STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
We follow up, this morning, on a story that was in the headlines weeks ago, which is a thing we do consistently on this program. It's a story from New Orleans, which needs more security for it's parades at Carnival season because of the New Year's Day Bourbon Street attack. It's an added cost that organizers of smaller events find hard to cover. Here's Drew Hawkins from the Gulf States Newsroom.
DREW HAWKINS, BYLINE: Greetings from the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus. It's a sci-fi and fantasy themed Mardi Gras parade with dozens of small groups, each with their own theme. One group hands out decorated forks for the "Twilight"-themed Krewe of Twihards, which member Cayla Mendow explains.
CAYLA MENDOW: As an homage to the city of Forks, which is the setting of "Twilight."
HAWKINS: Chewbacchus captain Simonette Berry, or her official title...
SIMONETTE BERRY: Overlord Apocalypse Meow.
HAWKINS: ...Says that sense of community is a huge part of the Carnival season, and it's more important than ever.
BERRY: We can't let things like the Bourbon Street attack stop the joy that we find in each other and in the culture of parading and celebration.
HAWKINS: Because of the attack, New Orleans is requiring parades to have more police. The city covers these costs for larger, more traditional parades. But independent walking krewes like Chewbacchus that march through different neighborhoods have to pay for it themselves.
YVONNE GARRETT: These are regular New Orleanians, you know? They're schoolteachers. They might be retired.
HAWKINS: Yvonne Garrett is captain of Krewe du Vieux, another walking parade. She says they also should be supported by the city. New Orleans City Council President JP Morrell agrees and is working to change the city's code. Right now, only parades with large economic impacts get free security.
JP MORRELL: Those walking troupes do not go along traditional Mardi Gras routes. So for some of those businesses, they literally count on that infusion of people for the year.
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HAWKINS: Chewbacchus' security bill was $45,000 this year, double what they paid last year. The city stepped up to cover the extra costs. It's a temporary solution so the parade could roll as planned.
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HAWKINS: Officials haven't said how much extra they're paying for security this Mardi Gras to make sure people can stay safe and laissez les bons temps rouler.
For NPR News, I'm Drew Hawkins in New Orleans. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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