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Warning: Recent increase in violent crime in New Orleans' French Quarter

Warning: Recent increase in violent crime in New Orleans' French Quarter

Old Jan 4th, 2015, 09:23 AM
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Warning: Recent increase in violent crime in New Orleans' French Quarter

Over the years, I've periodically seen discussions in this forum about New Orleans' crime rate, and whether prospective visitors should be concerned about their safety. I don't live in New Orleans, but I love the city, and I'm a very frequent visitor. I've generally tried to be reassuring about this issue. New Orleans' violent crime rate is higher than those of many other U.S. cities, but it's also lower than those of other cities that most of us wouldn't think twice about visiting because of crime. I usually recommend that visitors to New Orleans use common sense and be mindful of their surroundings, but otherwise not let worries about crime detract from their visit to a wonderful town.

The situation is different right now, and as I've received so much helpful advice from Fodorites in the past, I feel compelled to write this post. In the past month or so, there have been so many violent attacks in the French Quarter, the neighborhood most often frequented by tourists, that even local residents are afraid to go about their usual routines. I'll post links to some local news stories below.

I personally have not stopped visiting New Orleans, and I don't plan to. However, I have made some changes in where I stay, what I do, and how I get around.

Historically, the New Orleans Police Department is a troubled organization that has had difficulty controlling crime. For better or for worse, it usually takes a spate of attacks in tourist areas to provoke a meaningful response from the city government, and I think these responses seem to be designed to protect tourists more than New Orleans residents who live in higher-crime neighborhoods. For example, after ten people were shot in a single incident on Bourbon Street last June, a contingent of Louisiana State Troopers was deployed in the Quarter, and they remained present for several months. The troopers apparently returned for New Year's Eve and the Sugar Bowl, and they'll be back again for Mardi Gras. But in the meantime, residents still have an elevated level of concern for their safety, and I think it would be prudent for visitors to do the same.

http://www.wwltv.com/story/news/loca...rime/20679551/

http://www.fox8live.com/story/277249...or-more-police

http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/...ainst_vio.html

http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/...again_for.html
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Old Jan 4th, 2015, 09:36 AM
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Well I know this is one of my hobby horses - partly due to the experience of one of my colleagues nearly being shot for walking one block in the wrong direction. But I have been pooh poohed and told NO is safe if you're careful.

Not sure what other less safe cities people would often be traveling to - but - my understanding of the stats is that NO is one of the most dangerous cities in the country - not far behind drug ridden Camden NJ.

I'm not saying that people shouldn;t visit NO. I'm just suggesting that they fully understand the conditions there, especially when picking a hotel and going out in the evening.
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Old Jan 4th, 2015, 07:47 PM
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Nytraveler, I guess statistical comparisons depend on which statistics one is looking at. According to the FBI's statistics for 2012 (as summarized on Wikipedia), among U.S. cities with 250,000 or more inhabitants, New Orleans ranked #2 in murders per capita (behind Detroit). But in terms of overall violent crime, 25 cities were more dangerous, including Atlanta, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Nashville, Anchorage, Boston, Minneapolis, and Oklahoma City, to name a few.

In my judgement, these statistics fail to capture one important aspect of crime in New Orleans, which is that the experience of the average visitor to New Orleans places him or her closer to violent crime than it might in many other cities. New Orleans is a gritty, seedy, relatively dangerous town, even in its most touristic areas. I agree with you that, even in the best of times, people should take an extra moment to consider their safety when planning a trip to New Orleans. Nevertheless, despite (or perhaps, in some way, because of) the city's problems, I find it to be a beautiful, inspiring, frankly soul-replenishing place.

My main point was this: right now, the French Quarter and surrounding areas seem to be considerably less safe than they have been in recent years. Like earlier crime waves, this too shall pass. I suspect that another State Trooper surge, or some other such response by law enforcement authorities, will get things back to baseline. But for the time being, if you're planning a trip to New Orleans, please be extra careful.
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Old Jan 5th, 2015, 03:16 AM
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Old Jan 5th, 2015, 04:03 AM
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My old boss was from there and he said he has always told people to take off the jewelry, put one credit card and id into your sock and don't carry a wallet or purse for Mardi Gras but have heard it is getting bad during other times of the year. I have street smarts and common sense. I won't go to certain places in Orlando day or night and same with many other cities here. It is the drive by shootings that are crazy down here. There is often a fine line between what is a safe area and what isn't.
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Old Jan 5th, 2015, 08:54 AM
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The biggest problem in New Orleans (that makes it different from other big tourist-attractive cities) is that you go from good neighborhood to bad and back again. It differs for example from Manhattan, where you won't get near a "bad" neighborhood unless you travel out of the main tourist areas. Even in San Francisco, there is only one "bad" neighborhood (Tenderloin, which is change-ing, but hasn't yet change-d) within the "body" of the city.
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Old Jan 6th, 2015, 02:25 PM
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>>However, I have made some changes in where I stay, what I do, and how I get around.
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Old Jan 9th, 2015, 07:15 AM
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ElendilPickle, I apologize, I haven't monitored my thread for a few days.

Basically, I'm trying to spend less time walking around on the streets, especially at night (although many of the recent crimes have occurred during daylight hours). Normally I tend to stay in hotels that are in either in the Upper Quarter, the CBD, or sometimes the Warehouse District, but lately I've been choosing only hotels in the Quarter, even if they cost a little more. That puts me a little closer to most of the places that I want to walk to. Also, I'm sometimes taking taxis to and from the Lower Quarter and Frenchmen Street, especially late at night, when ordinarily I would just walk. Or I'm just not going out there at all, if I'm on the fence about it. And I think I've been a little more careful than usual about looking out for and avoiding potentially dangerous-looking individuals when I'm walking around. Of course, all of this isn't going to keep me perfectly safe, but it's something.

I would expect that, by May, the City will have decided to finally address the crime wave. New Orleans' government is pretty disorganized, corrupt, and ineffectual, but I think they'll get it together and do something to bring the crime problem back down to its baseline, at some point before your visit.
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Old Jan 9th, 2015, 08:10 AM
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And I think I've been a little more careful than usual about looking out for and avoiding potentially dangerous-looking individuals when I'm walking around.

When we were there in 2010, we stayed in the Warehouse/Arts district (which we loved - charming and out of the hubbub of the Quarter). One night we walked from the Quarter to our hotel late. We definitely felt like we were being followed/watched (in a bad way), and were very happy when we got to our hotel unscathed. As I said above, in New Orleans in particular, you have to know where you are and where you're going every minute.

By the way, I LOVED New Orleans, and can't wait to go back. I'll just take more taxis.
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Old Jan 9th, 2015, 12:14 PM
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That's good information, hawksbill. Thanks for responding.

We're staying about a block from Frenchmen Street, so if we're in the Quarter at night, I will most likely encourage Mr. Pickle to take a cab, just in case.

Lee Ann
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Old Jan 10th, 2015, 10:58 AM
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ElendilPickle, are you staying on the River side of Rampart Street? Even if you are, I would categorize that area as one of the less safe ones in which a tourist would be likely to stay. Do be careful!
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Old Jan 12th, 2015, 05:52 AM
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A few additional recent events, by the way...

http://www.noladefender.com/content/...ickup-burgundy

http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/...in_french.html
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Old Jan 12th, 2015, 05:59 AM
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As a former resident and frequent visitor, I think if you stay off side streets and in the heavily traveled areas you are fine.

For what it is worth, one of the links just posted references a stabbing that occurred during an argument, which doesn't seem like a random attack on a tourist.
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Old Jan 12th, 2015, 08:23 AM
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Yes, but if the newspaper is calling these "troubled blocks" - who wants to be anywhere near them?
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Old Jan 12th, 2015, 09:25 AM
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I think there are "troubled blocks" in every city, so avoiding places that have them would pretty much rule out traveling. Even where I live in Cincinnati, the hottest part of town with the best new restaurants is Over the Rhine. Everyone here knows you don't leave the main streets in this part of town or you are putting yourself in danger.

If you stay in areas full of people and don't cut through alleys to save time, you are fine. New Orleans is a wildly popular place to travel and full of people, even during the off-season. If you are walking down a street and there is no one else around, you took a wrong turn somewhere. Also if you are going from one area to another (like from the French Quarter to the CBD), take a cab.
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Old Jan 12th, 2015, 10:38 AM
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We used to live there too snowrooster. It's been decades but in those days it was literally one block of uptown would be safe and the next unsafe. At least then in the Quarter you knew to limit the range of your wandering to upper Bourbon, maybe Royal, but beyond a certain point even those streets were off limits. Those areas have improved today. Those days I walked from my office near Lee Circle down Tchopitoulas (sp?) into the Quarter to pick DH up. Tchopitoulas and Magazine were a bit dicey then, but I guess that's the warehouse district today, tho parts may still be off limits. I certainly felt tho, that uptown, off St Charles, was like no place I've ever seen where you could easily go from good to bad and back again in blocks, without any visual clues that you were leaving good and entering bad.
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Old Jan 12th, 2015, 11:26 AM
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I've been going for business since the 80s and I've stayed in most of the convention hotels. I'd walk from the convention area to the French Quarter during the day, but not at night. For leisure trips, I only stay in the FQ (my favorite is the Dauphine Orleans) and I'm comfortable walking from the DO to Meyer's Hat Shop to catch the streetcar. I'm also comfortable walking from the streetcar stop to Magazine street - all during the day.

I've never felt comfortable walking outside of the FQ at night and doubt I ever will be. I use taxis. NOLA should really incorporate pedi-cabs like Savannah.

I know a lot of people have stayed "just a few blocks away" and have not only survived but had no incidents. But just like there are places you don't want to stumble into at home (wherever that may be), I don't want to stumble into the wrong places in NOLA.

I've had to go into Liberty City in Miami and Harlem in NYC during the day for work. I survived. That doesn't mean I recommend others try it, especially at night, especially on a voluntary basis for a vacation.

I suppose that's something I'll never understand - the tradeoff to save a little money at a hotel in a less safe area. I'd rather stay in a nicer area for fewer nights than a transitional area for more nights. Each of us make different choices.
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Old Jan 12th, 2015, 12:15 PM
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I suppose that's something I'll never understand - the tradeoff to save a little money at a hotel in a less safe area.

In New Orleans, it isn't necessarily that the hotel is in a less safe area (for example, we stayed at the Renaissance in the Warehouse District, a perfectly nice hotel in a perfectly nice area). The problem is the getting between areas.
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Old Jan 12th, 2015, 12:33 PM
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"The problem is the getting between areas."

I totally agree.

Which is why I only stay in the FQ - unless a company is paying for a convention hotel. If I stay elsewhere, I cab at night instead of walking.
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Old Jan 14th, 2015, 04:43 PM
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I saw signs in the French Quarter on my recent visit (Jan. 6-12) like this:
http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/...ents_hope.html

I also talked to a resident who said that in the past there had sort of been an unspoken agreement among criminals to leave the French Quarter alone, but that's no longer the case, and it's not fair to say the French Quarter is safe anymore. I also attended an event uptown in a beautiful neighborhood, but the hosts would not allow me (obviously in a friendly manner) to walk two blocks to the St. Charles streetcar and wait around, because they were so worried about me getting mugged.

That said, I did walk around Marigny (where I stayed) and Bywater and the Tremé and the French Quarter and a couple other areas a lot, with no problems at all. I did take taxis late at night, but more because of fatigue. I would never tell anyone their safety is guaranteed, although now I have spent 12 nights over two trips and gone in lots of neighborhoods without problems.

I love New Orleans! I realize my feelings might change if I were unlucky.
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