A New Name for a Bayou St. John Park
Walter “Wolfman” Washington, known for his music and known in the local community passed away at age 79 in December 2022. The local legend now will have a park named after him in New Orleans. New Orleans City Council decided to name a Bayou St. John park after Washington.
The park was originally named after Alcee Fortier who was not and is not a great person to have the park named after. Fortier participated in the “Battle of Liberty Place”, which was a “racist uprising in 1874. Washington’s widow, Michelle Bushey Washington, is honored to have the park named after her late husband. Local leaders, groups and residents are in support of the name change. Council Budget Chairman Joe Giarrusso agreed that everyone supported it in the area.
“I can’t tell you how much I appreciated Councilman Giarrusso’s help with his. It means so much to us, and I believe he (Walter) is here with that incredible grin of his. If you know his music, you know what he means to the city of New Orleans,” says Bushey Washington.
