In the wake of two tragic deaths during Mardi Gras, the Mayor’s Mardi Gras Advisory Council, which includes Captain’s of krewes, will meet today with NOPD and the City’s public safety officials to talk about safety at Mardi Gras parades.
This is a meeting that occurs after every Mardi Gras; but with two deaths and two incidents where riders fell off of their floats, this year’s meeting has a sense of urgency..
The day after Mardi Gras, my talk show was dominated by listeners calling in to bash Mayor Latoya Cantrell’s decision to ban all tandem floats. Overwhelmingly, callers and commentings on social media have agreed that the Mayor’s decision to immediately ban tandem floats – which have been part of Mardi Gras parades for many years – was a knee-jerk reaction.
On the air and on social media – I agreed with the prevailing view that banning tandem floats was not the right decision and that it suggested that it was the floats that posed a danger to citizens watching parades. In advance of today’s meeting on the safety of Mardi Gras – scheduled for 5:00pm this afternoon – I am hopeful that wisdom will prevail and tandem floats will not be permanently banned.
While I believe the floats are not to blame and that the focus should be on demanding that people act responsibly – I expect that some changes will result. Many suggestions have been made about some kind of accordion-like barrier between the tandem floats. Other suggestions included security guards walking with every float.
Whatever changes are made – the bottom line is that individuals must be expected to act responsibly or face their self-imposed consequences.
One of the first things parents teach their children is “don’t play in the street.” It’s amazing how many people forget some of the early things their parents told them about being safe.