Where you're most likely to get robbed in the French Quarter/Marigny Triangle

When you read report after report of robberies in NOcrimeline, you start to realize some streets are more dangerous than others. And you are right. But which ones?

An analysis by NOcrimeline of robberies last year in the NOPD's 8th District (the French Quarter, the Marigny Triangle, and CBD) was complicated by suspicions about the reliability of the publicly-published crime maps from NOPD headquarters. But they are all we have to go on. I suspect they track the pattern of actual crimes generally, if not specifically.

Pinpointing actual locations of robberies was often complicated by ambiguous postings by officers on their crime reports. In some cases, the intersections where crimes occurred were specified; in others, only the hundred block was listed and there was no way to know which intersection it might be nearest. NOcrimeline tried to specify the intersections to give a sense of the areas where the most crime was occurring.

Under "robberies", the NOPD lumps armed robbery, simple robbery (pursesnatchings and such where no weapon is used), carjackings, and attempted, as well as actual, robberies. There were 184 incidents labeled as robberies in the 8th District in 2007.

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As you might expect, the bulk of the robberies occurred in the French Quarter, just because it predominates the district geographically. Of the 184 robberies, 138 of them were in the Quarter. Of those, 68 were in the blocks from Canal Street (technically not in the Quarter) to St. Ann Street where tourist were the most likely victims. Most disturbing was the 50 robberies that happened in the more residential Lower Quarter from Dumaine Street to Esplanade Avenue.

Surprisingly, 34 of the 184 robberies occurred in the Marigny Triangle, where the streets curve around for a few blocks from Esplanade Avenue to Elysian Fields Avenue and go up as far as St. Claude Avenue. Only 32 of the robberies were in the CBD where the streets are virtually devoid of foot traffic--and thus, victims--after dark.

Surprising too is how few of the robberies are on Canal, Iberville or Conti streets in the heart of the tourist mecca. Each had 5 robberies; Iberville was the nearest cross-street in 8 others, Canal in one other, and Conti in 2 others.

Even Bourbon Street is not as dangerous as you might suspect. Running its full length from Canal to Esplanade, Bourbon was the scene of 16 robberies and was the cross-street in 11 others in both the Upper and Lower Quarters.

Startling too was the revelation that 2 rather peaceful-seeming streets were subject to so much violence: Gov. Nicholls and St. Philip streets. There were 5 robberies on Gov. Nicholls, and it was the cross-street in 9 others; on St. Philip there were 6 robberies and it was the nearest street in 7 others. Both of those rather bucolic short neighborhood fares matched the totals on the whole length of Royal and Decatur streets.

Even North Rampart Street, the boundary between the French Quarter and Treme where many of the robbers are suspected of being holed up, doesn't make it into the top 10 of the worst places. Only 6 robberies occurred on that street, and 3 more on streets near it.

The MOST DANGEROUS streets? The 2 most dangerous streets--those you almost instinctively recall hearing over and over again--are Burgundy and Dauphine streets. They were each the scene of 21 robberies last year. Burgundy was the cross-street in 19 other robberies and Dauphine in 15 others.

Some speculate that the 2 streets being so relatively quiet and in close proximity to each other allows robbers to cruise down Burgundy from Canal, turn on Esplanade and go one block, turn up Dauphine and go back to Canal--all the while hunting for victims.

The SAFEST streets? The 3 safest streets are all contiguous and straddle the boundary between the Upper Quarter and Lower Quarter--Orleans, St. Ann, and Dumaine. There were only 2 robberies on Orleans and Dumaine, and one on St. Ann which is sandwiched between the other 2. Ironically, Dumaine is right next to St. Philip, which is one of the worst streets.

St. Peter, which is also contiguous with those 3, just upriver from Orleans, could probably be considered safe too, since it had only one robbery, but it was the cross-street in 7 other robberies (among them 2 at Burgundy and 2 at Dauphine).

Why are some streets safer? Obviously streets like Burgundy and Dauphine, which are more lightly traveled and have less foot traffic, are prone to robbers isolating lone victims. But why is Dumaine one of the safest streets while St. Philip, right next to it, is one of the most violent?

It would be interesting--maybe even vital--for the NOPD, or a civic group like Lower Quarter Crime Watch, to try to assess what it is about one street that makes it safer. Or what makes it more dangerous.

Maybe it's the number of streetlights working on a safe street or burned out on a dangerous street? Or brighter porch lights illuminating the safer streets? Maybe there are fewer hiding places for thugs to lie in wait?

There could be any number of reasons, but determining what makes a street safe could be replicated on other streets to make them safer too.

How to protect yourself: Until we have that ideal world where we can step out our door and stroll the French Quarter any time of day or night without fear, there are some precautions you can take.

Perhaps you don't have to be as cautious as the person I heard about recently who, leaving a party at one of the most dangerous intersections late at night, took a cab home--all of 2 blocks away.

But the best way to stay safe on the streets is to stay vigilant. Pay attention to your locale, cars cruising by, pedestrians approaching (whether from the front or rear), people loitering on the street. If you encounter any situation that looks threatening, change your pattern--turn around and walk the other direction, turn down a side street, stand on a well-illuminated doorstep. Take your cellphone out and make a show of calling 911--and do it, to report a threatening situation.

There are those who advocate going armed down those dangerous streets. But you have to ask yourself whether you have the experience or aptitude to match up against a hoodlum who isn't thinking right to begin with. You don't want to get into a quick-draw contest with a hopped-up druggie who's already got his gun out and his mind on your money.

And if you'd rather rely on pepper spray or a taser, do you want to be that close to a demon such as you've encountered to be able to use it? I have heard of at least one case where she emptied her pepper spray canister on an attacker and all it did was infuriate him further and intensify his attack on her.

It ultimately comes back to staying alert. Day and night. Brightly lit street or dim. Lots of people around or few. If you sense danger, get someone to go with you, or wait and go later. But don't allow yourself to be a victim.

This is the list of the most dangerous streets. The numbers after each street indicate the total number of robberies last year on that street or near it:

1. Burgundy (40)
2. Dauphine (36)
3. Bourbon (27)
4. Gov Nicholls (14)
5. Decatur (13)
6. Royal (13)
7. St. Philip (13)
8. Iberville (13)
9. St. Louis (12)
10. Frenchmen (10)
11. Barracks (10)
12. Ursulines (10)
13. Bienville (10)
14. Chartres (9)
15. N. Rampart (9)
16. Esplanade (9)
17. St. Peter (8)
18. Conti (7)
19. Canal (6)
20. Toulouse (6)
21. Pauger (6)
22. Kerlerec (4)
23. Dumaine (3)
24. Orleans Ave. (3)
25. St. Ann (3)

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As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome at NOcrimeline@gmail.com

Thom Kahler