Tourism, Security and Safety From Theory to Practice

Case Studies
Contextual weakness also involves being isolated either through misadventure or
lack of knowledge. The tourists find themselves in a dangerous part of the city and
vulnerable to attack. The following examples illustrate types of contextual weak-
nesses. Two Swiss tourists wandered into an area behind a public housing project
near the French Quarter. They had visited one of the old cemeteries with the above-
ground tombs and taken some photographs; upon leaving they soon became vic-
tims. Dusk was beginning to fall on this clear warm Saturday evening in June when
a young black male approached the couple. Feeling lost, they asked the young man
for directions to the French Quarter. After he points in the general direction of
the Vieux Carré, he produces a blue steel revolver and demands their property. The
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victims, “fearing for their lives,” hand over $2,000 in US and Swiss currency, a 14k
gold necklace, earrings, a 35mm camera, and a video camera.
In the following example the victims are rendered contextually weak on three
points: the lateness of the hour, the isolated location, and a tactic employed by their
robber. A couple from Houston, Texas, after having a late dinner and drinks, decide
to go for a stroll along the Moonwalk on the levee between Jackson Square near
the Mississippi River. It is 3:00 
AM
on Sunday in an area that is poorly lit. The cou-
ple is returning from their stroll by the stairs over the floodwall by the fountain
next to the closed Café Banquette. Going up the stairs as they descend is a male,
6 feet tall and 180 pounds, who appears to be about 30 years of age, neatly dressed
in a black leather jacket and blue jeans. After he passes them on the stairs he says,
“Hey, what time is it?” The couple stops and turns around to face a .38 caliber
revolver. “Give me your wallet,” the man demands. The male victim complies.
“Take off all your jewelry.” They each remove all of their jewelry and hand it over
to the robber, who then departs in the direction of the river making good his
escape. The bandit’s earnings for less than one minute of work: $24,090 in cash
and jewelry.
The innocent enough sounding request, “Hey, what time is it?” serves an impor-
tant function in this robbery event. Researchers have often pointed to the use of
civil requests as a stock-in-trade tactic in street armed robbery (Katz, 1988,
p. 174). The request is used to connect with the victim with what seems to be a rea-
sonable request but one that also allows the would-be robber to momentarily
“hold” his target in place and scan his would-be victim without causing undue
alarm.
Roger provides an example of “collaborative” victimization. Roger, a 21-year-
old white male from a small Texas town, is on his first visit to New Orleans. His
New Orleans connection, a student at a local university, has returned to his uptown
apartment and has left Roger to continue drinking with a stranger, a friendly male
who has engaged him in conversation and has even bought a round of beers. It is
4:00 
AM
. In the course of the conversation the friendly stranger casually asks Roger
if he would like to score some marijuana. Roger answers in the affirmative, and
after some further conversation focusing on the high quality of the marijuana the
stranger has in his car that is parked just a few blocks away, they finish their beers
and leave the bar. In the 1100 block of Burgundy Street, where the friendly
stranger’s car is supposed to be parked, he stops, looks up and down the street, pro-
duces a small caliber revolver and tells Roger he will blow his head off if he does-
n’t give him his money. Roger complies and gives the friendly stranger $476.00 in
cash and a brand new “K-Bar” pocketknife worth another $50.00.
The following case, while technically not a street robbery, does offer another
illustration of the victim as an active collaborator in their victimization. Judy and
Marie are also in New Orleans in search of the authentic; in this case they are here
to “do some serious partying.” Judy and Marie have been drinking nonstop since
their late afternoon arrival from a neighboring state. It is 12:30 
AM
and they have
met two male dancers in a Bourbon Street saloon. They pay the bartender $40.00
to get the men off from their jobs early. The foursome goes for drinks at several
bars in the Vieux Carré. Around 2:30 
AM
Marie returns to their hotel with one of
the men while Judy and her newfound friend continue their pub crawl. Arriving at
her hotel room Marie and her friend have consensual sex; then Marie promptly
falls asleep (passes out). Upon awakening the next morning her male dancer is
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missing along with $180.00 in cash, and her girlfriend Judy has not returned to
their hotel room. At this point Marie reports the robbery and her concern for her
missing friend to the police. While the police are taking the report, Judy returns to
the hotel room with her male dancer friend. They have spent the night at his apart-
ment on Bourbon Street. It seems that Judy’s dancer had only known Marie’s
dancer by his first name and for only two days. Despite some obvious weaknesses
in the case the police say they will seek a warrant for the arrest of Marie’s dancer.