NEW ORLEANS — A viral video of a large fight near Canal and Bourbon Streets this weekend has New Orleans business owners concerned about the image it portrays to visitors.
It shows a chaotic scene, just steps from a busy French Quarter.
Zeke Cee and Vickie Contreras from San Diego say they heard the commotion.
“We just said we’re not going to be any part of that and we’re walking on out of there,” Cee said. “We didn’t come to have a bad time.”
David Rubenstein watched the video.
His family owns Rubensteins Men’s Store on Canal Street.
“I’m almost at a loss for words as to what it really does to the city,” Rubenstein said. “We have great restaurants, we have great everything and if people are afraid to come down and not support them, then the economics of town disappear.”
It appears fists started flying between two groups of women in a crowd gathered to watch an illegal car show where drivers burn rubber and do donuts.
“The fact that it even went on and there was no one there to stop them or police cars parked on the corner that could chase them who were doing it,” Rubenstein said. “I don’t know what to do about it, but it’s frightening.”
Former New Orleans City Councilmember Jay Batt says the person who shot the video sent it to him.
He says the fight broke out early Friday morning.
“How are we going to get back with tourism when this type of behavior is happening right there on Canal and Bourbon?” Batt said.
Batt recently closed his downtown Jos A. Bank store in part because of the crime.
The area near Bourbon and Canal has seen a recent spike in violence including a shooting that injured five people just last month.
“I just hate seeing our city just fall into disgrace,” Batt said.
Business owners have an idea that could possibly help cut down on crime near Bourbon and Canal. They say there should be some sort of curfew on Bourbon Street, even on the weekends.
“Maybe you close down Bourbon Street at 1 o’clock,” Rubenstein said. “All of the problems, the shootings and all things seem to happen after 1 o’clock.”
Visitors say you have to be careful in New Orleans after dark.
“After a certain time when people have been drinking and things like that, things change,” Vickie Contreas said. “The atmosphere changes.”
The NOPD would only say the incident is under investigation.
Last month, police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson announced more officers would be assigned to Bourbon Street.
He also said there would be additional lighting.