National Guard deployment marks a new round of New Year’s security in New Orleans
National Guard members arrived in New Orleans on Tuesday to help with safety measures ahead of New Year’s celebrations, the first such stretch since a deadly truck attack on Bourbon Street nearly a year ago, according to the Associated Press. City officials are still working on longer-term security solutions after the attack killed 14 people and injured dozens during the early hours of Jan. 1.
The rampage exposed vulnerabilities around a popular entertainment corridor known for bars, brass bands and crowds that gather to ring in the new year. Louisiana officials have said the district is safe and that additional measures have been implemented, while families of victims have said those steps have not gone far enough to prevent another tragedy.
Investigations keep focus on the street’s vehicle barriers
In the attack, Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a pickup truck down Bourbon Street, moving around a police blockade, plowing into crowds celebrating New Year’s Day, and killing 14 people. Police shot and killed Jabbar. Investigations launched after the attack have examined whether the street’s system of steel bollards and other physical barriers could have blocked the vehicle sooner, particularly as the bollards were being replaced at the time.
As officials consider what should change, questions remain about the barricade approach, which includes steel columns and other elements such as police vehicles positioned to form pedestrian zones at times. Samuel Palumbo, a captain with the New Orleans Police Department’s 8th District, said the barriers are intended to be temporary and can withstand only low-speed collisions, according to his remarks to the New Orleans Governmental Affairs Committee.
Palumbo said the city should learn from what happened and advocated installing permanent security gates designed to withstand crashes up to 50 miles per hour, the AP reported. The committee opted to delay a vote until incoming Mayor Helena Moreno enters office in January.
A consulting firm hired by the city also suggested an alternative approach: making Bourbon Street a pedestrian-only area. Victims’ families have supported that idea, the AP said, but it was largely ignored after concerns were raised by French Quarter residents and business owners about access to homes and storefronts.
Victims’ families press for permanent changes
Families of deceased victims have continued to argue that more needs to be done. Morris Bart, whose law firm represents victims’ families, told reporters Tuesday that it was “kind of ridiculous” that a year after the tragedy there had not been a resolution to the security situation on the street, according to the AP report.
One family’s anger was underscored by the experience of Melissa Dedeaux, whose daughter, Nikyra Dedeaux, was 18 and was about to start college. Dedeaux told the AP on Tuesday that she will be grieving while many people prepare to celebrate 2026, saying she had to see her daughter’s final moments through a video that circulated on social media. Dedeaux also said, “I saw no safety,” and that she saw her daughter “could still be here.”
National Guard presence to continue through Carnival season
Alongside state police troopers and Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries officers, the National Guard deployment is intended to support security as the city prepares for round-the-clock revelry. The AP reported that 350 National Guard members deployed by President Donald Trump’s administration arrived in New Orleans and were visible in the French Quarter, where Bourbon Street is located.
Troops wearing army fatigues were seen Tuesday night throughout the district near barricades, with guns in their holsters, according to the AP. The report said they will stay through Carnival season, when tourists visit for parades and celebrations that run through Mardi Gras in mid-February.
Mayor-elect Moreno, the AP reported, said she appreciates the troops’ presence and that it increases the visibility of security assets during major events.
Not everyone shared the families’ critique. Miguel Thornton, a longtime French Quarter worker, told the AP he was happy to see armed troops a year after the attack, saying many service workers were affected and that the community had been “definitely changed,” but also adding that the National Guard has been there before. Thornton said they were welcome.
Remembering the attack as New Year’s draws crowds again
As New Year’s approaches, the report described a district that continues to rely on tourism while memorials remain visible. The day after the attack, Bourbon Street was closed as emergency crews handled the injured and removed bodies; the AP reported that the street reopened the next day before all victims were identified. It also said handwritten tributes at the site of the attack were painted over within months.
For the current anniversary, the AP reported that tourists are again gathering on Bourbon Street for New Year’s celebrations, with hundreds of handcrafted flags suspended above the street honoring victims. Buck Harley, who manages a Bourbon Street cigar shop, said he has had to explain the memorial to patrons and told the AP: “We seem to as a society forget,” adding that it did not happen because of a lack of empathy but because another major story takes the place of remembrance.