New Orleans forces a homeless camp to move to make room for Taylor Swift's arrival

About 75 people living in tents under an overpass were being relocated about two blocks away, Louisiana State Police said. Advocates said the search would hamper progress in finding long-term, permanent housing for those affected. Other homeless people living in the historic, tourist-dependent French Quarter also would be relocated to the same location, officials said.

Gov. Jeff Landry's spokesman said the move was taken to address homelessness and safety issues, linking the effort to upcoming concerts and the Super Bowl in February.

“As we prepare for the city to host Taylor Swift and Super Bowl LIX, we are committed to ensuring New Orleans puts its best foot forward on the world stage,” Landry communications director Kate Kelly said in a statement Statement to local media.

Kelly later stressed in a statement to The Associated Press that the move was only a short distance and that security was a concern. “Only the most dangerous blocks – where homeless people regularly walk on busy streets – will be closed,” she said.

The first plans to dismantle the camp near the dome became known on Monday. It's unclear when plans were made to move to the location about two blocks away.

City Council member Lesli Harris, whose district includes the area, said she and housing advocates were told the move would occur Thursday. “All of a sudden they’re here on Wednesday morning and they’re pushing this on us,” Harris said.

Martha Kegel, executive director of Unity of Greater New Orleans, a nonprofit that finds permanent housing for unsheltered people, said moving the camp would be better than dismantling it, as advocates had initially feared. But she said it is still an unnecessary and harmful endeavor and a waste of state and federal tax dollars earmarked for housing the homeless.

Many of the camp residents have mental illnesses and distrust the authorities and those who want to help them, said Kegel.

“Some people got scared and left, and that’s not good,” she said. “Because then all of the work that we did assessing them, documenting their disabilities and, you know, working with them on their housing plan is now for nothing.”

One of those who made the move on Wednesday was Terrence Cobbins. He paused in packing up his things and said he should move because of the upcoming concerts. “They’ve never done that for other people,” he said. “Why Taylor Swift?” He said he wasn't happy about the disruption: “There's nothing I can do about it.”

City Council President Helena Moreno issued a statement calling for better coordination between the state and city to combat homelessness.

Kegel said her agency should have been contacted, pointing out that the concert dates were announced months ago. “We could have accomplished what the governor wanted in a humane and rational way, not just pushing or dispersing people a few blocks away,” she said.

There was no indication that Swift or the NFL – which hosted the 2025 Super Bowl for New Orleans four years ago – had any influence on the decision to move the camp. Requests for comment were sent to Swift representatives and the league via email Wednesday afternoon.