"I didn't see any armed thugs stopping anyone from delivering food or water to the folks at the convention center (which they did eventually.)"
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/09/01/D8CBN9OG2.html
"In hopes of defusing the unrest at the convention center, Mayor Ray Nagin gave the refugees permission to march across a bridge to the city's unflooded west bank for whatever relief they can find. But the bedlam at the convention center appeared to make leaving difficult.
A military heliocpter tried to land at the convention center several times to drop off food and water. But the rushing crowd forced the choppers to back off. Troopers then tossed the supplies to the crowd from 10 feet off the ground and flew away."
Plenty of evidence of "armed thugs" there. All you gotta do is wait for permission from the mayor, and try not to get too excited when they drop food and water and you'll be fine.