New Orleans business owners say crime is out of control, soft-on-crime policies wreaking havoc

Business owners in New Orleans are complaining about surging crime in the city, which has seen its murder rate spike to levels close to highs recorded in 1994.

Michael Lee is a writer at Fox News. Follow him on Twitter @UAMichaelLee

Pendleton's comments come as crime has surged in New Orleans in recent years, and 2022 is showing no signs that the trend will improve any time soon. The city's murder rate is on pace to hit 74.12 murders per 100,000 population, a mark that would put the city among the highest in the world and the highest New Orleans has recorded since 1994. Unofficial numbers from June show 31 murders in the city as the typical summer crime wave begins to heat up.

Murders began surging in the city in 2020, jumping to 201 from 119 in 2019. That number rose again in 2021 to 218, an 83% increase over 2019's number. Now, New Orleans is on pace to eclipse 300 murders in 2022, something that has residents and business owners concerned.