Visitor returns to his hometown reunion

I recently returned to Shreveport from Virginia to attend the inspiring and very well-run 100th anniversary of my alma mater, C.E. Byrd High School. I graduated from Byrd in 1970.

I grew up near Querbes Golf Course, was a City Golf Champion, and was thrilled to play Querbes again this June. I thank everyone who worked so hard, as well as the city and numerous donors who invested significantly in Querbes. This is a clear example of how Shreveport can revitalize one area at a time and can do a great job.

My father, in the 1960s, sold ladies’ shoes at Selber’s on Milam Street, in the heart of downtown Shreveport. Today, most of the buildings on Milam Street are empty and fit into the category of “zombie buildings.” There is virtually no pedestrian traffic. The restaurants have all closed, and this thriving area of Shreveport during the 1960s seems devoid of life.

Some Shreveporters tell me downtown Shreveport is a lost cause, but I disagree. An estimated 1,500,000 people live in the Ark-La-Tex. There is ample room in downtown Shreveport for excellent health care and educational facilities, transforming empty office buildings into thousands of affordable housing units. Downtown Shreveport needs gyms, groceries, pharmacies, public-private partnerships for mixed-use development, restaurants and bars, as well as more public art and sculpture.

The “City of Byrd” is also an amazing success story, having been on the verge of closure during the 1980s. The school leadership, led by Principal Lynne Fitzgerald, employed a simple yet profound strategy to revitalize the school. It treated every student, regardless of their race or socioeconomic status, with respect and dignity. The rebirth of Byrd High School is a Shreveport example of how to grow, how to be great and how to serve everyone who comes to the City of Byrd for the betterment of all.

While in Shreveport, I read the May 25–June 10 edition of 318 Forum, a great publication. I couldn’t help but notice two articles: “Expanding Speed Zone Cameras” on Page 10 and “Give It A Little Sunshine” on Page 11. I support speed cameras near schools. I also support the idea of revitalizing Shreveport.

In the first article on page 10, Mayor Arceneaux said, referring to the police department, that “recruiting does not work … because we can’t find the officers.” In the article on Page 11, Louis R. Avallone stated that the city needs “each of us” to help with the revitalization of Shreveport. When people hear that Shreveport lacks sufficient police officers and struggles to recruit them, it reinforces the belief many have that crime is high in the city and that nothing can be done about it. In 2025, crime rates are decreasing in Shreveport. But people, both in Shreveport and around the country, will not believe crime is going down, regardless of what the data shows, when a police department cannot even recruit police officers for open positions.

Shreveport has been a very fragmented city for a very long time. Shoppers and businesses abandoned downtown. Many whites abandoned public schools after integration. Religious differences in Shreveport have separated people. Social and economic class differences still prevent people in the city from working together as well as they could or attending the same functions.

Politics in Shreveport is also a significant dividing factor, I urge the leaders and all people of Shreveport to put aside their political, religious, social, economic and racial differences for good and to work more closely together to bring in new employers, new residents, and new ideas and create a sense of what I call “One Shreveport for All” (OSA). A Shreveporter is a Shreveporter regardless of their political, racial or ethnic background or religious beliefs.

Only when these divisions are laid to rest will everyone contribute to the revitalization of Shreveport the way Mr. Avallone suggests. People will work hard for “their city.” They will not work for or support a city where they are regularly and systematically not allowed to enjoy all that “their city” has to offer, either through discrimination or poor treatment.

I thank Shreveport for helping me start a great life. I wish the city well. I hope the city turns the page fully and finally on its past and the rigid divisions that have contributed to many of the challenges the city has faced. I hope Shreveport will come together, with everyone working not simply as individuals, but in a way that allows Shreveport, and even downtown Shreveport, to thrive under the banner “One Shreveport for All” (OSA).

Herb Rubenstein is a Washington and Lee University graduate. He is a lawyer, author, educator and professional golfer. He is the chair of the Lexington, Rockbridge and Buena Vista, Virginia, Democratic Committee. He grew up on Victory Drive in Shreveport.