This is just a warning for all those visting "The Big Easy."

I was in the French Quarter recently (June 2002) celebrating my wedding anniversary with my wife and another couple. We've been to New Orleans a few times before. We were walking near Decatur and Bienville (about a block from the House of Blues). It was during the late night hours but there was still plenty of people around. We walked past the Mojo Club on the corner and didn't notice anything or anyone in particular. We were all talking as we past by and several people were standing outside. Suddenly, a young male approached from behind yelling obscenities. To make a long story short, my male friend and I were assaulted causing injuries serious enough to go to the hospital for treatment. The offender was eventually caught by the police as he tried to hide in an alley with his girlfriend. The criminal case is pending prosecution. To this day, we don't know what reason he could have had to assault us... The rumors about New Orleans becoming an increasingly violent place seem to be true. We will not be back.

Moral of the story: violence can happen to you without any provocation or reason; always be aware of your surroundings; be prepared and carry pepper spray.

javg, I hope you and your friend have recovered from your injuries and I'm disgusted to hear what happenend to you. And glad the police found the man who assaulted you.

That's too bad to hear that you won't be going back to New Orleans, but I can understand how something like this would put your off a city.

Your advice to be aware of your surroundings and be prepared is right on the money. Thanks.

Best of luck.

That's awful. Ditto on Dean's reply wishing you a speedy recovery, physically and emotionally because I'm sure it was a traumatic experience.

The good side of things is that the NOPD found the assailants!!
I've been working in the French Quarter for 10 years and have lived in N.O. my entire life and, fortunately, nothing like that has ever happened to me. I'm sorry you had such a terrrible experience that evening. How was the trip going before that happend?

Please don't let a few bad apples spoil your whole perception of N.O.. Yes, every big city has it's problems. And, with 11+ million visitors per year, it's important to us to make sure that our guests are save and have a great time. That's the case 99% of the time. I'm sorry that you fell into that 1% and I ask that you give N.O. another try someday. It's really a wonderful place to work, live, visit and play.
Thanks for the Post!
-Gene

Thanks Dean and Gene for your kind remarks.

My friend and I are about 99% recuperated. I had a severely sprained ankle that has taken some time to fully heal. It is still slightly swollen but the doctors say I just need a little more time. The other cuts and bruises are completely healed with a few hardly visible scars to remind us of this tragedy. This was a traumatic event and was a wake up call for all of us. I guess I must say that there is a silver lining. If the assailant had had a knife or a gun, this would have been much worse. For now, the assailant is facing two felony battery charges.

While I must admit this could happen anywhere, it has never happened to me or anyone I know. As I said before, we are still clueless about why he did this. I guess we'll never know.

I must add one other thing. There were several witnesses to this incident. Some witnesses (New Orleans residents) did assist in help us and the police track down and identify the assailant. For this we are forever greatful. They were truly wonderful to us expressed genuine concern. Despite my horrific experience, everyone should know that not all New Orleans residents are violent criminals. Many are warm and caring people who did not hesitate to help another person in need.

Thanks to All.

Be careful out there!

Javg

Again Javg, I hated hearing about your experience, but I am happy to hear you and your friend are doing better. Good luck on a speedy recovery!

Also, I'm heartened to hear that witnesses were willing to come forward and lend their help to you and the police.

Get well soon!