Discussions continue about securing the French Quarter and Bourbon Street following the January 1 terror attack and ahead of the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras. Now, French Quarter leaders say the discussion about safety in the Vieux Carré must not end when Lent begins.
"What are going to do six months from now? What are we doing to do one year from now?" asked Christian Pendleton of the French Quarter Management District.
Pendleton told WWL's Tommy Tucker that he's not opposed to making changes in the French Quarter to keep it secure, but he wants to make sure that the city maintains any bollards or other security devices well after they're installed.
"There has to be a thoughtful plan to create these things, protect these things, and operationalize these things day after day after day. If not, it's just another waste of money," Pendleton said. "We can't have this beautiful security system and then not do the routine maintenance to keep it operational."
Pendleton told WWL's Tommy Tucker that city leaders need to take a common sense approach to securing Bourbon Street and the French Quarter. That includes stepping up towing enforcement in the quarter and putting more police on patrol in the Vieux Carré.
Pendleton is also calling for a dialogue between city leaders and French Quarter residents to find out how the quarter can be secured while causing the least impact on its residents.
"Can we be thoughtful, and should we be thoughtful? One hundred percent," Pendleton said. "We also shouldn't just say "no" to everything that's different. This bears a serious conversation about where things are and what are the best practices to make it a little bit safer."
