Cops trapped survivors in New Orleans

The Washington Times ^ | September 9, 2005 | Shaun Waterman

[NavySEAL F-16]

Police from surrounding jurisdictions shut down several access points to one of the only ways out of New Orleans last week, effectively trapping victims of Hurricane Katrina in the flooded and devastated city.

[NavySEAL F-16]

Is this the most screwed up area of the country or what?

I was stationed in LA in the mid to late 70's.There is absolutely no way you can prepare yourself for this absolute corruption of city and state government. Unfortunately, none of this has come as a surprise to those of us that have lived there. Unfortunately, there are people that take their cue for acceptable behaviour from their elected officials. Edwin Edwards was governor for FOUR terms. In between his second and third term he was in jail and after his fourth term was indicted, found guilty and is currently in federal prison.

[NavySEAL F-16]

I don't -- I think it should be removed. Just look at the source -- Questionable to say the least.

[antiRepublicrat]

BTW, Bush, the current Congress and their predecessors are partially to blame for everybody (not just the press) looking to the federal government to fix everything about Katrina, forgetting that state and local has most of the responsibility. Fedgov has been pulling so much power from the states over the years, preempting state law and getting involved in state business, that most people just automatically think fedgov is responsible for everything.

[MRMEAN]

Do you consider this a reputable story?

I found the details of their first-person account credible, much of what they wrote is consistent with stories published in newspapers, and in fact aired on FNN, including the story about the hotel tourists being kicked out of their hotels, who hired buses that were commandeered by the authorities, and who were trapped and prevented from escaping by the bridge by police shooting in their direction. The Gretna police collaborated that they did prevent people from crossing in the UPI story.

The fact that the two paramedics are "SF Socialists" and they have some editorial about "racism" does not to me discredit a mostly straightforward account that has other collaboration. Other posts on the Internet have supported other parts of their story.

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

The NO Police Superintendent today reiterated that there are no known sexual assaults that occurred in the city. And, there were no dead children in the Terrordome. By the way, he's an egocentric piece of work.

[freema]

OMG

[deport]

I just don't buy the 'stealing our food, using a helicopter to destroy our shelter stuff.'

---

I agree that much of it maybe hype.... But the bridge was closed as a part of their security plans it seems. I don't even disagree with it at the time they did it as they didn't have forces to protect the area they were trying to guard. I think the final assessments of this event will show that communications was one of the failures that must be addressed for future use.

We went through an experience where I live though not devastating to our area like this storm was to NO and points east. It was when Hurricane Andrew wiped out Homestead Fl and then came west into the Gulf and looked like it was taking dead aim on the LA/TX border. Evacuations were ordered and it was a fiasco. There was no planning, no communications, nothing and had the storm came into the area as a 4/5 it would have been devastating.

As a result of the fiasco it made the area aware of the needs. A regional plan was developed and signed off on by all entities involved. Hopefully it will work when it is needed.

[Mo1]

I'm listening to Hannity and he has Geraldo on

Gerry made a comment that if that bridge was open .. the people could have walked across it to Mississippi to an area that was pretty much undamaged or had very little damage

I don't know that area

Is it true that the other side of that bridge goes to another state??

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

The fact that the two paramedics are "SF Socialists" and they have some editorial about "racism" does not to me discredit a mostly straightforward account that has other collaboration.

I think it would be better to remove it from here ....just because of the irreputable source.....then ask if it could be a separate thread....

This is the way the Left works....start with some truth and then embellish it to suit your purposes.....ex:

We 8 were caught in a press of humanity as flights were delayed for several hours while George Bush landed briefly at the airport for a photo op.

[freema]

I actually think it was not the flood to which Bush referred when he said nobody knew this would happen, it was

that nobody knew Democrats could morph into such vermin.

[TaxRelief]

I found the details of their first-person account credible...

Which details? That the police stole their food? And used a helicopter to wreck their shelter? You'd have to have an intense distrust of law enforcement officers to believe that the police would do this.

Actually you have mentioned your concerns about LEO's in the past.

[deport]

Gerry made a comment that if that bridge was open .. the people could have walked across it to Mississippi to an area that was pretty much undamaged or had very little damage

---

Not close to MS in walking distance.

I suspect he meant or said walk across the Mississippi River which the bridge crosses and into Gretna and the other areas on the west bank which were less damaged....

This is the same bridge/highway that Shep ranted about on Fox at times. The bridge is at best about 1 1/2 miles from the Super Dome and the road is elevated.... The problem was that the ppl on down the line in Gretna, etc. had no means of controlling the groups once they were in their jurisdiction on foot.

Look at this map and note the bridge going south across the MS..... that is the one in question. The Super Dome sits just below the word New Orleans and is the green spot. Gretna is the red star.

[Victoria Delsoul]

From the same article:

"Quite naturally, we asked ... 'What was our alternative?' The guards told us that that was our problem, and no, they did not have extra water to give to us. "This would be the start of our numerous encounters with callous and hostile law enforcement."

As they made their way to the bridge in order to leave the city "armed Gretna sheriffs (sic) formed a line across the foot of the bridge. Before we were close enough to speak, they began firing their weapons over our heads."

Members of the group nonetheless approached the police lines, and "questioned why we couldn't cross the bridge ... They responded that the West Bank was not going to become New Orleans and there would be no Superdomes in their City. "These were code words," the paramedics wrote, "for if you are poor and black, you are not crossing the Mississippi River and you were not getting out of New Orleans."

The authors say that during the course of that day, they saw "other families, individuals and groups make the same trip up the incline in an attempt to cross the bridge, only to be turned away. Some chased away with gunfire, others simply told no, others to be verbally berated and humiliated."

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Comments needed on this thread:

A Barrier That Could Have Been (environmentalist suit stopped New Orleans project)

***********************

LA Times ^ | 9/09/05 | Ralph Vartabedian, Peter Pae

Posted on 09/09/2005 9:15:45 AM PDT by Libloather

KATRINA'S AFTERMATH
A Barrier That Could Have Been
Congress OKd a project to protect New Orleans 40 years ago, but an environmentalist suit halted it. Some say it could have worked.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

See link above.

[Mo1]

Thanks for the info

This is all making my head spin .. I wish I know more about the area down there to understand it all more

[editor-surveyor]

Disgusting !!!!!!!

[Madame Dufarge]

Just ordered the book.

Can't wait to push my blood pressure to the off-the-chart stage again.

Thanks, I think ;-)

[F-117A]

Hurricane was over late Monday morning, levee break was early Tuesday morning.

"A large section of the vital 17th Street Canal levee, where it connects to the brand new "hurricane proof" Old Hammond Highway bridge, gave way late Monday morning in Bucktown after Katrina's fiercest winds were well north. The breach sent a churning sea of water from Lake Pontchartrain coursing across Lakeview and into Mid-City, Carrollton, Gentilly, City Park and neighborhoods farther south and east." -- Times-Picayune

[537cant be wrong]

east st. louis comes to mind.