I would like weigh in on the ordinance to ban pedestrians in Jackson
Square between 1 am and 5 am. As someone who grew up in the Quarter
and often walked home from my second shift job after 1 am, having the
“eyes on the street” in the Square made that the safest route home.
I also recently lived on Saint Ann for a year a half a block from the
square and often saw tourists make their way there to get their
bearings late at night. The “regulars” who are there actually reduce
the opportunity for petty crimes.
I am SURE that shutting down the square is a bad move for safety. I
also know that it takes about 45 minutes for the cleaners to power
wash the square and that they do it around 6 am.
I appreciate the way that your office has shown leadership and a
thoughtful approach to representing your district. Most of the time, I
am fully behind your initiatives, but this one is misguided at best,
and at worst, is pandering to the few residents that want to believe
they live on a residential street, rather than the public square that
it truly is.
There are ways to restrict loud activity (if that is what you mean to
target) and ways to reduce, well whatever this is designed to reduce
without creating a safety vacuum.
How do you penalize staff working late who might be standing outside
of their door, or someone using the light to check a map? Who are
these people that must be removed for 4 hours anyway? How will this
assist the city in building a more vibrant future?
Please reconsider.