Let’s Stop Pretending Things Haven’t Changed
Bourbon Street has always been open to cars. For decades, delivery trucks, taxis, locals, and tourists shared the same narrow space. That worked in another era. But the era has changed.
After the terror attack on New Year’s Day, when a man used a pickup truck to drive through the crowd, killing and injuring innocent people, the question isn’t if we need to make Bourbon safer—it’s how far we’re willing to go.
This isn’t about a random beating or street crime. It’s about domestic terrorism in a space that was once about joy. We have to adapt.
The Old Bourbon Is Over
In the past, Bourbon’s chaos was part of its charm. That chaos has now become a liability. Cars, bikes, scooters, drunk tourists, police units, and food vendors all weave through the same corridor. Every inch is a risk.
The NOPD asked a national firm to make recommendations about how to make Bourbon St. safe. They recommended making the first nine blocks of Bourbon St. a pedestrian only mall. The idea of closing the first nine blocks to cars—permanently—isn’t some radical scheme. It’s a logical response to the real threats we now face: weaponized vehicles, IEDs in trash cans, and soft-target terrorism.
Businesses Will Adjust—Like They Always Have
The biggest pushback comes from local businesses that rely on early-morning deliveries. That’s understandable. Change is hard.
But the new report recommends setting designated delivery times, likely in the early morning hours, before pedestrian traffic fills the streets. Similar systems work in cities like New York and Miami. If they can manage, we can too.
No one is saying businesses must suffer. We’re saying Bourbon Street must evolve. Public safety has to come first.
Is This Too Drastic?
Let’s be honest—this is a philosophical debate about who we are now.
Do we cling to nostalgia just because Bourbon “has always been this way”? Do we let the past handcuff the present? Or do we respond to new realities with new ideas?
Yes, there is a good argument to do nothing drastic. It’s disruptive. It’s unfamiliar. And yes, it will cause friction.
But there’s a better argument to do something bold. The kind of safety risks we now face didn’t exist in 1985. Back then, our biggest fear was a pickpocket, not a weaponized vehicle. The world changed. Bourbon didn’t. That gap is deadly.
It’s Not Just About Business
This is a values test. Are we willing to inconvenience delivery schedules to save lives? Are we willing to inconvenience ourselves—just a little—to ensure our most iconic street doesn’t become a crime scene again?
Some critics say the New Year’s terror is not a good enough reason for these changes. That changing to a pedestrian only mall will somehow decrease the appeal of Bourbon St. And tourism in the city will decrease. That’s nonsense. The real concern is the terror attack, the deliberate vehicular assault that showed the French Quarter is a vulnerable target.
That act of violence exposed the truth: the old way is no longer safe.
Let’s Do This Right
Here’s what the city should do now:
- Permanently close Bourbon from Canal to Dumaine to cars, 24/7.
- Allow delivery vehicles only between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m., with street access blocked afterward.
- Create drop-off zones for ride-shares on Royal and Dauphine.
- Install retractable bollards, security cameras, and high-visibility lighting.
- Enforce strict no-scooter, no-bike rules inside the pedestrian zone.
This isn’t about punishing businesses. It’s about giving them a future where customers feel safe and eager to return.
A Better Bourbon is Within Reach
If we act now, Bourbon Street can be cleaner, safer, and more vibrant.
But if we sit on our hands, cling to tradition, and pretend a car barreling through a crowd on New Year’s Day wasn’t a warning sign—we’ll deserve the next tragedy that follows.
Tourists want to feel safe. Locals deserve to be safe. Bourbon Street has been through a lot, but it’s never had to face this kind of threat. Let’s meet the moment with courage and clarity.
Jeff Thomas
Publisher • Opinion Columnist • Licensed General Contractor • Real Estate Appraiser • New Orleans
Jeff Thomas is the publisher of Black Source Media and one of New Orleans’ most direct voices on civic affairs, economic justice, and Louisiana politics. He writes from the intersection of experience and accountability — as a licensed general contractor,a tech company founder and executive with over 30 years experience, and a businessman who has worked across the city’s civic, media, and construction ecosystems for decades.
His Sunday column covers Louisiana legislative politics, insurance discrimination, housing policy, and the forces shaping Black community life in New Orleans and across the state. Thomas writes in the tradition of Black journalists who hold power accountable without apology — building arguments from data, delivering verdicts from evidence, and speaking to Black New Orleans with the directness the moment demands.
He is also the principal of EA Inspection Services, LLC, a government inspection services company. Black Source Media is his platform for the civic conversation New Orleans has needed and too rarely had.
Selected Articles by Jeff Thomas
Black Neighborhoods Pay the Highest Insurance Rates in Louisiana. Here’s What They Don’t Want You to Know.
They Didn’t Yell the N-Word. They Went to Law School, Bided Their Time, and Rewrote the Constitution Instead.
Vappie vs. Morrell: Why Does Justice Look Different in New Orleans?
The State Has the Money. New Orleans East Just Needs Them to Use It.
The Failure of Mitch Landrieu
Publisher — Black Source Media
Jeff Thomas
Publisher • Opinion Columnist • Licensed General Contractor • Real Estate Appraiser • New Orleans
Jeff Thomas is the publisher of Black Source Media and one of New Orleans’ most direct voices on civic affairs, economic justice, and Louisiana politics. He writes from the intersection of experience and accountability — as a licensed general contractor,a tech company founder and executive with over 30 years experience, and a businessman who has worked across the city’s civic, media, and construction ecosystems for decades.
His Sunday column covers Louisiana legislative politics, insurance discrimination, housing policy, and the forces shaping Black community life in New Orleans and across the state. Thomas writes in the tradition of Black journalists who hold power accountable without apology — building arguments from data, delivering verdicts from evidence, and speaking to Black New Orleans with the directness the moment demands.
He is also the principal of EA Inspection Services, LLC, a government inspection services company. Black Source Media is his platform for the civic conversation New Orleans has needed and too rarely had.
Selected Articles by Jeff Thomas
Black Neighborhoods Pay the Highest Insurance Rates in Louisiana. Here’s What They Don’t Want You to Know.
They Didn’t Yell the N-Word. They Went to Law School, Bided Their Time, and Rewrote the Constitution Instead.
Vappie vs. Morrell: Why Does Justice Look Different in New Orleans?
The State Has the Money. New Orleans East Just Needs Them to Use It.
The Failure of Mitch Landrieu