My hero is a bus thief - Houston Chronicle (Priceless Photo)

Houston Chronicle ^ | Sept. 1, 2005, 10:29PM | By RICK CASEY

[joinedafterattack]

"When he arrived at the Astrodome about 10 p.m. Wednesday, 20-year-old Jabbar Gibson modestly confessed that he had commandeered a school bus in New Orleans, then picked up about 70 passengers before heading out for the 13-hour trek to Houston." <!-- DIV.b2 { margin: .75em 0px; } -->

Jabbar Gibson rescues NO citizens on 8-31-05

New Orleans school buses:

New Orleans public transit buses:

Count 'em and weep...

New Orleans school buses:

New Orleans public transit buses:

Count 'em and weep...

[teenyelliott]

Hey Travis, every time you post that picture with the disaster plan, you should include this little tidbit from the actual evac notice that went out:

If you need a ride, try to go with a neighbor, friend, or relative.

I have the entire evac notice if you want it.

[teenyelliott]

Every time you encounter someone around here who is bagging on black people about the looting, show them this story.

[texasbluebell]

As I said, they should be hiding in fear, not mouthing off

All those LA politicians who are mouthing off are doing so to deflect from their own culpability. Sniveling blackguards, every last one of 'em.

[Gideon7]

[cgbg]

I hope the kid moves to my state.

With his drive and initiative he may well found a business that creates thousands of jobs.

Then when he learns about all the taxes and regulations he faces he will become one of us!

[pointsal]

Seems like this gent should get a job with a national TV road crew....he's resourceful.

[shewontdie07]

This guy is a true hero.

If anyone trys to put this man on trial, well then, i think they should go put on some lead boots and jump into the ocean.

He was brave. He didn't just try to save himself from this tragedy, he saved many other people along with him. It's a shame that there weren't more like him. Actually, a hero such as Jabbar shouldn't have been needed in this situation; the mayor should have let them use the 200+ public transportation buses to save many more people.

I think that the mayor should be tried for what she did, or maybe just be put in a meat grinder or something. But she pretty much killed many helpless people due to her decision.

You are a wonderful person/American mayor of NO!

I'm sure all of the dead people are thanking you right now for what you did.

[FreedomCalls]

After I saw the interview, I learned that the bus depot was open, key box available to anyone who took the initiative.

Yup. He said he simply matched the key number on the hang tag to the number on the bus. He also had to stop and fill up with fuel at one point and the passengers all took up a collection among themselves to pay for it.

[SMBSavedByGrace]

My heart is so saddened to hear of the reports of how so many of the poor people lost their lives due to negligence on the part of the Mayor and Governor of the State of Louisiana. I can't understand why they didn't have a plan in action several days prior to the hurricane. I think Jabbar Gibson was a caring individual who did what he thought was right. He helped to save the lives of 70 people. He should NOT be put on trial as taking the school bus was NOT his intention to steal it but to help others evacuate. I will stand behind what this man did. I think the Mayor should be placed in a small room strapped into a chair and let the water rise to just below the tip of her nose and let her feel what it must have been like for those who tragically and needlessly lost their lives.

[cwb]

Wow. A kid did what the Mayor could've done for 48 hours before the hurricane, almost 24 hours before the levee break...and according to this story, could've even done on Wednesday when the city was still under water. In other words, as the Mayor was crying for Greyhound buses on Thursday, a kid was driving people to safetly with his buses the day before.

[FreedomCalls]

"You are wrong. They used city buses." And a little later insisted: "There were buses picking up people all over the city."

"Technically" they were. They were using the city buses to ferry people out of the Ninth Ward to the Superdome. They then took the buses back to the bus depot and parked them. And then, in the final incredible stupid move piled upon a series of stupid moves; even after the buses came though the hurricane intact, and after they were told the levee was breached -- even then they did not move them to higher ground. They left them there to be flooded.

[FreedomCalls]

Surely it's different from my little Saturn (even though they are both manual, I think).

Every school bus I've ever seen recently is an automatic.

[Balding_Eagle]

I hope GWB invites him to the White House to highlight his initiative and can-do spirit.

Me too, he deserves it.

[B4Ranch]

"Remember, it was a CDL-operated bus that flipped over on the freeway."

Update; I heard on one station that the wreck was caused by a passenger attacking the driver.

[mvpel]

The way I see it, anyone with average intelligence would be able to figure out a three-on-the-tree or any other weird manual-shift vehicle with at most two stall-outs.

[Teacher317]

The cool part is that the kid will get job offers, a mentor/helping hand, and/or some interesting opportunities... all for stealing a bus (which would've gotten him jail time last month). Only in America! =^)

[M. Espinola]

"Every time you encounter someone around here who is bagging on black people about the looting, show them this story."

Jabbar Gibson | Future Director of FEMA

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 (first time behind the wheel of a school 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. They could not wait especially the babies & elderly among Jabbar Gibson's rescued group of abandoned hurricane victims.

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.

In terms of the number of the diseased bigots, they simply used this hurricane as an excuse launch their typical venomous attacks.

[Travis McGee]

Great Superdome/Bus picture!!!

[Travis McGee]

[skinkinthegrass]

I bet, The Bus Drivers' union is pretty upset...He not a union member.