Police Chief Says Thousands Trapped in New Orleans Convention Center

AP ^ | 1-Sept-2005 | AP

[Fitzcarraldo]

The New Orleans police chief says 15-thousand people are trapped in the city's convention center. And he says some are being raped and beaten.

Chief Eddie Compass says displaced tourists are "walking in that direction and they are getting preyed upon."

Compass said he sent eight eleven-man teams into the convention center. But as soon as the first team arrived, he said, "they were beaten back within 30 feet of the entrance."

Earlier, the city's mayor issued a "desperate SOS" on behalf of the thousands who are stranded at the convention center.

He also gave the go-ahead for them to march across a bridge to a dry area of the city and look for whatever relief they could find.

[George W. Bush]

All the recent references to Snake Pliskin from the old movie Escape From New York just come to mind.

It's just a little hard to believe when it comes from the police chief of a major city.

[jpsb]

" In this case, political correctness has granted those gang bangers the equivalent of five-inch-thick Kevlar vests."

And 8 inch naval guns, Fox reported that hundred of volunteers with flat bottom boats were ready to begin rescue operations but were send home because of gun fire. Many many innosents will die tonight and tomorrow that could have been saved today. What a mess, what a heart breaking mess. I never have had much faith in government I have even less now.

Another report has a hospital under seige and no help coming. Another report has gangbangers repulsing police (lots of police) at a convention center where 10,000 are being held (hostage?).

[MindBender26]

>When was the last time you shot someone for taking your TV?

I haven't, but in accordance with the laws of the State of Florida, I will use all force necessary, including deadly force to:

1. Prevent a felony against my person
2. Prevent a felony against my property
3. Prevent a felony against the person or property of someone I reasonably believe would want me to offer such protection/prevention.

In fact in Florida now, the legal presumption is that I was so threatened unless there is overwhelming evidence there was not such a threat.

In addition, until recently, I was forced to reasonably try to flee before I could use deadly force for protection, unless I was in my home or business. (The Castle Defense.)

Now, thanks to the legislature and the Guv, I am not required to try to flee, but if I reasonably believe my life, limb or property are in felonious danger in any place I have a legal right to be, I can prevent such act with force, including deadly force.

[Enterprise]

Another poster made an interesting point about this situation. The animals are acting like this after a natural disaster. Prior riots erupted because of perceived incidents of "racism" and/or "police brutality." Personally, I'm not at all surprised by all this violence and downright savagery, but what I am getting at is that our leaders need to know that this is what will happen in future natural disasters, and they had better damned well be prepared! There can be no excuse next time! And there WILL be a next time!

[proud American in Canada]

It's unreal how slow any relief is . it's not like this happened in some far off land days away.

I have to agree... Totally incredible.

At the Convention Center, they had video footage tonight of people yelling into the camera. The video footage was silent (the CNN talking heads were chatting), but you could just see the pure rage on these people's faces. And I don't think I blame them. People are dying in their midst and no one seems able to help.

And I'd appreciate people not sending me an angry post about expecting "gubmint" assistance. I agree, it's preferable to be able to take care of yourself. I went to a very popular wilderness survival class last fall -- www.trackerschool.com if anyone is interested. The guy teaching it has taught thousands of people and one of his former students was in one of the massive hurricanes last year, I forget which one. Well, he was able to take care of himself in the aftermath and quickly became a leader, with others relying on him for food and water.

But there *are* people that can't take care of themselves. And it's inhuman not to have any kind of better preparedness for such a foreseeeable tragedy.

[Torie]

Does this make sense to anyone else???

No. Reading between the lines, the cops don't give a damn, and don't want to do anything they find unpleasant and possibly dangerous. That is my take.

[MindBender26]

re: my #483

Would you do any less?

[kcvl]

NOPD aims to become friendlier force

'Arrest mode' hasn't worked, Police Chief Eddie Compass says

Friday, June 10, 2005
By Trymaine D. Lee
Staff writer

For the past decade, Police Chief Eddie Compass said New Orleans police have tried to get a handle on crime by operating in what Compass calls "arrest mode": focusing on arresting criminals rather than building relationships with residents who live daily with murders and drug deals.

But as violent crime, including murders, has continued to rise, it's become apparent that this approach hasn't worked well, he said.

So things are about to change. As part of a new initiative developed by Compass and his command staff, current crime-fighting techniques they say have resulted in more headaches for citizens than hard time for criminals soon will be history.

"We've been in arrest mode for 10 years, and the murder rate hasn't changed," Compass said Thursday. There have been 13 more murders so far this year than in the same time period in 2004.

"We're changing the whole mantra of the Police Department," he said. "Service will now be our top priority."


snip

The decision to make the Police Department a more resident-friendly force comes amid a spate of controversial police shootings and a recent block party that some residents said was broken up by police with excessive force.

Police need to be more courteous and respectful and begin to develop better relations with the community, Goyeneche said.

"In light of everything that has happened over the past several months, there is some merit in the need for more emphasis within the Police Department on how to deal with the public," he said.

As part of the new initiative, police have implemented a new community liaison post, held by 24-year veteran officer Roland Doucette. Doucette's primary role will be to operate at the grassroots level of the community, engaging in dialogue with residents, noting their concerns and presenting those concerns to the command staff.

Community leader Deborah Davenport, whose husband, Bruce Davenport, is pastor at St. John No. 5 Church near the St. Bernard housing development, said she hopes the police chief is serious about the changes, emphasizing that communication is key to mending the relationship between the cops and the community.

"Sometimes the community doesn't understand policing and the police don't understand the community," Davenport said. "So these changes do need to happen with both the police and the residents together, where they can appreciate each other and the roles they both play."

snip

Another change will come Sunday, when officers must begin wearing standard uniforms instead of paramilitary-type outfits -- though these still will be worn by SWAT officers conducting raids or sweeps.

Police said that when residents saw the officers dressed in the military-styled tactical uniforms, they saw an "occupying military presence" rather than friendly forces.

Police also said folks in the community often have so much disdain and distrust of the Police Department that they'd rather take their chances with the killers in the street than give information to the cops.


snip

[proud American in Canada]

Re #466 and 464: good news!

[AreaD]

Various elements of both are in Iraq

[kcvl]

June 15, 2005
New Orleans Police to be trained in sensitivity by Nation of Islam

From the BayouBuzz...

The security chief for Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan has been hired to provide sensitivity training for the NOPD. Captain Dennis Muhammad has conducted sensitivity training in other cities such as Buffalo and will be paid $15,000 for his services, which NOPD Chief Eddie Compass says are needed in New Orleans. Compass says there are people in New Orleans who have complained about police treatment and are “anti police.” Compass believes that the “members of the Nation of Islam have some type of relationship with these people.”

However, what about those in the community and on the NOPD who are not members of the Nation of Islam? David Benelli of the Police Association of New Orleans says his phone has “been ringing off the hook” with members upset about the hiring of someone with ties to the Nation of Islam. The NOPD is 45% white, while the city is about 30% non-black, so there is a large number of people who might feel insulted by this decision. However, not only should whites be outraged about the selection of this Nation of Islam leader to conduct sensitivity training, but also all African-Americans in the community who are of the Catholic or Jewish faiths.

At the press conference announcing the training, a rabbi and priest expressed concern about Muhammad’s selection. Such concern is more than justified considering the history of Muhammad’s boss, Louis Farrakhan. Here are just a few of the Nation of Islam’s beliefs, as well as some of Farrakhan’s disturbing statements:

Whites are “blue eyed devils.”
Jews are “bloodsuckers”
“Hitler was a very great man.”
Jews controlled the slave trade and currently control the government
Nation of Islam founder Elijah Muhammad believed that whites were created by an evil Black scientist and that there will be “The Great Decisive Battle in the Sky” when a space ship will kill all white people by bombing the earth
Muhammad believed that white people should relocate to Europe and that racial integration was wrong

In addition, Farrakhan has met with dictators in Sudan, Libya and Iraq, before the war, and praised their governments while denouncing the United States. Leaders in the Nation of Islam have also made very inflammatory anti-Catholic statements. In a November 1993 speech at Kean College in New Jersey, Farrakhan’s chief spokesman Khallid Muhammad said, “T]he old no-good Pope-you know that cracker, somebody need to raise that dress up and see what´s really under there. Jesus was right; you´re nothing but liars. The book of Revelations is right; you´re from the Synagogue of Satan.”

Due to public outcry, the New Orleans Police Chief reversed himself and will conduct sensitivity training under other leadership. From WND, with thanks to wwrwtw.

...While Chief Eddie Compass initially announced the plan as he sat next to controversial Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, whose fiery sermons and pronouncements have been criticized as racist and anti-Semitic, the city's top cop is now distancing himself from the controversial leader.

Compass argued the Nation of Islam's security chief, Capt. Dennis Muhammad, had successfully implemented the program in other cities, including Buffalo, reported WWL-TV in New Orleans.

Now Compass says the training will go on but with different leadership.

Compass said he decided to implement a program after hearing complaints about police officers during his recent tour of the city's high-crime neighborhoods.

"The people in the community who are anti-police, who really need to hear our message, who [we] really need to build the bridges with -- members of the Nation of Islam have some type of relationship with these people," Compass said earlier...

[proud American in Canada]

I'm trying not to rail against anyone either... It's just very frustrating watching these people deteriorate on live TV.

Agreed. You and I are on the same page on this one. :)

[George W. Bush]

This makes me want to buy another few thousand rounds of .223.. Any emergency these days, and it's everyone for themselves immediately.

Really, no. Unless you're in the Southwest with a lot of illegals around or in the New Orleans area, most of America is still okay during disasters.

There's still a core of decency throughout most of the country.

[Jack Black]

If you did arrest these people you would find that nearly all of them have lots of priors. They have been in and out of the legal system for years, probably since early teens.

One of the things I take from this is that valueless time in jail, which are just gang-banger social clubs, only results in gangstas with more tatoos.

A very different program is needed to change the entire outlook of the criminal underclass if we want to prevent this.

If not checked it will grow and grow, the large number of illiterate (in any language) illegals will mix in and you'll have this very large seething, stupid, resentful, criminal enemy-within just waiting for opportunities to act out.

[wardaddy]

Good lord.

What animals.

[Betis70]

>> I went to a very popular wilderness survival class last fall -- www.trackerschool.com if anyone is interested.

Thanks for the info. Haven't been in wilderness survival since I was in the Boy Scouts, but this looks interesting and worthwhile.

[Chena]

I think it is on city/state officials to have a disaster plan. That should include how to evacuate these people. With two days notice, how many people could have been moved if all the city buses and school buses had been put to work picking up and dropping off people from/to predetermined locations. The area moves around probably 100,000 or more kids for school every day, this should have been doable. Why didn't they open inbound lanes for outbound traffic? If the Super Dome is a designated evacuation center, why isn't there a stockpile of water and MREs avaiable to supply it on 24hour notice? No one took the threat seriously enough to take the proper steps.

I think your last sentence sums it up pretty well. President Bush took it seriously, but the city and state officials either didn't believe the warnings or did not have a good disaster plan in place. That amazes me because everyone has known for years and years (understatement) what NO and other areas down there would face if ever hit by a big hurricane.

I do not know how long it would have taken for water and MRE's to be hauled in to the Super Dome. Was there time? Did they have access to the amount of supplies they would need? I don't know.

I have the same question as you do about the buses. I can't make a judgement call on that because I'm not privvy to the information that the local officials would have had.

[George W. Bush]

When I was in the USAF for most of the 80s and 90s, I was stationed at Keesler (MS) and Gunter Annex (AL). There was a briefing that we were given before going to pick up POVs (personal vehicles) at the port in NO. Among other things, they "essentially" told us not to be there after dark. Certain parts of the town were OFF LIMITS no matter what! They even gave us a little map so we'd know where NOT to go.

What did they think would happen in the forbidden areas?

I think New Orleans, even more than Texas, has long considered itself to be an entity separate from the United States. And they are. Unfortunately, they mostly resemble a disorganized Third World country that lives off vice and America's port operations in the area. But then, look at the history of the city...

[Jack Black]

By the way with 500 responses on this thread anyone have an update on the situation at the convention center? We seem to have no news. In this case I doubt that means good news.

[Vladiator]

When was the last time you shot someone for taking your TV?

I haven't, but...

You go girl.