[Gee-Man]

This is the saddest, most shocking thing I've ever read - I keep hoping that the bad news has subsided and it's all about hope and and the generosity of good people now. But then I read this and it's like a nightmare that you can't wake up from:

http://washtimes.com/upi/20050908-112433-4907r.htm

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.
An eyewitness account from two San Francisco paramedics posted on an internet site for Emergency Medical Services specialists says, "Thousands of New Orleaners were prevented and prohibited from self-evacuating the city on foot."
"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.

Lawson said that once the storm itself had passed Monday, police from Gretna City, Jefferson Parrish and the Louisiana State Crescent City Connection Police Department closed to foot traffic the three access points to the bridge closest to the West Bank of the 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."
But -- in an example of the chaos that continued to beset survivors of the storm long after it had passed -- even as Lawson's men were closing the bridge, authorities in New Orleans were telling people that it was only way out of the city.

Two paramedics, who were trapped in the city while attending a convention, joined a group of people who had been turned out by the hotels that they were staying in on Wednesday. When the group attempted to get to the Superdome -- designated by city authorities as a shelter for those unable to evacuate -- they were turned away by the National Guard.
"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."

Some of these cops should be put up on charges and sent to jail. While others were trying to get in to help, these åssholes were too busy playing judge and jury and arguably executioner. These cops had NO jurisdiction in New Orleans, so they are just as guilty of taking advantage of a chaotic situation as those looters grabbing TVs.

[OSX Abuser]

I agree that is totaly crazy to keep people from leaving N.O.

[Y3a]

They were protecting a small community from being looted and burned. perhaps IF the locals had been more adult and less irrational they #1 wouldn't live at the bottom of a bowl surrounded by water, #2 got out BEFORE the storm hit, #3 not proceded in that direction because there was no shelter. The behavior of the post-flood looters has already been documented.

[RAILhead]

If they would have let them leave on foot, people would be overreacting about that potential outcome as much as they are about this.

For a storm this size, there are still under 300 dead -- so, statistically, it's going much better than expected.

[moodymonster]

extreme circumstances bring out people's true colours

Although I would hardly imagine the behaviour of these 'figures of authority' is indicative of the majority of cops and national guard in New Orleans.

I'm sure there will be more reports of cops and others going above and beyond the call of duty in New Orleans (and the surrounding areas), than reports of cops abusing their postion.

[Rolling Bones]

They were told there were buses waiting for them on the other side of the bridge to evacuate them. So they walked across and were shot at and told to go back. There were no busses.

[RIRedinPA]

Originally Posted by Y3a

They were protecting a small community from being looted and burned. perhaps IF the locals had been more adult and less irrational they #1 wouldn't live at the bottom of a bowl surrounded by water, #2 got out BEFORE the storm hit, #3 not proceded in that direction because there was no shelter. The behavior of the post-flood looters has already been documented.

What a racist load of crap. It didn't say a armed mob was trying to cross the bridge. The police of the town could have easily let the foot traffic cross over and escorted the survivors on through the town so they wouldn't have to worry about having black folk in their lily white community.

Your points are ridiculous and callous.

[Gee-Man]

Originally Posted by Y3a

They were protecting a small community from being looted and burned. perhaps IF the locals had been more adult and less irrational they #1 wouldn't live at the bottom of a bowl surrounded by water, #2 got out BEFORE the storm hit, #3 not proceded in that direction because there was no shelter. The behavior of the post-flood looters has already been documented.

I wondered if anyone would try to defend this. I assumed no - but lo and behold, a straggler arrives to defend the indefensible. Tragic.

If you really think that random people escaping a hurricane and massive flood on foot should be automatically assumed to be looters and arsonists, you've got some serious issues. Seek help.

[Gee-Man]

Originally Posted by RAILhead

If they would have let them leave on foot, people would be overreacting about that potential outcome as much as they are about this.

And what exactly was that "potential outcome"? Are you psychic? Has the movie Minority Report come true and we've all missed it, is there now a "Department of Pre-Crime"?

As far as all the eyewitness reports go, there were people attempting to leave N.O. on foot. That's all you know about them, nothing else. It's telling that you and the cops automatically assumed from this extremely limited information that there is an automatic "potential outcome" to letting these people cross the bridge.

[Gee-Man]

Originally Posted by moodymonster

extreme circumstances bring out people's true colours

Although I would hardly imagine the behaviour of these 'figures of authority' is indicative of the majority of cops and national guard in New Orleans.

I'm sure there will be more reports of cops and others going above and beyond the call of duty in New Orleans (and the surrounding areas), than reports of cops abusing their postion.

There already are reports of good cops out there who were heroes in all this - this shouldn't diminish their efforts. I would hope the behavior of the cops on the bridge is not indicative either.

[Y3a]

Go ahead and yell racist all you want. YOU ARE THE RACISTS!!! Re-read my post. NOTHING was stated as far as anyones race. I guess if you lived there you might think differently.

[Rolling Bones]

Originally Posted by Y3a

Go ahead and yell racist all you want. YOU ARE THE RACISTS!!! Re-read my post. NOTHING was stated as far as anyones race. I guess if you lived there you might think differently.

How close is DC to New Orleans?

[RAILhead]

Originally Posted by Gee-Man

And what exactly was that "potential outcome"? Are you psychic? Has the movie Minority Report come true and we've all missed it, is there now a "Department of Pre-Crime"?

As far as all the eyewitness reports go, there were people attempting to leave N.O. on foot. That's all you know about them, nothing else. It's telling that you and the cops automatically assumed from this extremely limited information that there is an automatic "potential outcome" to letting these people cross the bridge.

Eyewitness reports? From the article itself: An eyewitness account from two San Francisco paramedics posted on an internet site.

AN eyewitness account from TWO people.

Harldy "evidence" to damn the whole thing.

[RIRedinPA]

Originally Posted by Y3a

Go ahead and yell racist all you want. YOU ARE THE RACISTS!!! Re-read my post. NOTHING was stated as far as anyones race. I guess if you lived there you might think differently.

Decided to give you the benefit of the doubt and I reread your post. Yup, still sounds racist to me. You automatically make the assumption that these people were not trying to escape the hurricane and flood but instead were looking to loot and pillage.

As far as anyone's race not beingmentioned, please, don't be coy. Since the majority of the people who were left/stayed behind were black what race could you be writing about?