Claim: Americans think New Orleans has become too dangerous to be in alone

Question

The article claims that New Orleans has become very dangerous, but also cites people saying it is not so dangerous. Has it become more dangerous lately? Dangerous enough to warrant not travelin gthere alone? Is this what "Americans" are saying? Saying to non-Americans? To each other?

Answer 1

Yes, it’s safe to visit New Orleans. But certain parts of the city have a higher crime rate than others. The majority of criminal activity occurs away from popular tourist attractions. The absence of a travel advisory against New Orleans doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take precautions when visiting the city.

https://travellersworldwide.com/is-new-orleans-safe/

Answer 2

Fox news, among other publications, have recently been covering New Orleans increasingly as Mardi Gras celebrations were held this month on February 21, 2023. Most commonly celebrated in New Orleans, an estimated 1 million visitors were expected to participate in the celebrations this year, according to AFAR. With this many people centralized in one location, concerns over safety are inevitably brought to the forefront of the discussion.

Discussions of New Orleans becoming America's murder capital are on the front page of many publications, such as the Fox article you cited. Looking at trends of New Orleans' crime rates, there have been many ebbs and flows. As far as murder rates, NOLA Crime News' Historical Statistics charts show that New Orleans from 1934 to 2016 saw its height of 424 murders in 1994. Since then, murder rates as a whole have gone down to about 150 t0 200 murders per year; this points to national murder rates going down since the 1990's. Although, this chart is outdated and fails to include such pivotal social and political movements that have taken place since 2016. 

Notable events since 2016 include, but are not limited to, the Black Lives Matter movement, the 2016 presidential election, the 2020 presidential election, the global pandemic, and subsequent political movements in its wake. According to US murder rates catalogued by MacroTrends, murder/homicide rates in America increased by 28.64% in 2020 from the rates in 2019. Due to the lack of current information in the NOLA Crime New's chart, it can be inferred that New Orlean's murder rates increased along with the national rates. In this way, it can be argued that the safety of major cities nationally have become more dangerous, especially concerning an event as large as Mardi Gras.

Sentiments on the safety of being alone specifically in New Orleans are impacted by the real statistics behind crime rates in the city, which can be accessed by New Orleans residents as well as those who travel there from other places in the world. This is not an issue limited to non-Americans or for individuals who are alone as your original question implied, it is an issue of crime levels that impact all people in New Orleans.

AFAR link: www.afar.com/magazine/everything-you-need-to-know-about-mardi-gras-in-new-orleans#:~:text=During%20Mardi%20Gras%2C%20at%20least,Fat%20Tuesday%20parades%20and%20festivities. 

Fox link: www.foxnews.com/us/americans-new-orleans-warn-dont-come-alone-murder-capital 

NOLA Crime News link: nolacrimenews.com/statistics/historical-statistics/

MacroTrends link: www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/murder-homicide-rate

Comments

Great write up about the current status of the city and list of sources, but what would be your rating of the claim? Is it true or false? Don't forget to address whether the claim is factually accurate or not when you're putting together your explanation.

Answer 3

Personally, I believe this article is misleading because it presents New Orleans as a wild jungle with no culture or history. The title of the article is presenting that the citizens are only saying "Be safe" and "Stay in groups"  to warn tourists about criminals but they make sure they realize theirs attend an enormous event where people are drinking and partying. I think these phrases are normal to say no matter where you're located because nowhere is safe for anybody. This article will allow the audience to be fearful of visiting a beautiful and cultured city like New Orleans.  "Dustin, of New Orleans is getting an unfair label as the "murder capital." I agree with Dustin because you have to be safe in your hometown as well as in unknown places.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/americans-new-orleans-warn-dont-come-alone-murder-capital

Comments

Thanks for your personal opinion on the claim. Don't forget to dig deeper and find sources that support your stance on the claim, such as news outlets, reputable travel sites, or government crime data if you find it applicable. Here are some examples:

https://www.frommers.com/destinations/new-orleans/planning-a-trip/health--safety
https://gocity.com/new-orleans/en-us/blog/is-new-orleans-safe-to-visit
https://www.neworleans.com/plan/faqs/visitor-safety/
https://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/safety-in-new-orleans-484284/

Answer 4

The claim that New Orleans has become very dangerous is not true. There are some areas of the city that tourists may want to avoid, but that remains true for any city. Taking safety precautions such as regulating drinking and keeping valuables away will also help with general safety. 

Most of the people interviewed in the article where the claim originates from were visitors to the city for the Mardi Gras holiday, the largest celebration the city holds with generally over a million attendees. On any other given day of the year, there are not going to be as many people in such tight quarters at once. This large celebration, while tradition, can give the city a unique vibe that isn't present year-round. 

Sources:

- How Safe is New Orleans for Visitors? 

- Americans in New Orleans warn 'don't come alone' to this murder capital

- Parade Routes, Floats, and Radiation Threats: Happy Mardi Gras!