Posted on 09/03/2005 8:04:59 AM PDT by Carl/NewsMax
New Orleans Police Chief Edwin Compass said Friday that hurricane rescue efforts were hampered when relief workers came under attack by the city's criminal element, prompting conditions that resembled "urban warfare."
"We have never had an urban warfare battle like this on any front in the history of our nation," Compass told NBC's "Dateline."
"You're fighting in buildings that are pitch black with darkness. These individuals have root - the criminal element have looted all the gun shops and gun stores in this city, so they're armed, they're dangerous."
Federal Emergency Management Agency Chief Michael Brown, under fire for his agency's slow response, echoed Chief Compass's complaint, telling CNN: "We are working under conditions of urban warfare."
Though the city's crime rate is ten times the national average, U.S. news outlets downplayed the connection between New Orleans' outsized criminal element and delays in rescue efforts.
Saturday's London Times, however, painted a bleak picture of the challenges faced by local police as they tried to restore order.
"One New Orleans police officer wept as he described seeing bodies riddled with bullets, and the top of one man's head shot off. He said some looters were armed with AK-47 rifles, and compared the situation with Somalia, with police outnumbered and outgunned by gangs in trucks . . .
"An effort to remove patients and staff from Charity Hospital, in the city centre, was suspended after it came under sniper fire . . .
"'It's a war-zone, and they're not treating it like one,' he said, referring to the federal government . . . Gunmen continued to fire on troops and rescue helicopters, and police officials said that many officers had stopped reporting for duty, cutting manpower by 20 per cent."
...right out of Texas.
Well, that is actually a valid point. News keeps trickling in about law-abiding folks protecting their loves and property from their less-socialized neighbors. More guns, in the hands of the good guys, IS an answer.
Can you imagine convoys of these types going around the country at our expense looking for the best welfare deal!
Everybody knows what the true situation is, and why it's happening, but for PC purposes, they can't say it, and their hands are probably pretty much tied. If white cops start shooting black citizens (even if the citizens are thugs), the Congressional Black Caucus will have a bird.
It just makes me so mad, where are the real men? On Friday, Hundreds of volunteers (real men) showed up with their flat bottom boats to rescue those stuck in the waters. Hundreds and hundreds of men and boats, but someone called the entire operation off, why? Because of reported sniper fire, some gang banger with a gun stopped a massive volunteer rescue operation. Why not ask those real men for a few volunteers to take out the bad guy, I'd bet the real men were far better shots then the gang banger and more then willing to do a little off season hunting, but no, the entire operation was called off and innocent victims spent another day and night on the roofs. Makes me sick. The people in charge are not willing to make difficult decisions and not willing to take any risks.
Yea, had they decided to go on with the rescue but with armed rescuers someone most likely would have gotten shot and no telling what would happen once the shooting starts and who ever said "go" would be in for hell, but the alternative was doing nothing and doing nothing is as Bush has said is unacceptable.
I saw a report yesterday about a group of firefighters and their families being held hostage in NO. Since then, silence. Does anyone know about the situation?
With Hildebeast's 2008 campaign bus leading the rabble.
It's probably not being talked about. We have a theory, that last night, in the dark without media cameras watching, there were open attacks on many thugs. A shoot to kill order was issued be the governor yesterday. I really hope this is the case.
Yeah, I noticed that Chief Compass cleverly and successfully avoided any profiling of the suspects. He has a bright future in PCA, Politically Correct America.
Last I heard, the National Guard moved in to provide them protection to get out. Never heard anything after that about their escape.
I used to share secretaries with the welfare department (Texas). We had workers and secretaries quiting all the time because the clients' freebie handout checks were larger than our own paychecks. It's disgusting.
I hope those who hindered rescue operations are prosecuted!
Yes. I've done mission work in really bad parts of Los Angeles. The gang-bangers are really brave when they are waving guns around and scaring unarmed citizens. When confronted with real soldiers, they slump their shoulders and slink away.
My lovely liberal sister near Houston, who Monday was telling me how her Husband so wished there was something he could do to help, was not thrilled about the Astrodome filling with the evacuees from NOLA.
On another note, I remember when they built the Astrodome..was a real big deal and my dad took the family on a tour. A couple years ago there was alot of talk about tearing it down...thankfully it remained and is being put to good use. I have a feeling things will work out fine and the evacuees will deal with the thugs once they see that things can get better.
??
That'd be more like Jesse Jacksoff's comments, and the comments of that rapper yesterday next to Mike Myers during the benefit concerts.
Didn't take long did it? He's gone
I really wish they'd get better, but they seldom ever do.
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