"More than 150 community activists on Tuesday applauded a state agency's move to sue the owners and overseer of a historic north Baton Rouge cemetery they say has fallen into an embarrassing state of neglect.

The three lawsuits...set the stage for appointment of a receiver to take over managing Gilbert Memorial Park Cemetery, Assistant Attorney General Ryan Seidemann told members of Together Baton Rouge at a luncheon meeting at St. Mary Baptist Church." In photo, leader Roena Wilford shows how graves crisscross.

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Four years ago, the Jeremiah Group created, fought for, and won approval for a proposal to set aside $75 million for home ownership in Louisiana (with $52 Million for New Orleans).

The Times Picayune reports that "the $52.3 million 'soft-second mortgage' program has endured many starts and stops over the years. The program was approved nearly four years ago by the state and former Mayor Ray Nagin, but it never got off the ground.

The faith-based Jeremiah Group, however, continued to fight City Hall for the money until it finally became a reality."

[Map Credit: Times-Picayune]

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"Jeremiah Group, which pushed the state to dedicate the money for the new program out of the failed Road Home rental recovery program, deserves credit for ...pushing the administration to deliver on the idea."

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More than 1,100 leaders of Together Baton Rouge assembled from approximately 70 congregations and organizations., thirty-five of which made annual pledges. Invited guests included the Mayor, District Attorney, Sheriff, Metro Council Members and State legislators; all committed to work with the organization.

Since then, the organization has advanced its transportation agenda. With a bus system that gets 1/3 the per capita funding of peer cities and forces passengers to wait an average of 75 minutes, the Mayor invited Together Baton Rouge to work with the City to create some solutions. The resulting plan will create a dedicated source of revenue for transit for the first time in the City's history more than doubling the budget from $12 Million to $30 Million in order to expand bus routes and reduce wait times.

"Changing BR Together." The Advocate, 05/21/11

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"One Bridge, And Others." Baton Rouge Advocate

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Together Baton Rouge gets its first victory in winning the reconstruction of the Blue Grass Bridge in Glen Oaks.

"This is a great victory for our community," said Mackie Smothers-El, a Glen Oaks residents and TBR leader. "This is restoring my faith in democracy."

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"The charge to this commission will be to come up with a plan that the city can support; that the parish can support," said the Rev. Melvin Rushing, a member of Together Baton Rouge and pastor with Progressive Baptist Church and Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church.

Mayor introduces mass transit panel,The Advocate

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Search for Jefferson Parish Public Schools Supt. is Still in its Infancy, Board President Says, Times Picayune

"When twenty or thirty individuals build relationships across racial lines, that can transform those individuals. When forty or fifty congregations and organizations do the same thing, with a collective membership of more than 25,000 people, and they resolve to take action together – that can transform our entire city-parish."

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