Did authorities fail the victims of the New Orleans terrorist attack? Surely it is hardly in doubt.
And yet, consider the response of Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick of the New Orleans police when I asked her if I had let them down by not having an adequate security plan.
“That is not correct, we would not agree with that.”
“Does it have to be a security flaw?” I suggested.
“We know that there are people who have lost their lives,” he responded. “But if you had experience with terrorism, you wouldn’t ask that question.”
With that, her media officials escorted her away from the assembled journalists.
Superintendent Kirkpatrick had been holding a brief press conference at the end of Bourbon Road to announce its reopening. He was just meters from the spot where a terrorist managed to squeeze through a gap in a makeshift obstacle line and accelerate toward the New Year’s crowd.
Invoking the “experience with terrorism” is something to reflect on. What experience told authorities that they had adequate protection against a vehicle attack?
Experience told them that it was appropriate to leave a space the width of a car at makeshift street barricades.
What experience told you to contradict the safety protocols of major cities around the world when it comes to large public gatherings?
Read more about this story:
What we know about the suspect
The brother of the attack victim reveals his last words
The victims named so far
For many, the answer should not be to speak from experience, but simply: “I’m sorry.” In particular, it has seemed to be the most difficult word in a series of briefings from authorities who have bristled at the concept of security failures.
I asked Jack Bech for his opinion. He lost his brother Martin, or “Tiger,” in the Bourbon Road attack. He told Sky Information that he saw the final moments of his brother’s life on a FaceTime call to an emergency room as doctors tried, unsuccessfully, to save him.
It’s one heartbreaking story among dozens in this city.
Regarding security, he said: “You can’t blame them. “That guy could have easily been walking through the crowd with a jacket on and a bomb strapped to his chest.”
TRUE. But the least one could hope for is an acknowledgment that the man who could not be stopped could not be stopped. he stuck his gun into the crowd because he could. They certainly cannot boast of success.
A measure of contrition would perhaps help the healing of this city. Experience should tell you that, at least.
