Tensions are running so high at City Hall these days that New Orleans City Council members can't even adjourn their meetings without controversy.
The council convened Thursday for the sole purpose of bringing down the gavel on a racially charged debate over transparency in city government that started a week ago and never formally ended.
It took only seconds for council members to officially conclude the proceedings.
But the subsequent exit from the chamber by the council's four white members sparked harsh criticism from some black community leaders who had arrived before 9 a.m. to discuss the hot button issue.
With only the council's three black members -- James Carter, Cynthia Hedge-Morrell and Cynthia Willard-Lewis -- remaining, the speakers launched into nearly two hours of commentary about the angry discourse that has raged for months between the executive and legislative branches of city government.
