On August 30th, 2009, Philip Chacko was murdered in his hotel, the New Orleans Midtown Hotel, located on 3900 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70119. Two culprits barged into the hotel, shot and fatally wounded him. Shortly afterwards, he was rushed to University Hospital where he passed away minutes after his arrival. Mr. Chacko was a new business owner who had moved to New Orleans in 2007. He was an admired individual that played a part in rebuilding the city in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He renovated the hotel which had been flooded with 43 inches of water and was trying to run an honorable establishment in one of the most depressed areas of the city. A God fearing man, he was strict to keep out the criminal elements, drug dealers and prostitutes looking to misuse his kind hearted nature.

He had been working closely with the UNITY of Greater New Orleans outreach workers and other Catholic charities to help re-establish the population of New Orleans. As the encampments in the area were cleared, he was out there and opened up his hotel, taking in as many as 100 homeless people in his hotel providing them shelter while the agencies worked to secure them more permanent housing. Mr. Chacko had also provided places of worship for many displaced churches.

A loving husband and father whose life was brought to an abrupt end, Mr. Chacko deserves that his killers be brought to justice. In the months following this senseless murder; there have been no clear leads on the actual gunman. This individual remains at large despite community outrage. The case is at the risk of becoming just another statistic in the crimes that have plagued New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans continues to have one of the highest murder rates in the country, with as many as four homicides reported on the day of Mr. Chacko’s murder.

We urge the Governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal and Mayor of New Orleans, Mitchell Landrieu to:
• Engage the New Orleans Police Department in identifying the culprits, bringing them to justice and resolving the Philip Chacko murder investigation.
• Urge the citizens of New Orleans to speak out against crime in the city and serve as strong witnesses, if they are in the midst of such crimes.
• Make crime resolution in New Orleans a top priority for the government of Louisiana and provide additional resources and manpower to rid the city of the crime that has plagued it since hurricane Katrina.

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