As a longtime resident of New Orleans, I am gravely concerned by your decision to remove the Heymann Conservatory and its greenhouses from a demolition hearing slated for November 12 at 10 AM. As you know, this hearing was officially scheduled and publicly announced weeks ago. Removing it from the docket at this late date, to me confirms the worst stereotypes that many New Orleanians already hold about their city government.

The Audubon Nature Institute has deliberately allowed these once-cherished buildings to fall into disuse and disrepair. This behavior amounts to little more than an attempted demolition by neglect, a practice employed by some of the worst slumlords in this city. For you to reward this behavior by granting the express wishes of the Audubon Institute and effectively silencing any public comment on the matter is outrageous.

The purpose of the Department of Safety & Permits, and of all city government, is obviously to protect the interests of its public, and the Heymann Conservatory and its greenhouses are public property. They are NOT property of the Audubon Institute. To demolish these buildings, enjoyed by two generations of New Orleanians, amounts to little more than civic vandalism. Permitting that demolition without any public review whatsoever is both absurd and shameful, and will only help to speed this city's long downward spiral.

You personally have an opportunity to change that. The people of this city are at the very least entitled to review the impending destruction of their property. Please, I urge you to honor your mandate to the citizens of New Olreans by restoring these buildings to the public docket where they were originally scheduled -- and where they rightfully belong.