New Orleans councilman rips crime in his city: 'This is not Gotham'
New Orleans Councilman Oliver Thomas discusses crime in his city and weighs in after San Francisco district attorney Chesa Boudin was recalled for 'soft on crime' policies.
A New Orleans city council member floated the idea of calling in the national guard to help combat the city's surging crime rate Wednesday.
Democratic councilman Oliver Thomas pointed to shootings and a spate of dangerous street stunts that indicate New Orleans police are not up to the task.
"Maybe it's time to talk about bringing in the National Guard," Thomas said Tuesday, according to WDSU 6. "If it's realistic to save lives, to stop these people from coming to shoot up our town."
"If it's realistic to stop them from disrespecting our municipal and criminal laws that may be the only realistic thing we can count on," he added.
NEW ORLEANS SHOOTING LEAVES 1 WOMAN DEAD, 2 INJURED, POLICE SAY
A woman was killed and a security guard was injured after a man stole the guard's gun and opened fire on Bourbon Street in New Orleans early Sunday, officials said. (FOX8)
Thomas also appeared on "Fox & Friends First" on Tuesday to discuss his city's spiking crime.
"This outburst of indiscriminate crime in too many of our cities includes New Orleans," Thomas told co-host Carley Shimkus. "People want a balanced response. We want to reform the system. We want 21st-century policing. We want respect for the law, just like we want respect for our citizens, but we don't want to see anything goes."
"When I use the term Gotham City, too often there are people who think in our cities and in New Orleans that they can do what they want, when they want, how they want, where they want, and to whom they want," he added.
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New Orleans passed 100 murders for 2022 on May 16, the fastest the city has reached the grim milestone since 2004, according to WDSU 6. In 2019, the city suffered 120 murders for the whole year.
