Mandeville bans parking along Krewe of Eve parade route, safety enhancements

MANDEVILLE, La. (WGNO) — Barricades line the street in Mandeville ahead of the Krewe of Eve parade. Yet there are also friendly signs reminding people that all parking along the parade route, in both directions, is banned.

“We’ve been contemplating this for a long time, obviously the catalyst for this was what happened on Bourbon Street,” said Mandeville Police Chief Todd Schliem.

Schliem says just as New Orleans has reassessed their security measures, so has Mandeville. He explained federal intel briefings have described possible terrorist targets.

“Nothing says the city of Mandeville. But when you read these briefs, what they describe is exactly what we have here. One of our biggest vulnerabilities is parking along the parade route,” said Schliem.

Though he admits it won’t completely remove the possibility of an attack, it would limit the potential damage.

“Putting a vehicle on the parade route. And if they got access to just basically pull into the parade route, they could drive on unchallenged for as long as they wanted, or people have an ied. Can you imagine what it would be if they packed an RV full,” said Schliem.

Mandeville resident Devon Norred understands it’s a deviation from tradition, but necessary for safety.

“I mean, if you got a thousand cars out here, you can’t check every single car that’s out here. I mean, there could be a bomb in any of them. I’m not saying there is, but just, there’s like a protocol, I don’t think it’s a big deal,” said Norred.

Krewe of Eve may be a little different this year, but talks of this being set in stone are on hold.

“I’m not saying this is permanent. I’m not saying it. There won’t be modifications, but we are going to bring all parties involved in it, get as much input as we can right after Mardi Gras, and we’ll start planning from there,” said Schliem.

The Krewe of Eve is set to kick off Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. Schliem is asking everyone to come out and have a great time.

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