Sugar Bowl To Go On As Scheduled After Terrorist Attack In New Orleans, But Many Don’t Think That’s A Good Idea

Absolutely horrific news to wake up to on this first day of the new year. I'm sure you've probably heard by now, but last night around 3 AM a man drove his pickup truck into a crowd of people celebrating the new year on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing at least 10 people and injuring 35. The suspect got out of the truck after he crashed into what appears to be a construction lift and began firing at police. Two officers were shot before the suspect was killed by gunfire. We still don't have a motive yet, but it's been reported that the suspect had a homemade explosive device in his truck and the FBI has announced they are investigating the horrific incident as a terrorist attack after initially claiming that it was NOT terrorism: https://twitter.com/FBINewOrleans/status/1874466884931723754 Video from the scene that's been posted to Twitter/X is absolutely horrific, with presumably-dead bodies laying in the street as frantic bystanders and first responders attempt to render aid. Obviously the attack could have been much worse had it taken place earlier in the evening when the crowd was much bigger, but it's absolutely heartbreaking to think of all those innocent people who were killed while they were just out trying to have a good time. Of course one of the main questions on everyone's mind is why Bourbon Street wasn't blocked off to traffic. A few years ago the city of New Orleans installed permanent bollards at the entrance to the famous party street, but those have recently been removed as the city works to replace them ahead of the Super Bowl next month, which will take place at the Caesars Superdome just a few blocks from the attack. But before the Super Bowl, the city is also preparing to host the Sugar Bowl tonight, a second-round college football playoff game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Naturally there are quite a few fans of both teams who traveled to New Orleans for the game, and this morning the University of Georgia said they were working to determine whether anyone associated with the university was hurt in the attack: https://twitter.com/universityofga/status/1874468205709733973 At a press conference after the incident, New Orleans Police Department Commissioner Anne Kirkpatrick indicated that the game would proceed as scheduled: "We want our community and our visitors to continue to enjoy - there's so much to enjoy about New Orleans, and we are going to make sure that our routes and the Superdome are safe today for the game. And yeah, we had this tragic event, and we're sorry again to everyone in the community. But we do want you to go about the day, as we say, just stay away from Bourbon." Kind of a weird thing to say. "Yeah, there was a terrorist attack, but just go have fun." While the game appears to be on track to proceed as scheduled, there are quite a few people online who believe that it should be postponed or moved in light of the tragedy - and because of ongoing concerns about safety and further attacks, especially as police continue to sweep the area for explosive devices. https://twitter.com/ohioinmymind/status/1874468665250500864 https://twitter.com/Schraz8/status/1874438435303543156 https://twitter.com/RobertPorubsky/status/1874474718100922791 https://twitter.com/brittcedes44/status/1874467043401138416 https://twitter.com/Brrrrrrrrrrrkl/status/1874463855033843717 https://twitter.com/lilsquilz/status/1874479713122664595 https://twitter.com/HeelStCloud/status/1874466994541801810 https://twitter.com/jsmith4966/status/1874474403448459398 The Sugar Bowl released a statement following the attack that didn't confirm the game would still go forward, but saying that they were "in ongoing discussions" with the authorities on the scene, so it does sound like there's at least the possibility of postponing the game if it's determined that there are ongoing threats. https://twitter.com/jacksoble56/status/1874462668280709213 Either way, just an absolutely devastating scene in one of the greatest cities in the world. I used to live in New Orleans, and it's still my favorite city and one that I go back to as much as I can. (I'm riding in a Mardi Gras parade next month and my family has already told me this morning that I shouldn't go). For all of its problems (like the inept government, the crime, the dirty streets), the culture in New Orleans is unmatched by anywhere else that I've ever been. There's so much joy there, and to see it all taken away by a terrible act like this is just heartbreaking.