The Deadly Flaw in Bourbon Street’s Barricades

The Deadly Flaw in Bourbon Street's Barricades
The Deadly Flaw in Bourbon Street's Barricades.

United States: On New Year’s Day, a large truck sped into a crowd in New Orleans’ French Quarter, killing 14 people. The area was packed with revelers, but there were no strong barriers to stop such a dangerous crash, raising serious safety concerns for both locals and tourists.

The tragedy occurred years after private security consulting firm OSAC predicted in the report published in June 2019 that the risk of terrorism in the French Quarter – including mass shootings and vehicular attacks – remained ‘highly possible while moderately probable.

The report “highly recommended” safety structures called bollards be fitted and enhanced “right away.”

As reported by the CNN, and only last month, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI informed law enforcement that lone offenders pose a risk of violence during the holiday season and that the use of ‘vehicle ramming’ cannot be ruled out, as two internal memos revealed to CNN showed.

However, the city’s steel, portable barriers were in the down position during New Year celebrations as well. They had these small security orange barriers that one could just bend with their fingers and not these heavy grey ones.

The city did leave a police car nearby the beginning of the street where over a dozen would be killed by rejoice.

According to New Orleans Police Superintendent, Anne Kirkpatrick the this particular terrorist drove around, onto the sidewalk and got around the hard target.

“We did indeed have a plan,” she said. “But the terrorist defeated it.”

‘Those barricades were not up, period.’

The barriers in question weren’t concrete structures, but rather, folding metal fences that are planned to lie flat on the ground white in use, but when crossed by traffic return to their standing position by default These were remembered notably by several witnesses to the attack.

The few people this network and its affiliates spoke to – both long-term residents and visitors – said those barriers were not erected before they narrated the deadly attack with a truck in the subsequent hours.

In fact, surveillance camera near Bourbon Street captured the pickup truck over one of the barriers which it was not to knock over at that time and sped off after nearly hitting revellers.