Posted on 09/02/2005 9:15:38 AM PDT by Jalapeno
The first busload of New Orleans refugees to reach the Reliant Astrodome overnight was a group of people who commandeered a school bus in the city ravaged by Hurricane Katrina and drove to Houston looking for shelter.
Jabbar Gibson, 20, said police in New Orleans told him and others to take the school bus and try to get out of the flooded city.
Gibson drove the bus from the flooded Crescent City, picking up stranded people, some of them infants, along the way. Some of those on board had been in the Superdome, among those who were supposed to be evacuated to Houston on more than 400 buses Wednesday and today. They couldn't wait.
The group of mostly teenagers and young adults pooled what little money they had to buy diapers for the babies and fuel for the bus.
After arriving at the Astrodome at about 10:30 p.m., however, they initially were refused entry by Reliant officials who said the aging landmark was reserved for the 23,000 people being evacuated from the Louisiana Superdome.
"Now, we don't have nowhere to go," Gibson said. "We heard the Astrodome was open for people from New Orleans. We ain't ate right, we ain't slept right. They don't want to give us no help. They don't want to let us in."
Milling about the Reliant entrance, Sheila Nathan, 38, told her teary-eyed toddler that she was too tired to hold him.
"I'm trying to make it a fairy tale so they won't panic," said Nathan, who had four grandchildren in tow. "I have to be strong for them."
After about 20 minutes of confusion and consternation, Red Cross officials announced that the group of about 50 to 70 evacuees would be allowed into the Astrodome.
All were grateful to be out of the devastation and misery that had overtaken their hometown.
"I feel good to get out of New Orleans," said Demetrius Henderson, who got off the bus with his wife and three children. Many of those around him alternated between excited, cranky and nervous, clutching suitcases or plastic garbage bags of clothes.
They looked as bedraggled as their grueling ride would suggest: 13 hours on the commandeered bus driven by a 20-year-old man. Watching bodies float by as they tried to escape the drowning city. Picking up people along the way. Three stops for fuel. Chugging into Reliant Park, only to be told initially that they could not spend the night.
Every bit worth it.
"We took the bus and got out of the city. We were trying to get out of the city," James Hickerson said.
Several passengers on the bus said they took the matter into their own hands earlier Wednesday because they felt rescuers and New Orleans authorities were too slow in offering help.
"They are not worried about us," said Makivia Horton, 22, who is five months pregnant.
I would go to a church before I went to a stadium. No church I know would turn people away!
Guys I just wanted to share some information that was just relayed to me. A guy I know spoke to his friend that works at the police department this morning and told him something that he said you probably won't see on the news - which you will figure out why when reading. He informed him that everyone needs to be extremely careful right now and to tune in to what is really happening around you. He said that we need to remember that there are thousands of good people that are elderly, children and helpless being housed with people that are criminals and dope addicts going through withdrawals out of no choice. He said that there has already been a rape in the dome of a woman by two men and they are writing graffiti on the walls and some are going through withdrawals and have been violent to innocent people. He said that these people cannot be contained to the dome and some are desperate and that desperate people do things that they might not ordinarily do. He said to heighten your awareness and to put your intelligence ahead of your pity. He said to not drive with your doors unlocked because there has been some cases in Louisiana and one in Texas of carjacking. When you pump gas, lock the car doors till you get finished. Don't open your doors for solicitation. No one from Red Cross or a
reliable organization will go door to door. Do not open your window to speak to people that are on the side of the road. Some might be from the disaster but some may just be taking advantage of the situation and you might be in danger to open your window.
He said to do your donations to the Red Cross or other reliable source. He said that we need to remember that there are thousands of good people but they are being housed with the bad out of no choice. They need our help but not to try to go alone to do it for your own safety. Bring donations to the drop off locations or notify someone to pick it up.
I passed this on, because I have been kinda in a trance from the disbelief of the magnitude of this. When he told me this, I just couldn't believe that people could hurt someone that was trying to help or someone that is in a bad situation the same as you. I thought why is he saying this, those people are hurting they surely wouldn't hurt
others that are helping, but after thinking about it, I realized that there are thousands of people with nothing and nothing to lose, they need help. This is sad but it is realistic, I just wanted to pass it on to you because I just wanted you to be alert to what danger could be out there to you and your family which ordinarily might not be because of
desperation. Please make your children and friends aware that their sadness for the situation could be taken advantage of.
I assume that they don't have "da ghetto" in New Hampshire.
You meant that for stopem, right? I'm here to help, and my church is right down the streetcar line from them and we're here to love 'em and help 'em. We say, "bring 'em on".
As you did for the least of these, ye did unto Me.
It's legal to commandeer what you've got to have to survive.
What a maroon...these are Americans first...I think proper Texans will help them...
So much for women and children first...
My father from Newark, NJ: "All of youz from It'ly."
We plan to patch them up, feed'em, rest'em, process them, and move them out to other shelters. I don't know where, but that's being worked out.
At least they will be able to speak some sort of english.
Where can I FedEx/UPS some clothes? FReepmail me if you need to. I have boys clothes, baby clothes, in sizes from 9 months to size 10.
Ping, taking matters into their own hands.
Thank you for doing something in a concrete way. You were like God to these people, in need of kindness and care.
I volunteered during the Andrew hurricane, and that experience has shaped my priorities ever since.
the Immigration and Nationality Act
The Immigration and Nationality Act defines "refugee" in Sec. 101(a)(42) as:
(A) any person who is outside any country of such person's nationality or, in the case of a person having no nationality, is outside any country in which such person last habitually resided, and who is unable or unwilling to return to, and is unable or unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of, that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion, or
(B) in such circumstances as the President after appropriate consultation (as defined in section 207(e) of this Act) may specify, any person who is within the country of such person's nationality or, in the case of a person having no nationality, within the country in which such person is habitually residing, and who is persecuted or who has a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. The term "refugee" does not include any person who ordered, incited, assisted, or otherwise participated in the persecution of any person on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. For purposes of determinations under this Act, a person who has been forced to abort a pregnancy or to undergo involuntary sterilization, or who has been persecuted for failure or refusal to undergo such a procedure or for other resistance to a coercive population control program, shall be deemed to have been persecuted on account of political opinion, and a person who has a well founded fear that he or she will be forced to undergo such a procedure or subject to persecution for such failure, refusal, or resistance shall be deemed to have a well founded fear of persecution on account of political opinion
You are so right. I commend him and those who took the initiative to try and help themselves and others. He should have a medal pinned on him!
Read it again--it says they pooled their money for gas and DIAPERS.
Read it again-- it says they pooled their money for gas and DIAPERS.
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