By Samaya Kelley

For years New Orleans has relied on tourists to keep the economy going. The famous Bourbon Street is where tourists come to be drunk and entertained, but I’ve always wondered who keeps that entertainment going, more so why. The people who work on Bourbon, all have a common goal, money. These individuals could have gone anywhere else for work but chose Bourbon Street. This small town can definitely slow you down, but nonetheless, it is truly a unique experience for both tourists and workers.

Initially, I was a little skeptical about walking up to a stranger and asking them about their work. To break the tension, I tried to get the hardest interview first. I found a mime who goes by Uncle Louie and I asked him to talk with me, which was extremely difficult, but it was a good way to get started. Considering mimes aren’t supposed to talk, it was a brief interview. He frequently answered, “You never know until you walk away,” when asked about the beneficial factors of Bourbon Street. The benefits of Bourbon Street aren’t automatically recognized because of the untraditional work environment, but working somewhere else under someone else’s rules can be difficult for some people so I understand when he says, “Everything you do is a struggle and you never know what you might make until you walk away, that’s the struggle.”

Instability isn’t the only struggle workers face. The police are a huge burden for them. I spoke with a Tarot reader named Ora. She went into depth about her experience saying, “If they decide that they don’t like you, they will make your life a living hell”. Imagine trying to make a living and all of a sudden you’re getting arrested. “One time they took me to jail just for being set up here,” and she went on to tell more details about her arrest which weren’t pleasant. When talking with her I noticed how she was set up on the side street of bourbon instead of directly on bourbon. She told me a little about the curfew street entertainers have had. Apparently, they cannot be on bourbon after 8 pm so they started setting up on side streets to avoid the curfew. This is very smart in my opinion but others may not think so. Around 8 p.m. it gets dark in New Orleans and there is a lot of violence that can take place. While some entertainers aren’t phased, many avoid coming out at night time, like an artist I spoke with, David. When I asked what anyone does to keep safe, some answered, “Self-protection,” but David on the contrary thinks otherwise: “I come right here during the day for the most part, the French Quarter can get, you know…”. As a native New Orleanian, I know exactly what David was referencing. The violence is almost uncontrollable, and as a white man on Bourbon selling art, it may not be the safest way to make income at that time. White people can be a target for criminals looking for valuables or money on Bourbon Street. Since David is working for profit, it may be relatively easy for a criminal to assume that David has a good amount of money on him — which could lead to a very difficult situation. These struggles illustrate how nuanced Bourbon can actually be as they pertain to the workplace.

Learning a bit about the struggles of working on Bourbon Street can almost overshadow the benefits. Entrepreneurship is a big one. Every person I spoke to said they were working on Bourbon to make their own money or to “Be my own boss,” as David put it. For some, it can be a way to stay out of trouble. I spoke with two drummer boys, Malik and Mojuan, who were very open about their experience. Bourbon not only puts extra money into their pockets but in their free time they have fun drumming on Bourbon. These drummers were in their early teenage years which is when many boys go down the wrong route in New Orleans. Crime rates have increased in the city because teenagers are becoming more fond of fast money; as money can come in through stealing cars, theft in general, drug dealing, and even killing. I’ve seen it firsthand. Despite so many negative influences throughout the city, these boys stay true to their passion by drumming on Bourbon instead of trying to be down with the wrong crowd. “We just come out here and have fun, I like to practice my rhythms because I’m in the band,” says Mojuan. This opportunity to just have fun with music isn’t everyone’s experience.

Tourists are all different as well as entertainers. With that being said, tourism can be both a benefit and a struggle simultaneously. Although tourists play a major role in the New Orleans economy, “Tourists can be really crummy people” according to Ora. “Tourists come here to have fun,” as Uncle Louie mentions. Street entertainers play a big part in the fun tourists have. Tourists have the ability to get drunk and listen to the drummers play while taking pictures with a snake or in Mardi Gras apparel for that New Orleans aesthetic but many tourists forget that street performers are keeping that aesthetic they see on social media alive. Tourists also contribute to the liveliness going, but it isn’t always good. “I’ve seen people run around butt-naked,” said Malik, the drummer. Tourists can do some pretty wild things because almost every tourist that comes down here isn’t in their right state of mind while they’re here and criminals can take advantage of that. “ I’ve seen fights, people getting stabbed…shot,” explained Mojuan. This isn’t a pleasant sight to see which is why it’s recommended for young people to stay off of Bourbon or the French Quarter in its entirety when the sun goes down. Tourists contribute to the dangers of New Orleans because it can be relatively easy to scam or rob a drunk person who can barely stand. 

The Bourbon workplace is both a struggle and a benefit for the city of New Orleans. Its culture and fun opportunities invite tourists to spend their money which benefits the economy. Tourists invite more crime into the city without even realizing it due to their desire for liquor, drugs, or even a getaway from their normal life. These tourists give criminals the opportunity to get over on them but crime is always a struggle in every city, especially in New Orleans. On the other hand, Bourbon Street has given many people the opportunity to make revenue, have fun, stay out of trouble, and make others happy. These good opportunities are what makes New Orleans special; they only add to the culture and aesthetic, which is always beneficial for not only the citizens of the city but New Orleans’ image as well.