Heather Genusa’s Heartbreak and the Bourbon Street Tragedy
Heather Genusa, 38, is grappling with the devastating loss of her fiancé, 43-year-old Brandon Taylor, one of 14 victims killed in the Bourbon Street truck attack on New Year’s Day. Genusa’s grief is compounded by her belief that the tragedy was preventable, citing the absence of protective barriers that could have saved her fiancé and others. She describes the city’s decision not to deploy these barriers as “a horrible disgrace,” and demands accountability from New Orleans officials.
The attack involved a US army veteran driving a pickup truck into a crowd of revelers, flying the flag of the Islamic State (IS) terror group. The Guardian’s reporting revealed that three types of protective barriers – 700lb steel Archer barriers, wedge barriers, and bollards – acquired by the city in 2017 as part of a $40 million public safety initiative, were not deployed.
The Archer barriers, capable of stopping even speeding vehicles, were reportedly deemed cumbersome by some New Orleans officials. Sources described them as “pains in the ass” to deploy and remove, requiring both manual labor and heavy equipment. Although the New Orleans police superintendent claimed unawareness of their existence, photos emerged showing crews removing these barriers from a municipal storage yard just a day after the attack. While the manufacturer provides hand-operated dollies for their movement, the photos depict the use of a crane.
The wedge barriers, designed to quickly raise and lower, were left in the down position, ostensibly to allow unimpeded access for emergency responders. However, this allowed the attacker’s truck to easily pass over them. The bollards, initially rated to withstand impacts from a medium-sized truck at 40mph, had been replaced with a lower-impact version due to maintenance issues stemming from litter accumulation. This replacement project was incomplete on New Year’s Day, leaving only a single patrol car at the entrance to Bourbon Street, easily circumvented by the attacker.
The attacker, who ultimately engaged in a gunfight with police and was killed, failed to detonate homemade bombs due to a faulty detonator. While this ultimately limited the scale of the carnage, the attack still resulted in 14 deaths and numerous injuries.
Some officials argue that fortifying Bourbon Street would have merely shifted the target of the attack. However, Mayor LaToya Cantrell has since retained a tactical expert to review local safety plans for upcoming large events. This offers little comfort to Genusa, who vividly recounts the final moments with Taylor, describing him as a loving man, a devoted cook, and a passionate New Orleans Saints and Pelicans fan. She questions the city’s inaction, highlighting the numerous similar attacks worldwide and the preventable nature of the tragedy. Her anguish underscores the profound loss and the urgent need for reassessment of security measures in New Orleans. Her poignant plea for accountability resonates deeply, leaving a lasting question about responsibility and the value of preventative measures in the face of potential threats.