L’Observateur / February 16, 2000

Recent attacks of people, especially sailors, along River Road in St. Charlesand St. John the Baptist parishes point to a real concern about the personalsafety of people and the need for improved surveillance of the area, especially after dark.

It’s been a real problem for several years. Men working on tugboats, grainships and barges come onshore and sometimes head for a convenience store or nearby bar. Often, on their way back and in a poor condition to defendthemselves, they are attacked, beaten and robbed.

Will it take a homicide before more decisive action is taken to watch the levees and river roads after dark? Admittedly, manpower is sometimes stretched and some of the victims place themselves in harm’s way, but no one deserves to be victimized when they are only inoffensively walking.

Last weekend, two men were attacked and beaten. Similar beatings androbberies are almost commonplace in Reserve. It’s a poor reflection on ourcommunity, that we have such people who would commit such crimes, and that our sheriff’s department can do little about them.

Often, the victims of these crimes are foreign nationals and speak little, if any, English. That only makes them more vulnerable to such attacks andgives investigators little to work with toward the solving of such crimes.

We need some sort of improved security along the levees to make our river- side communities safer for everyone.

L’Observateur

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