Resident uses song to share community concerns with City Council
By Adrian Torres
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SHREVEPORT, Louisiana (KTBS) — City Council meetings are an integral part of local government. It’s a time for residents to hear what their city leaders are working on and provides a space for them to air their concerns.
But despite being very important, usually they aren’t very entertaining to watch. One Shreveport resident recently changed that by submitting his concerns by way of a silky, smooth song.
New Castle Pines residents Danny Cochran says the lyrics were written, not by him, but by the community members he represents in the Hollywood and Caddo Heights Association, where he serves as sergeant-at-arms and chaplain.
During one of the group’s monthly meetings, about 15 people spoke up about problems facing the neighborhoods.
“We are blessed to have sidewalks in some of these communities, but they’re covered with grass. The ditches, you don’t know they are ditches because the grass have overgrown the ditches,” said Cochran. “It’s growing up to be a jungle, and it looked like a third world country, but it’s Shreveport.”
Neighbors also shared concerns with deteriorating road conditions, the homeless living under the highway, speeding cars, curfew hours, and all the trash on the streets and green spaces. Neighbors said these concerns have been reported to the city, but that nothing has been done to address them.
“The words of the song to this music is please come and give us a hand. We’re not asking you to fix everything up brand new. We are just asking to take care of the thing that’s important. The most important thing, because a lot of people they enjoy their community,” Cochran said.
Those concerns were written down on paper and Cochran told members he would take them himself to the upcoming City Council meeting. He then took those words and did what he loves to do — he wrote a song.
“Most people don’t like to listen to people too much, but people love listening to music. I figured that was a way of getting things across,” he said.
Cochran said he struggled finding the right lyrics to express everyone’s concerns. Luckily, he had his granddaughter by his side, helping him decide what to keep and what to toss.
“My 13-year-old granddaughter would say, ‘”It’s okay, but nah. You know, I think you can do a little better.'” Then maybe after about the sixth, seventh song, she’d say, ‘That’s the one, Grandpa,'” and I’d agree.”
Cochran also produced the sweet beats and used AI to bring his lyrics to life.
As for musical inspiration, Cochran said he wanted his music to have smooth tunes, while also carrying serious themes.
“I’m always thinking about the artists. Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Earth, Wind & Fire and so many others. Their music was about the people. When Black people felt there was no hope, no way out of the system, the artists wrote music and gave the people inspiration about themselves,” said Cochran. “It gave people the mentality that things can change, and they did that through music, and that’s what I was thinking about.”
After presenting the song to the council, members said they would go bar by bar and try to address the concerns mentioned in the song.
After the meeting, videos of Cochran’s song sprang up all over Facebook, with many people saying they loved his song. Cochran said that was a special moment to witness.
“It makes me feel great. I feel wonderful about people liking the music. I was really overwhelmed. It made me want to get out there and do even more for the community. My mother used to always say, ‘Son, you’re missing your calling.’ She wanted me to be a preacher. I’m like, ‘Nah.’ This right here kind of make me like, well, maybe that’s my calling, you know, to help the people out, and if they inspire me, I want to do my best to inspire them, and whatever I can do to help the community.”
Cochran hopes the song will motivate residents and city leaders to help make Shreveport the place to be.
“It should be recognized for good things, not a city that you don’t want to live in, a city that you want to actually move to,” he said.
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