Here's hoping. NO could sure use a break, especially from the criminals and the grifters.
I'll drink to that.
Last time we were there we went to one of the above-ground grave yards, pretty cool place we just happened to notice, and this guy came over to tell us we had to stay with the tour. When we told him we were by ourselves (the wife and I) he told us we needed to get out, said it wasn't safe even in daylight except in large groups because black guys (not the word he used) from the projects scaled the wall, robbed tourists, then scaled the wall back into the projects. There were a couple black guys not with a tour, but as far as I could tell they were doing the same thing as us, just walking around looking at the graves. We talked with a couple of them and they didn't seem like criminals anyway, and nobody bothered us. As we were leaving a cop stopped us and told us the same thing, that it wasn't safe to travel New Orleans except with a tour group because of these "black guys". (He used the same word - and he was black!)
LOL. Welcome to N'awlins. I'll let someone much better than I explain the black vrs ****** (with an ER at the end, awesome dude with just an a on the end means friend, don't use either unless you feel like rolling the dice on catching an asswhoopin) thing
click for explanation.
Since the so called "white flight", which was really middle/lower upper class flight, black folk have made been well over half of the population in N'awlins. The vast majority of politicians from NOLA have been black including US Congress (sun moon and stars aligned for Cao to get elected and as I said the day he got elected he had no chance of winning a 2nd term). Bottom line is, at least locally, the race card doesn't get played very often unless it is something really big or the pastors get involved. That is a big reason why you hear stuff like that, not to say that there isn't racism in the city but often it is people genuinely differentiating between black folk and assholes. That would be why you heard the black cop say it.
As far as the criminals, yes a majority of the criminals in NOLA are black. That is a huge shock when you consider that the majority of the population is black AND a very large percentage of the population is poor. Poor people, regardless of race, have a much higher tendency to be criminals and we seem to like cramming a fuckload of poor black folk in small areas (the projects) which makes matters even worse. Just like any other race it is not hard at all to tell the difference between the assholes and the normal folk.
Onto the "dangerous" part. Again this is something that is just "naturally N'awlins", remember when I said that for some reason we seem to like taking a fuckload of poor black folk and putting them in rather small areas better known as the projects? Well the city planners decided where to put these projects by throwing darts at a map and you can be driving (or walking) along and literally go from million dollar homes to a place that you gotta wait on the swat team if you call 911 in just a few blocks. There are now 3-4 housing projects that you might encounter (the rest you would have to try really hard to get too) and if you are within a 5 block radius or so, even though you are in a "good" area, it is smart to travel with a few people. Thugs look for targets of opportunity, don't give them one. I am pretty sure I know what graveyard you were at and the cop was right, a guy and his wife in a big, rather empty and dark, lots of hiding places, etc. place are targets of opportunity.
Basically it is just like any other city, if you wander into or near the poor areas and you are a target of opportunity you have drastically increased your likelihood of encountering trouble. If you don't wander into those areas the chances of trouble finding you are pretty damn slim. N'awlins is very dangerous if you are a young black male involved in the drug trade but otherwise it isn't nearly as bad as you think.
Anyway, I've been there twice and never had any trouble, so I never had a good sense if it's really that dangerous or if they're just drumming up business for tours. But all the drunks, hippies, panhandlers and trannies kinda ruined it for me anyway.
I think you just wandered a bit to close to the Magnolia housing projects which is why they played up the dangerous thing. Considering how close it is to the FQ they should give tourists maps with a big ass red circle around it but that isn't very PC. If you are on Bourbon St. at night the drunks kinda come with package, panhandlers are becoming less of an issue since we got the new Chief, can't do anything about the hippies, and as far as the trannies do NOT go farther than the 700 block of Bourbon. From canal to Bourbon (100 block - 700 block) you are on the "straight" side of Bourbon, from the 700 block on you are in the "gay" section.
If you ever decide to come back I would highly suggest coming during the French Quarter festival. It isn't nearly as crazy as Mardi Gras and tons of free live music, the best food you have ever had, good looking women and good times. Shoot me an email if you are considering it and I would be happy to give you a tour and give you some suggestions on what to do/where to go.
Happy Mardi Gras (yes, it is Mardi Gras day) so if anything I posted doesn't make sense, that is why.
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