The terror attack in the New Orleans French Quarter on New Year's day 2025 was a tragic event that raised questions about future safety of the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras which will take place within the next 36 days. Sadly the attack also put the negative voices of politics on record with their lies and misinformation about the attack, who the attacker was, where he came from and etc.
The City of New Orleans and law enforcement know something about keeping the city safe and has a record of doing so. The city has hosted 10 Super Bowls, over 100 years of Mardi Gras and decades of the Jazz Fest and for most of those events over the years have been safe. All three of those events have thousands of people sitting or standing shoulder to shoulder, a good target for an attack, but all in all, carried out safely. The positive news should be talked about because the capabilities are there and witnessed by the public.
A terror attack can be carried out at any time and place and over the years has done so. But so has mass shooting deaths in many American cities. And those attacks have taken place despite the so called "tough talk" by some political leaders. What is needed is a top priority by State and Federal governments, along with intelligence that can define and disrupt such attacks before they occur. That is what brought Bin Laden to justice, not "tough talk."
We should learn from what took place on New Years day and at the same time understand that the City does have the capabilities to continue to keep the Super Bowl, Mardi Gras and the Jazz Fest safe with the proper steps of safety. The positives do tell a story that balances the lies and misinformation political people like to spin when tragic events take place.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
