Shocking Number of Evictions in Shreveport in 2023

SHREVEPORT, LA - Piles of debris on neighborhood streets in Shreveport is causing problems for city leaders. One of the big reasons for these piles of trash is the result of evictions.

Once you are evicted from a home or apartment, all of the belongings you leave behind are put out by the curb. This is causing quite a mess.

How Many Evictions Happen in Shreveport?

City Marshall James Jefferson says there were 4,082 evictions filed in Shreveport City Court in 2023. But he says there have already been 819 during the first two months of 2024 so that number could likely be much higher for 2024.

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What Happens After an Eviction?

Once you go through the eviction process, the next step is the warrant for possession. Jefferson says Shreveport "averages about 44 put-outs each month."

Jefferson says he is working with Public Works officials to try to keep the piles of junk to a minimum. Jefferson says once we know what neighborhood we are going to, we coordinate with public works to set up bulk pick ups at the locations where we have evictions.

What Should Landlords Be Doing?

Councilwoman Ursula Bowman says the landlords are supposed to have these items in bags. And she says that is not happening. They are simply piling this stuff up on the curb. It’s loads and loads of trash and it blows all over the neighborhood. She says the city should find a way to make sure the landlords follow the procedures.

She says we pay a lot of money to clean our city and we need a better process in place on these evictions.

But another problem is with folks who dig into these piles and leave bags open and things just spread all over the place.

Public Works Director Gary Norman says we do have ordinances in place mandating how these items are to be placed on the curb and often these laws are not followed.

What Changes Do City Leaders Want to Make?

Bowman is asking the City Attorney to look at the ordinance to find out how we can hold the landlords more accountable if they don’t properly handle the bulk items. City Attorney Marcus Edwards says Shreveport does have a strong ordinance, but citations are not being issued.

Bowman says she wants to work with the city attorney to put a hefty fine on these landlords to properly handle these items. Currently the fine is up to $500.