French Quarter, inspiring hundreds of people to show up, maskless, who all jammed together in a tightly packed crowd, swaying and singing, doing the very best to ignore the fact that we are in a pandemic. 

The city responded with outrage. Our mayor, Latoya Cantrell was particularly furious, commenting, “While this was under the guise of a religious activity or event, we know it put our people in danger,” she elaborated that the organizers had used “the pretense of religion to hold this event with other motives. And that simply was not right.”

When Cantrell heard that the singer who headlined the extremely dangerous event, Lauren Daigle, was tapped to appear in New Orleans’ line-up for “New Year’s Rocking Eve” she obviously responded with alarm. 

She quickly wrote up a letter to send to the President of Dick Clark Productions seeking the removal of Lauren Daigle from the show’s line-up because “She cannot be allowed to represent New Orleans.”

Cantrell started the letter, “I write you today to express my urgent concerns regarding the selection of on-air talent for the 2021 “New Years Rockin’ Eve” celebration, currently intended to be broadcast live from New Orleans.” 

She elaborated, “I cannot in good conscience support the involvement of singer Lauren Daigle, who just last month participated in an unpermitted live performance which placed my residents in danger and threatened the tremendous progress New Orleans has made in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.” 

She then explained, “Ms. Daigle cannot and should not be rewarded with national media exposure and a public spotlight. She harmed our people, she risked the lives of our residents, and she strained our first responders in a way that is unconscionable-in the midst of a public health crisis.”