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Police Chief: 'Urban Warfare' Slowed New Orleans Rescue
NewsMax.com ^ | Sept. 3, 2005 | Carl Limbacher

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."


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Front Page News; US: Louisiana
KEYWORDS: ak47s; greatsociety; gtakatrina; incompetence; katrina; katrinafailures; nannystate; neworleansrescue; policechief; snipers; urbanbarbarians; urbanwarfare
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To: tertiary01
In that case, I'm truly sorry for the good and honorable people in California (yes, there are many); the important thing, however, is that the welfare-dependent rabble among the evacuees just keep on truckin'...

...right out of Texas.

61 posted on 09/03/2005 8:44:12 AM PDT by MarineDad (Whenever mosques and JDAM's meet, civilization benefits.)
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To: Dems_R_Losers
Thanks, I'm just waiting to get flamed by the "the only problem was that the good folks did not have enough guns" crowd.

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.

62 posted on 09/03/2005 8:45:19 AM PDT by Wormwood (Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn!)
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To: cwb
Hmm...perhaps it wasn't such a good idea for the Louisiana Attorney General to justify the looting for ANY reason ... this sounds like something from the Twilight Show, or Bizarro world.
Instead of the attorney general giving orders to shoot to kill the illegal looters, they give orders that looting is A' OK in their book.

Then again ? this is the world of liberalism in some places in this country.

Just proves that LIBERALISM is a mental disorder.
63 posted on 09/03/2005 8:45:24 AM PDT by Prophet in the wilderness (PSALM 53 : 1 The FOOL hath said in his heart , There is no GOD .)
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To: Cicero
Let me get this straight. The chief of the New Orleans police blames the federal government for letting the situation get out of hand?

I don't like NY but I do congratulate them on the way they handled 9/11. There was no rioting and looting or hoped for uprisings. They were about as prepared as possible and no fireman or police walked off the job until it was finished. Nor did they stand in the street and cry and try to blame the NG and president. They all stepped up to the plate and took care of their responsibility. Its the difference between professionals and amateurs. The soft and the ready. Make a flexible plan and do it. I also might add that even with the incompetence most were saved in spite of themselves. In most countries the majority of these people would have died.
64 posted on 09/03/2005 8:45:51 AM PDT by jec41 (Screaming Eagle)
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To: MarineDad

Can you imagine convoys of these types going around the country at our expense looking for the best welfare deal!


65 posted on 09/03/2005 8:48:34 AM PDT by tertiary01 (It took 21 years but 1984 finally arrived.)
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To: Carl/NewsMax

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.


66 posted on 09/03/2005 8:50:44 AM PDT by Ciexyz (Let us always remember, the Lord is in control.)
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To: nuconvert
"That's right. Throw up your hands. "

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.

67 posted on 09/03/2005 8:51:10 AM PDT by jpsb
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To: All

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?


68 posted on 09/03/2005 8:51:18 AM PDT by genew (Fact: Political correctness is a deadly social disease.)
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To: crosslink
They must have close kindred to those islamic terrorist that our troops in Iraq are fighting now.
Same thing that is happening in Iraq is happening in New Orleans, they take advantage of the old, weak, women, and are weak as all cowards, and then, when the real men show up ( our troops ) then they hide and blend in with the innocent.

This just goes to prove that the liberals/democrats/MSM are on the same side as the islamic terrorist are.
69 posted on 09/03/2005 8:52:23 AM PDT by Prophet in the wilderness (PSALM 53 : 1 The FOOL hath said in his heart , There is no GOD .)
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To: tertiary01
Yes, I can.

With Hildebeast's 2008 campaign bus leading the rabble.

70 posted on 09/03/2005 8:52:54 AM PDT by MarineDad (Whenever mosques and JDAM's meet, civilization benefits.)
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To: Mr. Jeeves

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.


71 posted on 09/03/2005 8:54:03 AM PDT by auntyfemenist (Show me your papers...)
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To: mtbopfuyn

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.


72 posted on 09/03/2005 8:54:30 AM PDT by savedbygrace ("No Monday morning quarterback has ever led a team to victory" GW Bush)
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To: genew

Last I heard, the National Guard moved in to provide them protection to get out. Never heard anything after that about their escape.


73 posted on 09/03/2005 8:55:24 AM PDT by nuconvert (No More Axis of Evil by Christmas ! TLR) [there's a lot of bad people in the pistachio business])
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To: tertiary01
I have heard that Texas welfare payments are among the lowest in the US. If true, I wonder if many of these soon to be transplanted people realize the surprise they are in for. I'm sure many will soon wise up and be coming to California.

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.

74 posted on 09/03/2005 8:56:21 AM PDT by mtbopfuyn (Legality does not dictate morality... Lavin)
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To: Carl/NewsMax

I hope those who hindered rescue operations are prosecuted!


75 posted on 09/03/2005 8:57:01 AM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Mr. Jeeves
Did they just put down their guns and blend in with the other refugees?

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.

76 posted on 09/03/2005 8:57:13 AM PDT by ModelBreaker
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To: MarineDad
"...and happily riding a bus to a nice, quiet community near you..."

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.

77 posted on 09/03/2005 8:57:28 AM PDT by sweet_diane ("Will I dance for you Jesus? Or in awe of You be still? I can only imagine..I can only imagine.")
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To: Dems_R_Losers
like chum in an ocean full of great white sharks.

??

That'd be more like Jesse Jacksoff's comments, and the comments of that rapper yesterday next to Mike Myers during the benefit concerts.

78 posted on 09/03/2005 8:57:50 AM PDT by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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To: MarineDad

Didn't take long did it? He's gone


79 posted on 09/03/2005 8:58:34 AM PDT by not_apathetic_anymore
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To: not_apathetic_anymore
Yeah, another unimaginitive "dead giveaway," garden-variety troll. (sigh)

I really wish they'd get better, but they seldom ever do.

80 posted on 09/03/2005 9:00:31 AM PDT by MarineDad (Whenever mosques and JDAM's meet, civilization benefits.)
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