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."
None. I've just heard it repeatedly from Indians and groups of Indians (we have an annual Pow Wow nearby, and know it also from mission trips to reservations).
Go TRIBE!!
(Hey.......before you start laughing, the Indians aren't bad this year. ;)
Stay well.
they were survivors and they needed water,food and shelter. You would have us believe that everyone that survived were looters.
I would have kept them out until I seperated the looters from the victims.
I read your personal page. Did you forget what you have posted there? The Governor and the mayor let their constituents down. My husband and I watched the National Guard signing people into the superdome. They were possessing everyone that went into the dome and they gave them water and ME kits and then after the hurricane hit, the National Guard was no where to be seen. The Governor would not let the red cross or anyone else go there and help those people because she wanted them to leave. 80% of New Orleans was under water. Well, well did she expect them to go? Why didn't she leave the National Guard units at the dome to keep the peace? These people needed help but their own government refused to help them
BUT... then again, there WAS no bus convoy.. was there.. The cops must of only stopped a few potential looters.. if any..
Nagins infamy is rising..
I don't know how you would go about separating looters from the victims. Oh, did they all have shopping carts? lol
I was pinged here because I am on mhkings ping list- I didn't read the thread until recently.
For the record: I think it is wrong to have closed the bridge down if people needed help and help was available on the other side. My nature would be to help people,I don't know if I could if it was a gang member type- but I suspose I would, I don't know anymore-anyone who has worked with inner city gang types knows there is a high burn out rate in that field for a darn good reason.
BTW- My sister was a victim of rape by a gang member- I have a relative who was hit by a car, on purpose- crossing the street while working in a slum- I just have no patience left for the types of people who prey upon others and are so hateful, and there were plenty of them in NO last week, no matter what anyone says: someone burned those buildings and shot at those rescue workers and stormed small business. I do not hold all dark skinned men accountable for the crimes against my family- but I do hold gang members accountable. There is nothing that can be done to change that.
So forgive me if I was not fair with here with you on this issue- I did not mean to misrepresent your posts.
Nor should they have been expected to. I guess its easy to judge the sherriff of this town when a person doesn't have to deal with it themselves.
You nailed it. Too bad everybody can't calm down and think the situation through.
Amen!
NYPD is the finest in the nation. Thats just a fact. They handled 9/11 beautifully and the RNC just as well. Kudos to the NYPD!
And you really think these people would have obeyed the orders for small groups at a time?
It was much worse than looting. Try murder and beatings. These police wouldn't have stood a chance with that mob.
So he let white people through and kept the black people out? This racsist word is getting thrown around alot with no proof.
But there were police and emergency personal. Aren't they people. I just wonder how many people would turn a crazed mob loose on a few hundred officers.
It is like they have a new toy over there.
Of course all the people who throw the word racist around and call people bigots are all superior to you and me becky- because they are not name callers and they treat everyone equally and they would not have kept criminals out of people's business- aren't they cool? So- Looters can not be held accountable for burning down city blocks. No, it would be racist to say that.
obviously, you have a short attention span.
free dixie,sw
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