For decades, the residents of New Orleans have suffered from incompetent political leaders, high crime, and crumbling infrastructure. Just three years ago, New Orleans gained the infamous crown as the murder capital of America, with over 280 murders in 2022.

Certainly, there have been major reductions in crime over the past two years compared to the highs of 2022 and 2023. Nevertheless, New Orleans is still one of the most dangerous cities in the United States. In fact, the homicide rate in New Orleans is still hovers several times higher than the national average.

According to the Metro Crime Commission, between January 1 and September 7, 2025, the city experienced 87 homicides, 139 nonfatal shootings, and 129 armed robberies. Despite these numbers, politicians like Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick are still glad to tout about the year-over-year decreases following the crime wave of 2021-2023. Yet anyone who has visited the city recently knows it remains plagued by vagrants, crime, and litter despite the recent statistical improvements.

You’d think New Orleans politicians would welcome more help from state and federal authorities to address the city’s crime crisis. Unfortunately, none of the local leaders seem interested in fundamentally improving New Orleans.

Last week, President Donald Trump floated the idea of sending the National Guard into either Chicago or New Orleans to address the long-standing crime problems in these cities. To no one’s surprise, New Orleans politicians threw tantrums online over his comments.

Mayoral candidate and state senator Royce Duplessis’s response alone summed up the consensus view among local politicians about sending in the Guard:

President Trump’s suggestion that he may deploy federal troops to New Orleans is reckless, politically motivated, an abuse of presidential power, and a betrayal of our Constitution. Our residents deserve safety and stability, not to be used as pawns in partisan theater.

The grandstanding is absolutely brutal when you consider that roughly 1,000 murders have occurred in New Orleans over the past five years. A city with under 400,000 residents has seen a substantial amount of its denizens dead over the past several years, yet local politicians still reject additional help in cracking down on crime.

Nor are the mayor and legislators alone. In WWL’s live Sheriff debate last week, the top three candidates for Orleans Parish Sheriff also rejected the notion of a National Guard presence.

Counter to the fearmongering from New Orleans politicians, deploying the National Guard is not about militarizing communities. The point is to restore public trust and safety. Whether during Hurricane Katrina or in recent crime clean-up efforts in Washington DC, the Louisiana National Guard holds a proven track record of supporting local law enforcement during crises and civil unrest.

When local politicians fail to control crime, intervention from state and federal authorities becomes a moral imperative. Law-abiding New Orleanians deserve safe streets, and Trump’s National Guard proposal offers a clear path forward.

Anyone who cares about the future of New Orleans should welcome any federal or state assistance in tackling the city’s crime problems. Let’s hope Louisiana finally sees a return to real “law and order.”

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