Target: Sean Duffy, Nominee for U.S. Secretary of Transportation
Goal: Increase security measures to prevent vehicle ramming attacks.
Questions immediately swirled after a New Year’s Eve celebration turned tragic. When a man driving a truck used a sidewalk on New Orleans’ busy Bourbon Street to ram into a crowd of revelers, 14 people lost their lives and dozens more were injured. The suspect was reportedly killed in a gunfire exchange with police, which led to more injuries.
Controversy arose over how the suspect was able to gain access to the sidewalk and carry out his deadly plans. A police car had apparently blocked the road entrance, but the truck seemingly easily bypassed this barrier. The city was in the process of replacing steel barriers known as bollards in preparation for the upcoming Super Bowl. But no such structures were in place on the fateful night, nor were alternative barriers like cement blocks.
Some security officials have called these lapses unacceptable, as they have long warned about the dangers posed by vehicle ramming attacks across the country. Sign the petition below to demand U.S. transportation leaders implement a plan to address this growing and now-realized threat.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Mr. Duffy,
A security consulting firm reportedly warned of the security vulnerabilities on New Orleans’ Bourbon Street as far back as 2019. Residential complaints about the ineffectiveness of the city’s bollard barriers predate even these warnings. And in just the past year, the FBI warned police departments across the country about the potential for low-tech vehicle ramming attacks that could inflict mass casualties.
While these warnings could not save the victims of New Orleans, they can serve as a cautionary tale from which we should take important lessons. Please heed the dangers and make widespread adoption of bollards and other protective measures a top priority for America’s transportation infrastructure.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: ChiralJon
31 Signatures