Crime returns to New Orleans

The first murder in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina - a woman was found stabbed to death in her Faubourg Marigny home yesterday.

I observed this past weekend that many previously unoccupied areas of New Orleans are showing signs of life. I noticed this, in particular, in the Rampart/North Claiborne area. The sliver of life that followed the curve of the more elevated land along the Mississippi may have moved out a little. With that will come drug users, and with drug users, more crime. I predict drug dealers will seize the opportunity to return earlier than their rivals to set up new turf boundaries.

I hope the NOPD is ready for this. There are areas of New Orleans that will never rebuild unless criminals are busted, and get the message that this is a New New Orleans.

11/17/05 update: It turns out that this was a case of domestic violence. I remain, nevertheless, concerned about the possibility of violent crime returning to New Orleans.