Posted on 09/08/2005 3:40:23 PM PDT by RDTF
Waters were receding across this flood-beaten city today as police officers began confiscating weapons, including legally registered firearms, from civilians in preparation for a mass forced evacuation of the residents still living here.
No civilians in New Orleans will be allowed to carry pistols, shotguns, or other firearms, said P. Edwin Compass, the superintendent of police. "Only law enforcement are allowed to have weapons," he said.
But that order apparently does not apply to the hundreds of security guards whom businesses and some wealthy individuals have hired to protect their property. The guards, who are civilians working for private security firms like Blackwater, are openly carrying M-16's and other assault rifles. Mr. Compass said he was aware of the private guards, but that the police had no plans to make them give up their weapons.
Nearly two weeks after the floods began, New Orleans has turned into an armed camp, patrolled by thousands of local, state, and federal law enforcement officers, as well as National Guard troops and active-duty soldiers. While armed looters roamed unchecked last week, the city is now calm. No arrests were made on Wednesday night or this morning, and police received only 10 calls for service, a police spokesman said.
The city's slow recovery is continuing on other fronts as well, local officials said at a press conference late this morning. Pumping stations are now operating across much of the city, and many taps and fire hydrants have water pressure. Also, tests have shown no evidence of cholera or other dangerous diseases in flooded areas, though health officials have said the waters contain levels of E. coli bacteria and lead 10 times higher than what is considered safe.
Efforts to recover corpses have also started, although only a handful of bodies have been recovered so far.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Its illegal from soup to nuts. no martila law, posse comitatus violated, troops taking orders from nagin, guns drawn forcing people out when forcing them out "is prohibited"
What's unbelievable about it? LEOs have been behaving like this for decades, with impunity.
"this is your future for owning a legal firearm under any "rat" government----vot 'rat' at your peril--"this is not a drill"
Well, let's see, a Republican President.....Repub Congress....
Repub senate......
Time to re-think your theory.
Once again, a different set of rules applies to the wealthy.
Apparently people who can't afford to hire stand-ins to protect their property have to give up their guns and get out of town, leaving their homes defenseless.
Disgusting.
That is exactly the theroy our republic was built on. If the goblins outnumber the authorities, deputize the homeowners.
Meanwhile the powers that be have erected a "them vs. us" society, with "them" being in charge of the armed law enforcement. It's a prerogative that they will not give up.
Unbelievable.
I'm really upset by this thread. Will you please try to remember to ping me to any major developments in these gestapo tactics? I would really appreciate it, guys. I don't have the time to read entire threads like this one, so my strategy is to look for some of the old-times whom I respect to see if I should be concerned.
This is very troubling, and it's happening in my own back yard.
Do I have this straight? A mayor (or governor?) is perusing the ATF forms to see who owns guns in a particular neighborhood, then the city mayor is ordering the Nat'l Guard to collect those guns? And the reason they're doing this is to prevent being shot at when they begin forcing these people out of their homes against their will? So they can bulldoze later without any resistance?
What's the mayor's motivation? I may be wrong, but it sounds to me like the mayor is displacing his anger at the governor onto the population that most represents her.
old-timeRs
Don't worry. The police will protect you (*snicker*).
We will never forget Ruby Ridge and Waco.
Bwahahaha.
true but to actully SEE it on TV....
Eddie Compass is an incompetent fool. This is clearly illegal and unconstitutional.
So why isn't anyone stopping it? Where the heck is the US AG? Or are they content to allow Nagin and Compass to turn NO into their own little fiefdom?
FMCDH, indeed!
Whoever ordered and is carrying out the disarming of, and displacement of law-abiding citizens in realtively unaffected portions of New Orleans...who are well provisioned and are remaining there simply to protect their own property...is worse than nuts. IMHO, they are violating their oath of office and the ones now committing the crimes.
Hey Bruck --this is disturbing.
I nominate this post for the 'understatment of the day' award. ;)
Seriously the more I read the less articulate I get. I'm so incensed at this point that I don't know WHAT to say. Who exactly do we need to contact to complain about this? I think a major FReep is in order here.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.