NEW ORLEANS — Kim Alexander sat in the midst of the half-filled sanctuary as music and prayer stuffed the room. While Bishop Lester Love spoke of therapeutic and hope on the pulpit, Alexander didn’t appear satisfied town will probably be safer after a automobile rampage killed 14 New Year’s revelers on Bourbon Street.
“There’s too many unattended areas within the French Quarter, there’s too many unattended areas within the metropolis,” the 60-year-old New Orleans resident instructed NBC News after the service. She mentioned she thinks extra officers ought to be employed.
She wasn’t alone in her worries. Hundreds of New Orleanians gathered on the City of Love Church on Saturday morning to hunt solace and understanding within the wake of the assault. With fingers raised and tears rolling down their faces, attendees sang, shouted and prayed — not only for the victims, however for the attacker, town and a safer future.
The attacker, 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. Army veteran from Texas, drove a rented truck right into a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street within the early hours of New Year’s Day. Authorities mentioned he posted movies on-line throughout his journey to New Orleans during which he professed his assist for ISIS. After plowing through the crowd, Jabbar was killed in a shootout with police.
The temper on the morning prayer service oscillated between grief and dedication. Police officers stood alongside grieving members of the New Orleans group.
“Even although we’re going by way of it, issues will get higher,” Love instructed the congregation. “The metropolis is hurting, however it is usually resilient.”
As town prepares for the Super Bowl subsequent month and Mardi Gras in March, legislation enforcement and native officers vowed to strengthen security measures.
After the prayer service, Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson mentioned town will stay vigilant about protecting residents and vacationers protected within the months forward, however she couldn’t rule out one other mass killing.
“On any given day, anyone can do one thing,” Hutson mentioned, including that legislation enforcement will probably be effectively ready to reply. “If any person desires to do one thing, they’re going to determine how.”
Still, the tragedy has left some questioning whether or not New Orleans is prepared for a whole lot of hundreds of holiday makers within the coming months. In addition to the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is in April, and the annual occasion attracts round 400,000 individuals annually, in accordance with its web site.
Some are counting on religion to persevere. “I’ve religion that God is ordering my steps,” mentioned service attendee Tishawn Francis, 45.
Will Holmes, 44, is optimistic, he mentioned, as a result of New Orleans is provided to deal with these occasions.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell, who attended the service, reiterated her dedication to assist the victims and their households. In addition to the 14 who had been killed, dozens had been injured, with many nonetheless in space hospitals.
Former Police Superintendent Michael Harrison praised legislation enforcement’s swift response, noting that the tragedy might have been even worse.
Harrison mentioned the attacker might have used his gun as a substitute of the truck, as a result of “he was going to kill it doesn’t matter what.”
