Posted on 09/09/2005 8:13:25 AM PDT by 300magnum
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Soldiers and police confiscated guns from homeowners as they went house to house, trying to clear the shattered city of holdouts because of the danger of disease and fire. Police on Friday also marked homes with corpses inside, with plans to return later.
As many as 10,000 people were believed to be stubbornly staying put in the city, despite orders from Mayor Ray Nagin earlier this week to leave or be removed by force. By midmorning, though, there were no immediate reports of anyone being taken out forcibly, police said.
Police are "not going to do that until we absolutely have to. We really don't want to do that at all," Deputy Chief Warren Riley said.
Some residents who had previously refused to leave - whether because they wanted to protect their homes from looters, they did not want to leave their pets behind, or they simply feared the unknown - are now changing their minds and asking to be rescued, police said. "They realize they're not going to this awful situation like the Superdome or the Convention Center," Riley said. "As days go by, it seems less and less likely that we'll have to force anyone."
He added: "I don't know of any incidents where people are being bellingerent."
Police and soldiers seized numerous guns for fear of confrontations with jittery residents who have armed themselves against looters.
"No one will be able to be armed. We are going to take all the weapons," Riley said.
Thomas say forced evacuations would be a mistake.
On Thursday, in the city's well-to-do Lower Garden District, a neighborhood with many antebellum mansions, members of the Oklahoma National Guard seized weapons from the inhabitants of one home. Those who were armed were handcuffed and briefly detained before being let go.
"Walking up and down these streets, you don't want to think about the stuff that you're going to have to do, if somebody's pops out around a corner," said one of the Guardsmen, Chris Montgomery.
Police also went door-to-door checking for bodies or anyone in need of rescue. Houses where corpses were found were marked so that authorities could go back later.
Some other posters claimed that the fact that electricity is being turned back on shows that the infrastructure will be back in weeks. First of all, only the trunk lines are being turned back on so as to aid in clean up and receonstruction. The electric companies won't be placing a high priority on making sure that each house has functioning electrical hook-ups. Secondly, there is more to infrastructure than electricity and water. In order to survive in a city, one must be able to obtain fresh food, since it is almost impossible to "live off the land" in an urban area. The supermarkets will not be functional; anyone who stays behind will be dependant upon the food provided by rescue workers - and no one has the right to a gravy train of MRE's delivered to your out-of-the-way house.
There is more to infrastructure than electricity. And that assumes that electricity will be restored to their house. The report I heard on the radio today said that the power companies were returning electricity to the trunk lines, but would not be servicing individual's house hookups. The electricity is intended for powering the cleanup and rebuilding process, not individual survivalists.
It's hornbook law that in an emergancy ("exigent circumstances"), a warrant is not required because the search and seizure is reasonable. That's why cops can burst in through a door to preserve life and limb if they have probable cause to believe that this intervention will stop a crime in progress.
I don't like it. This sets a TERRIBLE precedent. There is no precedent for the forced evacuation of an entire city under the pretense of disease prevention. There is something more here. Something sinister.
EXIGENT: perhaps, but simply because the State's police powers are absolute whether "under color of law" or not - but now eagerly in action, there is nothing in our Law that can nullify our ratified Constitution. Blackrobe politicians will backstop jackboots. Some people, Cajuns in particular, have long memories and long guns.
All elected officials were grossly derelict, now compounding their mistakes.
You could have pinged me.
Not being famiiar with LA laws and such, I doubt being a jittery citizen was probable cause to seize firearms, IMO, I like the idea of the good folks being able to hold down their little own slice of LA. I'd want to leave town too if Chief Clownass was telling me to go steal guns. People will remember this. I've had citizen help a few times whn it was handy. Steal their stuff...probably never see it agian. And heck no, I would be part of it either. Good night. It's late
Gun ownership and bearing is covered under a separate amendment to the constitution. the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed
The 2nd amendment spells out everyone's right to have guns.
PM, I visited Biloxi a few years back and have a pretty good image of it in my mind. I stayed on the beach and visited all around Keesler AFB. The pictures I saw after this hurricane of just that area showed incredible devastation, near total devastation.
I would withhold any judgment about something sinister going on for about a year or so.
It is a fact that there's been a natural catastrophe take place. It is a fact that that was followed up by a flood.
It is a bit too soon, imo, to ignore this extraordinary circumstance.
I believe it is in the Constitution [the new and revised addition] that they have every right to re-write the laws according to their needs and desires.
"Living" for them, but it's killing US.
You don't think that's the plan, do you? ;)
Build their gallows high
You don't think that's the plan, do you?
Fear. Fear of getting dirty. Fear of liability of asking others to get dirty...etc.
A local story ran of an old mercury thermometer breaking within the city limits and having to call out the HAZMAT team.
Once again, it is hornbook law that States have broader police powers than the Fed. gov't. The fact that the State of Louisiana ordered the surrender of firearms in an area where law and order completely broke down doesn't bother me. It may be unwise, but it is 100% legal.
They are not confiscating weapons in Biloxi. Nothing unusual is going on in Biloxi that hasn't gone on in Florida or in Xenia Ohio. They are not kicking in the doors of people whose homes were not damaged and stealing their weapons and bussing them to Montana.
What they are doing in New Orleans is... frightening.
Nice PRETENSE for a wholesale violation of constitutional rights. Too bad it has no foundation in fact.
CHALMETTE, La. - (KRT) - Although health officials were preparing for outbreaks of deadly diseases in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the federal Centers for Disease Control said Thursday that no epidemics had materialized so far.
Doctors are seeing some clusters of diarrhea, along with skin rashes and infected wounds. But the CDC said an epidemic of cholera or typhoid was "very unlikely." Medical experts said the main concerns currently are potential outbreaks of gastrointestinal disease and flu-like illnesses in the shelters, where thousands of refugees from the New Orleans area are still living in cramped quarters.
"No disease outbreaks have been reported as of September 8, 2005 in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina," the CDC said on its Web site.
What freaks me out even further is the apparent lack of outrage by the people here that have either swallowed the "toxic water" swill or like seeing a police state in action. If the water is so effing toxic why aren't the cops walking around in MOP suits?
The lack of outrage by cops here is telling. When the orders come, we all know what they will do.
Gun seizures from LAW ABIDING citizens!!! Cops rumaging through private citizens property without warrants!! This country may not be worth fighting over and that is something I never thought I would say.
If ordered by a mayor -would you seize guns? Would you remove people from their houses?
What is going on with some at FR - They claim that FEMA could not start rescue and relief "without permission" becuase that would make the gubmint jack booted thugs -
meanwhile, we have jackbooted thugs taking the only means of protection these folks have?
PERFECT PIC
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