Posted on 09/09/2005 11:06:37 AM PDT by 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."
Thanks for posting that link. Unbelievable.
Thanks for your input.
Somebody posted earlier that Snopes will have a field day by the time this whole Katrina debacle sorts itself out.
free dixie,sw
Interesting article.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1482786/posts
Its a hard call but the people of Gretna are not in the papers as being raped or beaten and robbed. But on the other hand who is to say it would have happened. In the end, the police chief did his job but did he do it well? I guess that opinion depends on what side of the bridge you were on...
wave "bye-bye" to all of us as you DEPART.
free dixie,sw
Pardon me?
Let me repeat myself: MHKING, PLEASE DON'T GO!!!
You are among friends here, people who've read your previous postings and respect your thoughts and opnions. I'd sorely miss you. :-(
Jonah
I would not hire someone to do something that I can do myself. Having said that, that's why I am marrying a man that comes with his own guns.
I know that not all people with dark skin live in the Ghetto- since my friends and neighbors are all shades of colors- and I live far,far away from any ghetto.
I don't need to be reminded that the merits of charatcher have nothing to do with skin color- I know that from living my life...no one whom I know personally needs to be reminded that behavior has nothing to do with skin color.
But I am sick of some conservatives on this thread assuming I need to be reminded of it. If people want to be judged as equal- then live with the consequences of that . If we had gangs of white,yellow, red or pink folks murdering and pillaging the folks in the suburbs- there would be talk. And people would naturally notice that there is a common denominator there among the people- that they are all fair skinned.
The fact that we are not suppose to say anything about it because the race in this instance is a special protected group of "brown or black" is dysfunctional- and I am very tired of it.
"harmless teddy bear" is threatening "to take his marbles & go home" (like a petulant child.)
i essentially told him "GOOD RIDDANCE"! (just thought you might be interested.)
free dixie,sw
LOL, sadly too many regular people in NO were not told how to do for themselves what others are able to hire.
I do hope and pray these that survived will not be hemmed into another liberal village.
Agreed.
An Absolute Disgrace...if we've got a racial problem in all this look at Lousyana...they're the racial goons.
when AmerIndian groups/gangs caused trouble "on the res" i was LOUD in my disgust & condemnation with/of them.
my skin-tone has NOTHING to do with RIOTING & CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR! those are just CRIMES!
free dixie,sw
The police chief's actions are seen as being racist, when it had nothing to do with the color of anyone's skin. By every account, they were preventing all foot traffic, no matter what the skin color of the passerby.
They were not preventing people from moving on down the highway to I-10, which is what refugees were being told to do. The police were only keeping their town closed because they had nothing to offer and didn't want more looting and rioting, which they had minimized.
The New Orleans police were criticized for allowing the looters to run wild robbing and raping people and destroying property. Here's a guy taking action, being called a racist for trying to do his job and preventing the same things happening.
Too much drama.
Sometimes there is truth in stereotypes.
I hardly ever drink(anymore ;0)) and I have never smoked a peace pipe- so sometimes there is not any truth.
If we as a country, would be allowed to examine some of the sterotyping- we may just get to the bottom of what the heck the problem is- over htere in the ghetto and slums and crime filled inner cities.
But then again my motivation, my dream, is to do away with the Ghetto all together by getting those people to lead healthy productive lives. Some people don't want that- and those people come in all colors- red, brown, yellow , pink white and olive.
I am. Count me in. I'm still reading through, I can't believe the pettiness or the defense of the bridge actions. We need to stick together and we need each of our voices to be heard.
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