Sadly, the tragic terrorist incident in New Orleans’ Vieux Carre, contrary to what city officials have tried strenuously to produce as a narrative, was likely preventable because of decisions made by them and their predecessors.
A very few hours into 2025 an American citizen but with potential links to the terrorist group the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Daesh) swung a vehicle onto Bourbon Street around Canal Street and barreled three blocks to the east, killing at least 15 revelers and injuring dozens more before wrecking and engaging in a gun battle with police that led to his being shot and killed. It could have been worse, as later improvised explosive devices were found further east around the street and an explosion some blocks away out of the French Quarter tentatively have been tied to the action.
For many years, in contrast to a couple of decades prior, Bourbon has been open to through traffic. In 2016, city officials recognized that the relatively open nature of a byway with considerable pedestrian traffic could lead to a situation as this, so they reinstituted placing bollards on Bourbon along with removable barriers, but this system proved cumbersome and prone to malfunction because of detritus – much of it Carnival-related – interfering.
Unfortunately, the city was revamping bollards as currently laid out, making for more effective barriers if in place. But these were not there, as starting a couple of months ago the city had implemented replacements in anticipation of the Super Bowl’s arrival in early February followed closely by Carnival (where the presently open configuration facilitated parading down Bourbon) that would leave gaps for weeks at a time. Such a gap was exploited by the terrorist, where parked police vehicles proved insufficient to disallow entry and, unlike in 2017 when the configuration was being laid down, only the metal barriers were in place besides the vehicles.
City officials such as mayoral candidate and Democrat Councilor Helena Moreno issued statements alleging nothing could have prevented the attack; even with the new bollards up, the truck went up along the sidewalk to launch. This is nonsense; she and other councilors and Democrat Mayor LaToya Cantrell acted in several ways that increased the risk of a successful attack such as this.
First, and applying as well to past elected officials, the conceptual treatment of Quarter traffic lies at fault. Decades ago, Bourbon Street usage was considered to have pedestrian-only traffic as a rule with vehicular traffic the exception, typically in the morning for deliveries. Then came a shift to making vehicular traffic the rule and pedestrians-only the exception, usually at night. Quarter residents, and to a certain extent businesses (some Bourbon businesses particularly disagree), generally have favored the previous approach but the planning approach for the new bollard system was done with the other theory in mind. Ideally, and most securely, bollards would be placed starting at Iberville on Bourbon and flanking each cross street at least through St. Anne and maybe beyond, and be lowered only in the mornings.
Even under a less restrictive system, mistakes were made. The 2017 strategy of hydraulic roadblocks should have been in place in 2024, which the city should have ensured in the contract let to perform the changes. Indeed, the terrorist had weeks of opportunity to scope out the deficiencies. But, worst of all, the timing was absolutely poor.
The contract should have been let a year ago and work scheduled over the late spring and summer when traffic of all kinds is at its lowest. With so many festivals of some kind popping up in the Quarter or around town you can’t completely find a slack time for this kind of work, but surely starting work in the teeth of football season with the New Orleans and Sugar Bowls on tap and the new year looming was a poor decision at best by elected officials. The machinations behind who got the contract how and when never may become public, but sadly it’s all too likely politics played some role that created the bad timing that put more people at risk, with the terrorist, having easily identified vulnerabilities, biding his time to pick the moment to inflict the most carnage.
Like it or not, Louisiana tourism is driven by impressions of New Orleans and its safety, and this event will shake the confidence of potential travelers, as well as meeting and special event organizers, in visiting the state. It’s a shame better judgment by city political leaders didn’t come to the fore that might have reduced the chances of a tragedy like this occurring.
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