We Shut Down the Bridge

Washington Times & UPI via NRO ^ | Sep. 9, 2005 | Shaun Waterman

[hipaatwo]

Think local officials are less to blame for deaths in New Orleans than federal officials? In the most jaw-dropping story of the week, UPI has the police chief of Gretna, Louisiana, admitting that he closed off one of the major arteries out of New Orleans on Monday, before the storm hit:

"We shut down the bridge," Arthur Lawson, chief of the City of Gretna Police Department, confirmed to United Press International, adding that his jurisdiction had been "a closed and secure location" since before the storm hit.

"All our people had evacuated and we locked the city down," he said. The bridge in question -- the Crescent City Connection -- is the major artery heading west out of New Orleans across the Mississippi River.

He added that the small town, which he called "a bedroom community" for the city of New Orleans, would have been overwhelmed by the influx. "There was no food, water or shelter" in Gretna City, Lawson said. "We did not have the wherewithal to deal with these people. If we had opened the bridge, our city would have looked like New Orleans does now: looted, burned and pillaged."

[MamaB]

I do not think the story is real, either. I have been going to newspapers all over the South and I have not seen one story about this. I read about 4 or 5 in LA, more than that in MS, some in TN, and in AL. You would think one paper would have this on the first page it it were true. I have watched TV stations in those states, too. I will do more searches before I make up my mind.

[kingu]

The Man (all the law enforcement agencies) was trying to keep the Socialist workers down in New Orleans.

What I found intriguing the first time I read the story was that they identified the Walgreens that was looted and that was the last thing they directly identified. No names of officers, no names of people with them, none of those pesky details that might trip up their story. Couldn't believe that these two who are experienced protesters didn't get anyone's name.

UPI reported they weren't able to contact the writers, I couldn't contact the writers, I have a box full of e-mails from other reporters who couldn't contact the writers... Faxes, phone calls, relays through Socialist Worker's editorial department - nothing.

I still keep checking Red Cross's registry to see if either of their names pop up, nothing. Original source appears to be sfsocialists.org from San Francisco State Univeristy which has a September 5th date. EMS network slapped on a Sept 6th date.

It reads like a Forest Gump culling of stories out of NO.

[Lancey Howard]

....confirmed to United Press International, adding that his jurisdiction had been "a closed and secure location" since before the storm hit.

I think what that means is that Gretna had been safely evacuated and the police remained to keep the town secure. That's what they thought they were supposed to do and that's what they successfully did.

There are too unknowns about this whole story. For example, did the walkers emerge from chest-high (or even ankle-high flood waters to climb the incline to the bridge? Or were they actually coming onto the bridge from a dry area of New Orleans and simply seeking food and water (items which were apparently not to be found in Gretna to begin with)? Nothing in the information I have seen leads me to believe that people were chased back into flood waters. I mean, c'mon....

This matters. Chief Lawson informed people that there was nothing for them in Gretna. No food, no water, no shelter. Therefore, the people who wanted to walk into Gretna anyway would want to do so.... for what reason??

The chief obviously didn't want to find out the hard way.

[Torie]

OK, turning to the storm aftermath, dO you really think they were a bunch of looters, just looking for action? In any event, it was illegal. Given what was going on in New Orleans, I would have wanted out too. Pity it would have required being white or having a camera crew next to me to do it.

[wideawake]

We know that he cost some people their lives.

We know nothing of the sort.

All we know is that he prevented the general ruckus from metastasizing beyond New Orleans.

I think we'll find that the deaths from dehydration (if any - at most we may find that dehydration was a contributing factor to some deaths at the Convention Center) were those of the infirm and elderly who were abandoned at the Convention Center.

I highly doubt that the crowd that marched up the bridge and confronted the Gretna police included dehydrated, infirm individuals - those people had already been left to die by the crowd.

[Lancey Howard]

Earlier in the thread was this interesting post.

Chief Lawson is a Democrat, and it was reported that, "Most of the police officers I've seen there (Gretna) are black".... I've checked a lot of places but I haven't been able to find a photo of Chief Lawson yet. I wonder why?

[kingu]

Before you get too sick, a FYI...

Meanwhile, there were journalists, including some who work for The Times-Picayune, going in and out of the city via the Crescent City Connection.
-- source: nola.com, open letter to President Bush.

There are many stories including This one where on the third image from the end, the author details getting out of the city in a (borrowed) truck.

I can't dispute the words quoted in a story - I didn't do the interview, but I think that reporters for Times-Picayune would have reported on people being trapped by officers when they went through the checkpoint multiple times. There are other reports from others that detail walking all the way to the second bus staging area outside of Metaire.

[Torie]

Keep it up. You are doing a fine job here. Don't let me suggest otherwise. I am overwrought. It was still wrong, but it may be more malum prohibitum, than malum in se. We shall see.

[PGalt]

Before, I resigned myself to letting much of this go on this site. Now I don't know what to think. It's like I'm actually through the looking glass.

Unbelievable.

Reinforcements are always nearby. :)

Unbelievable! (The post and some of the comments)

[Torie]

That guy was Hispanic. And it appears they let vehicles through. And I don't think the guy said he drove over the Crescent City bridge. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. I suspect he probably just drove west, which was open, I-10 I think.

[Torie]

You are right, it says he did drove towards the West Bank.

[kingu]

One route out of the city that was dry - the Crescent City Connection. If you see others, I'd be interested to hear.

Here's the close ups of the bridge. Follow from the onramp, over the bridge to the other side. This was taken by the NOAA Cessna plane August 31st, 2005.

Image One
Image Two
Image Three
Image Four

I don't see lines of officers. One car on the onramp on the NO side, one car at the split on the other side. Am I missing something here?

[flowergirl]

No... the bridge over the Ms riveris south west towards
gretna...the one that goes east to the Ms coast is thw twinspan on I10..which was badly damaged in the hurricane...not sure about I55 north to Jackson

[Torie]

I-10 seems underwater, but somehow, vehicles got from the airport into town, and I had heard it was passible. Confusing.

[nopardons]

OMG !

[kingu]

The depth of water on the I-10 wasn't deep enough to prevent high clearence vehicles from passing - I was watching WWL's video when they showed some vehicles coming through the deep puddles.

But from most reports I've read, the majority got to the airport via helicopter... IIRC; it has been a long couple of weeks (that aren't done yet.)

[Lancey Howard]

OK, turning to the storm aftermath, dO you really think they were a bunch of looters, just looking for action?

As a matter of fact, I don't.

But at the time of the events reported on this thread, my TV set was filled with video of brazen looting and complete anarchy in New Orleans. The country was outraged at the thuggery. Reports were all over the place about police and helicopters and rescue workers being shot at. Snipers and gangs. Murders, rapes, and fires.... Clearly, this is exactly what was on the mind of the chief: "There was no food, water or shelter" in Gretna City, Lawson said. "We did not have the wherewithal to deal with these people. If we had opened the bridge, our city would have looked like New Orleans does now: looted, burned and pillaged."

Now, say that at about the same time that all those nauseating reports are filling our TV screens, you and your relatively little police force, charged with securing your little town, see mobs of people who "fit the profile" marching across the bridge toward your town. You gonna wave them through and tell them to have a nice stay? Or are you going to inform them that there is no food, water, or shelter to be had and therefore there's no good reason to continue into Gretna? (Obviously, this question presumes that NO sane human being would literally chase people back into flood waters - - and I am positive that that did not happen here.)

Racism? Maybe. Probably. But if so, then it was likely the same kind of racism that Jesse Jackson once admitted to when he said that he heard somebody following him one night and when he turned around and saw that it was a white man, he was relieved.

[kingu]

Read #452 - perhaps you can help puzzle this out. And I'm annoyed at UPI for running an unverified story (which they admit) for their narration. It makes me really wonder if the police chief actually did say what they quote him as saying.

[unsycophant]

Same here, MamaB. If much of this happened in front of MSM, why didn't they show it? Surely police shooting at people trying to flee New Orleans would be worth mentioning, or a sheriff who took food and water from the needy.

I wouldn't doubt the authors were there, but they were probably huddled in the Superdome, then elbowing the old folks out of the way to be the first on the departing buses. The story reads like a compilation of many news reports that have appeared on television, with a lot of antipolice and socialist rhetoric tossed in.

Vague specifics.

[nopardons]

Hmmm...I don't see a bunch of police either.