Crime plagues Bourbon Street

Not the place to be: Sometimes it takes awhile to sink in--but have you noticed all the violence lately on Bourbon Street? Not only is it occurring where tourists like to play, but it's also hitting where residents of the Lower Quarter live.

On Sunday (6.22.08), a man was held up in the 1100 block of Bourbon (between Gov. Nicholls and Ursulines streets) at 6:50 a.m.--just a block away from where another armed robbery took place just 3 days earlier on Thursday (6.19.08) in the 1200 block (between Gov. Nicholls and Barracks Street) at almost the identical time--6:51 a.m.

In the Sunday robbery, the perpetrator was described as a white guy in his 20s, 5'8" tall, weighing 140 pounds, with a crew cut and a tattoo of a flower on his neck, wearing a white T-shirt and green jacket. The Thursday robbery was not reported by the 8th District, so no description of the robber was available. (Sure hope the 8th District is aware of the crime.)

Add to the armed robberies, the simple robberies. On Saturday morning (6.21.08) at 9:50 a.m., a black guy grabbed cash from the victim's hand at Bourbon and St. Louis streets. Just 4 minutes later in the 400 block (between Conti and St. Louis streets) there was another simple (unarmed) robbery. A week earlier on 6.14.08 there was another simple robbery at 2:31 a.m. in the 500 block of Bourbon (between St. Louis and Toulouse streets).

Throw in a few assaults and batteries too, and it's definitely not the place you want to be for a good time. And for those of us who live here, we seem to accept it when we should be raising holy hell to get the NOPD to patrol the French Quarter like flies on you-know-what.

Not the only place suffering: Just a block from Bourbon Street, at Gov. Nicholls and Dauphine streets, early Monday morning (6.23.08) at 1:25 a.m., a white man and Asian lady were robbed at gunpoint by a black guy. The woman dropped her purse on the ground, which was good enough for the robber who scooped it up and fled on foot up Dauphine toward Canal Street.

The description of the perp sounds an awfully lot like one of the 2 thugs who viciously attacked a 58-year-old man last Thursday (6.19.08) on Toulouse Street during a robbery in which both low-lives were armed. In the Monday morning robbery, the thief was described as in his 20's, 5'11" tall, weighing 160 pounds, with a light complexion, and wearing dark clothing and a dark cap.

Vicious duo identified: Speaking of the vicious robbery mentioned above that we reported yesterday, 8th District detectives were swift in developing a lead and showing a photographic line-up to the victim who positively fingered the thugs who savagely beat him during a robbery last Thursday (6.19.08) on Toulouse Street between Decatur and Chartres streets.

Warrants for arrest on armed robbery charges were issued for 2 blacks, both of whom have arrest records going back to when they were teenagers:

• James Dawson, 22, 6' tall, 160 pounds;

• Tony Graps, 21, 5'8" tall, 140 pounds.

Bonds' bond boosted: David Bonds, the 19-year-old arrested in a shooting at Canal Street and St. Charles Avenue on 5.4.08, plead not guilty today before Judge Julian Parker in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court to a charge of attempted 2nd-degree murder.

Judge Parker increased his bond from $750,000 to a cool $1 million. Hurray...let's not take any chances of this little scumbag being out on the street again anytime soon.

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

Thom Kahler