what's a terrible message?

Courtesy the AP, I provide you with cluelessness incarnate:

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AP) -- In a city where tourism and conventions are key to reviving a post-Katrina economy, the murder spree that has opened the year is adding financial anxiety to the heartache and fear.

With Mardi Gras just over a month away, nine killings in the first eight days of the new year had tourism officials scrambling to convince visitors not to skip the city's biggest party.

...

Discussion of a possible curfew for the city -- including the French Quarter where many bars are open 24 hours a day -- would only add to the woes of the business community.

"We're very much opposed to a curfew," said Earl Bernhardt, president of the Bourbon Street Alliance, a merchants organization. "For one thing, it would send a terrible message nationwide that would hurt us more than the murder rate. It would look like it was totally unsafe to be on the streets after dark."

(my bold in the quotation above).

Mr. Bernhardt, a simple thought on my part. Nine killings in eight days sends a terrible message nationwide. It says that the streets of New Orleans are unsafe after dark. The inability of New Orleans to take practical steps to curb such crime sends a message that you're really not serious about dealing with the crime. And that will do more to keep people away from Mardi Gras (and from resettling in New Orleans) than you can imagine.