Surviving in New Orleans

by Chris Bertram on September 8, 2005

Two trade unionists and paramedics from California who found themselves trapped in New Orleans have “written an account of their experiences”:http://www.emsnetwork.org/artman/publish/article_18337.shtml . (“Alternative link”:http://www.livejournal.com/users/sfsocialists/ ) A sample:

bq. By day 4 our hotels had run out of fuel and water. Sanitation was dangerously abysmal. As the desperation and despair increased, street crime as well as water levels began to rise. The hotels turned us out and locked their doors, telling us that the “officials” told us to report to the convention center to wait for more buses. As we entered the center of the City, we finally encountered the National Guard. The Guards told us we would not be allowed into the Superdome as the City’s primary shelter had descended into a humanitarian and health hellhole. The guards further told us that the City’s only other shelter, the Convention Center, was also descending into chaos and squalor and that the police were not allowing anyone else in. Quite naturally, we asked, “If we can’t go to the only 2 shelters in the City, 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”.

(via “Bitch PhD”:http://bitchphd.blogspot.com/ – who has possibly the best background graphic in the blogosphere.)

{ 13 comments }

1

Russell Arben Fox 09.08.05 at 6:50 am

I read this via a link over at Making Light. Simply incredible.

2

jet 09.08.05 at 7:30 am

Just judging from my personal experience with the police, their behavior was completely normal. What? Were we under the impression that cops were generally good people willing to give a band of strangers the benefit of the doubt? You have to be at least a bit psychotic to be a cop, it comes with the badge. Anyway you cut it, (if this account is true) those cops and sheriffs who ordered citizens to be turned back should all be fired and prosecuted for a minimum of manslaughter. And what’s up with cops going all military on us and calling us “civilians”? We’re fark’n CITIZENS, bastards.

I blame the War on Drugs for turning Andy Griffith into the Rodney King beaters.

3

abb1 09.08.05 at 9:46 am

Down with the pigs. Bring the Black Panthers back.

4

Tracy W 09.08.05 at 5:29 pm

This is frankly so weird I can’t make sense of it. In emergencies people are normally helpful. Americans are normally helpful. And a couple of trade unionists in town for a conference can’t have done anything bad enough to get all the city officials furious at them (not that it would excuse their behaviour to abandoned citizens if they did.)

These reports and the reports of FEMA’s actions in stopping aid getting through make me start thinking that these organisations are just evil, like monsters in a horror movie. I could understand the flooding and the people being trapped as being caused, like most big disasters, by a series of bad decisions and failures (not upgrading the levees, not having an evacuation plan for all the people who don’t have cars, not having a disaster-resistant communications system, etc, etc), but once the disaster is recognised normally people start actually trying to help. The officials in these stories appear to be doing the opposite. They should be given the organisational equivalent of being dragged out behind the barn, shot with silver bullets, staked through the heart, the head cut off, the body burned and the ashes thrown into the fires of Mt Doom. They are so dysfunctional and evil this is the only way I can see to start putting things right.

5

yabonn 09.08.05 at 5:57 pm

Thing is, the police/military was surely applying a plan, or at the very least had instructions, to block the ways out.

The death toll results from the flood, the disorganisation, and, maybe in a big proportion, from these instructions.

Who gave the orders? Who planned that?

Meanwhile, the Army Times kindly informs us that they are all set to quell the “insurgency” from “Little Somalia”.

6

Omri 09.08.05 at 6:47 pm

There was no need for a plan to commit this crime. All that was needed was a police force full of Old South crackers (face it, that’s what Gretna’s police proved itself to be) and no communication from the governor to make them behave like their country has a U and not a C in front of the S and A. We know the governor’s a flake. My question to you all, is when this police force is sued (and hopefully criminally charged with interfering with a mandatory evacuation order), will you donate to the legal offense fund? And if a year from now there are demonstrations, will you join?

7

Slocum 09.08.05 at 7:36 pm

My question to you all, is when this police force is sued (and hopefully criminally charged with interfering with a mandatory evacuation order), will you donate to the legal offense fund? And if a year from now there are demonstrations, will you join?

Criminal charges are handled by prosecutors — no donations are needed (or useful). As for civil suits — I’ll be amazed if there aren’t lawyers falling all over eachoter to take high-profile (and, probabably, high-reward) cases like this on contingency.

8

jet 09.08.05 at 7:41 pm

I quote the American Red Cross “The state [as in not federal] Homeland Security Department had requested–and continues to request–that the American Red Cross not come back into New Orleans following the hurricane. Our presence would keep people from evacuating and encourage others to come into the city.

It also appears it was the state government that kept people from walking out. Looks like FEMA didn’t have a chance to screw up too much, the state government did all that was possible.

I also ponder why Hillary’s bill to investigate this massacre only wants a federal investigation, while Frist’s bill wants a top-to bottom, no rock left unturned investigation?

9

shinypenny 09.08.05 at 8:31 pm

10

yabonn 09.09.05 at 2:43 am

There was no need for a plan to commit this crime. All that was needed was a police force full of Old South crackers

Well, it may have helped. But the effort to block people from going out seems to have been lasting, and organized. And even a racist cop would know the risk he’s taking by blocking roads without backing from his hierarchy.

And this was applied from early on, instead of helping people.

For me, the explanation is simply that the unsaid consensus among right wingers (poor+black+too-dumb-to-follow-instruction=riotous) was acted upon.

I just wonder who exactly.

11

Jean Lepley 09.09.05 at 7:16 am

What happened to the link? It worked a few hours ago for me, but now it doesn’t — particularly exasperating, as I wanted others to read this story. It needs to be told.

12

Chris Bertram 09.09.05 at 7:21 am

The story has been reproduced in other places, so I’ve put in the link Making Light used as an alternative in case the first one stays broken. Thanks for pointing that out.

13

jet 09.09.05 at 9:05 am

shinypenny,
I know it will eventually come out during the investigation (if Hillary doesn’t get her way), but should we believe two news sources quoting the Red Cross or should we believe the Red Cross? And I’m not sure I believe most newspapers are capable of telling a state DHS agency from the federal one.

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