While people were out celebrating New Year’s Day, the city of New Orleans fell victim to an attack that killed 14 people on Bourbon Street and injured more than 30 people. A Texas man, Shamsud Din Jabbar, drove a pickup truck through the city’s French Quarter, where a crowd of people gathered to celebrate the day. 

The people of New Orleans reacted and grieved in many different ways, including paying tribute to the victims as they were identified. They placed five-foot crosses for every victim, with candles, pictures, flowers, and any other mementos to pay tribute. The site continued the mourning process of many who were grieving the victims of this attack, and any feelings the people of New Orleans have had since the attack.

The students of Loyola reflected on the New Year’s Day attack with a sense of loss, sadness, shock, and confusion because this was very close to where they live, and they have experienced celebrations on Bourbon Street and other places in the French Quarter.

When asked about her initial reaction to the attack, nursing freshman Angelina Nguyen talked about how shocked she was when she heard the news.

“I was just in shock because, at 2 a.m., I was coming home from Gentilly while passing by the New Orleans area, and I couldn’t have imagined that was what was going to happen on New Year’s Day,” she said.

When discussing how Loyola students could be coping with the attack, she feels Loyola’s faculty and students are trying to stay positive. 

“This is still where we stay as Loyola students, and there’s no point in holding on to such negative emotions right now because it won’t benefit us,” Nguyen said.

Mass communications sophomore Alyssa Jones felt saddened by the attack. 

“I was hurting because they came to my home and wanted to spread hate,” she said.  “This street that was full of joy and culture was now a street where violence took place.”

Jones mentioned the tributes dedicated to the victims and victims’ families a few days after the attack. 

“I think it was kind and a good idea because, in New Orleans, we do celebrate life and death with music, especially a second line,” she said. “That’s our culture, and I think some people thought it was weird that we opened it up and we were second lining in the streets and being happy, enjoying celebrating together. However, from our point of view, that’s how we celebrate life.”

Biology pre-medical freshman, Carlos Andrade, mentioned how close to home this attack was for him. 

“I know people that were working on Bourbon Street that night,” he said. “who heard the gunshots and people screaming.”

Andrade said he has been paying more attention to his surroundings and is staying more vigilant since the attack occurred. 

“When I went to Comic-Con yesterday, we drove past the city, and I noticed myself looking around more,” he said.

Andrade felt a sense of shock and confusion when hearing the news of the attacks. 

“You always hear about events like this, but it brings it into perspective whenever you have experienced it, have seen it happen, or when it’s close to you,” he said. “Something like that was so out of the ordinary, and this wasn’t something we could have planned. It was very sudden how something so drastic happened so fast.”

Andrade believes connecting with others and continuing to be there for the families who have experienced loss because of the attack is what the city needs to heal.