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The Real News - interview via cell phone "Bigfoot" is a bar manager and DJ on Bourbon Street
Survival of New Orleans ^ | September 1st, 2005

Posted on 09/02/2005 7:27:17 PM PDT by Former Military Chick

Thursday, September 1st, 2005

10:46 pm The Real News

The following is the result of an interview I just conducted via cell phone with a New Orleans citizen stranded at the Convention Center. I don't know what you're hearing in the mainstream media or in the press conferences from the city and state officials, but here is the truth:

"Bigfoot" is a bar manager and DJ on Bourbon Street, and is a local personality and icon in the city. He is a lifelong resident of the city, born and raised. He rode out the storm itself in the Iberville Projects because he knew he would be above any flood waters. Here is his story as told to me moments ago. I took notes while he talked and then I asked some questions:

Three days ago, police and national guard troops told citizens to head toward the Crescent City Connection Bridge to await transportation out of the area. The citizens trekked over to the Convention Center and waited for the buses which they were told would take them to Houston or Alabama or somewhere else, out of this area.

It's been 3 days, and the buses have yet to appear.

Although obviously he has no exact count, he estimates more than 10,000 people are packed into and around and outside the convention center still waiting for the buses. They had no food, no water, and no medicine for the last three days, until today, when the National Guard drove over the bridge above them, and tossed out supplies over the side crashing down to the ground below. Much of the supplies were destroyed from the drop. Many people tried to catch the supplies to protect them before they hit the ground. Some offered to walk all the way around up the bridge and bring the supplies down, but any attempt to approach the police or national guard resulted in weapons being aimed at them.

There are many infants and elderly people among them, as well as many people who were injured jumping out of windows to escape flood water and the like -- all of them in dire straights.

Any attempt to flag down police results in being told to get away at gunpoint. Hour after hour they watch buses pass by filled with people from other areas. Tensions are very high, and there has been at least one murder and several fights. 8 or 9 dead people have been stored in a freezer in the area, and 2 of these dead people are kids.

The people are so desperate that they're doing anything they can think of to impress the authorities enough to bring some buses. These things include standing in single file lines with the eldery in front, women and children next; sweeping up the area and cleaning the windows and anything else that would show the people are not barbarians.

The buses never stop.

Before the supplies were pitched off the bridge today, people had to break into buildings in the area to try to find food and water for their families. There was not enough. This spurred many families to break into cars to try to escape the city. There was no police response to the auto thefts until the mob reached the rich area -- Saulet Condos -- once they tried to get cars from there... well then the whole swat teams began showing up with rifles pointed. Snipers got on the roof and told people to get back.

He reports that the conditions are horrendous. Heat, mosquitoes and utter misery. The smell, he says, is "horrific."

He says it's the slowest mandatory evacuation ever, and he wants to know why they were told to go to the Convention Center area in the first place; furthermore, he reports that many of them with cell phones have contacts willing to come rescue them, but people are not being allowed through to pick them up.

I have "Bigfoot"'s phone number and will gladly give it to any city or state official who would like to tell him how everything is under control.

Addendum: Bigfoot just called to report that "they" (the authorities) are cleaning up the dead bodies at the Convention Center right now.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: disasterplan; eyewitness; hurricane; katrina; neworleans
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I do not know the politics of MGNO but his observations from day one of the storm hitting through today are amazing.

He actually situated a live cam on a hotel where folks were looting and doing so openly. He also got their plate number. Score one for the good guys.

His blog gives an insight rarely spoken of, sharing how it is he can offer this site to the rest of us.

1 posted on 09/02/2005 7:27:18 PM PDT by Former Military Chick
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To: Former Military Chick

BTTT


2 posted on 09/02/2005 7:31:08 PM PDT by aworldtrader
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To: Former Military Chick

Heads are gonna have to roll over this. It's our responsibility to make sure it's the right ones.


3 posted on 09/02/2005 7:32:06 PM PDT by atomicpossum (Replies should be as pedantic as possible. I love that so much.)
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To: Former Military Chick

The rescuers are getting pissed about being shot at etc..Some real thugs are ruining the relief for many others.


4 posted on 09/02/2005 7:33:02 PM PDT by Ron in Acreage (It's the borders stupid! "ALLEN IN 08")
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To: Former Military Chick
He says it's the slowest mandatory evacuation ever, and he wants to know why they were told to go to the Convention Center area in the first place

Poor planning. Same as sending people to the Superdome for shelter when the roof was not safe for such purposes.

Civil Defense used to mean something in this country.

Now it is all about skyboxes and tourism (including convention business).

Taxpayers have been had.

And for "smart growth" types who insist on not widening highways and push instead for increasing population density "downtown", it does nothing to help evacuate a city if a natural or man-made disaster occurs.

5 posted on 09/02/2005 7:35:24 PM PDT by weegee (The Rovebaiting by DUAC must stop. It is nothing but a partisan witchhunt.)
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To: Ron in Acreage

The left is silent on the "insurgents" in New Orleans. Shouldn't they be calling for the National Guard to PULL OUT? This is a quagmire, right?


6 posted on 09/02/2005 7:37:52 PM PDT by weegee (The Rovebaiting by DUAC must stop. It is nothing but a partisan witchhunt.)
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To: weegee

See this post about buses: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1475820/posts?page=351#351. Also read the one thereafter about the 400 at the head of the line.


7 posted on 09/02/2005 7:38:52 PM PDT by combat_boots (Dug in and not budging an inch. NOT to be schiavoed, greered, or felosed as a patient)
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To: atomicpossum

".........heads are gonna have to roll....."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


After seeing what happeed to those responsible for the beating of Reginald Deny my response is

"Not a chance!"

A scapegoat or two may be prosecuted, but that will be the long and the short of it.


8 posted on 09/02/2005 7:39:01 PM PDT by Roccus (Able Danger? What's an Able Danger?)
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To: weegee

Since you mentioned highways I thought I would bring up an interesting point. I watched pictures of the traffic streaming out of NO the day before the hurricane and I saw that only the left two lanes were being used. The inbound lanes were still open to traffic heading into NO and there was very little of that.

In South Carolina all Interstate lanes are made one way to expedite the evacuation and no inbound traffic is allowed, even to the point of being arrested if you try it. I wonder why that wasn't done in La.


9 posted on 09/02/2005 7:39:49 PM PDT by Arkie2 (Mega super duper moose, whine, cheese, series, zot, viking kitties, barf alert!)
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To: Arkie2

Shep Smith has reported that the population waiting at the convention center and on the overpass is PREVENTED from moving to Gretna, which is in another parrish, even though there is electricity there. People are being turned back even when on foot trying to leave.


10 posted on 09/02/2005 7:40:28 PM PDT by combat_boots (Dug in and not budging an inch. NOT to be schiavoed, greered, or felosed as a patient)
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To: Former Military Chick

I read this... thanks for posting it. Horridly sad.


11 posted on 09/02/2005 7:41:08 PM PDT by MarMema
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To: weegee

LOL. Yup that would be typical.


12 posted on 09/02/2005 7:41:58 PM PDT by festus (The constitution may be flawed but its a whole lot better than what we have now.)
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To: combat_boots

From another thread:

"Astrodome, in Texas, where the locals are willing and able to work with the relief groups had stacks upon stacks of red cross boxes with food and supplies awaiting the incoming people from NO. On WWL or WDSU, both of which I was watching last night."

Shep Smith said he has YET to see a Red Cross truck. Shep is on the overpass.


13 posted on 09/02/2005 7:41:58 PM PDT by combat_boots (Dug in and not budging an inch. NOT to be schiavoed, greered, or felosed as a patient)
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To: atomicpossum
Heads are gonna have to roll over this. It's our responsibility to make sure it's the right ones.

No Demorcratic elected official will be removed over this. His or her "base" will defend them to the death.

No bureaucrat will lose thie job over this.

That only leaves Republican elected officials. My guess is that there will be impeachment hearings for Presiident Bush over this, even if Democrats have to hold them off Capitol Hill.

My further guess is that there are more enough RINOs willing to throw him under the bus to suck up to the MSM.

14 posted on 09/02/2005 7:41:59 PM PDT by GoBucks2002
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To: Former Military Chick

this was from last night.

http://www.livejournal.com/users/interdictor/

www.mgno.com


15 posted on 09/02/2005 7:44:27 PM PDT by japaneseghost
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To: combat_boots
We congratulate Matt Drudge for getting the story from FreeRepublic. Matt, I hope there's no hard feelings that we are now number one.

GALVESTON HAD A PLAN TO USE THEIR BUSES AT THE BEGINNING OF AUGUST......WHERE WAS MAYOR NAGIN'S PLAN?

16 posted on 09/02/2005 7:45:13 PM PDT by doug from upland (The Hillary documentary is coming -- INDICTING HILLARY)
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To: Arkie2
In South Carolina all Interstate lanes are made one way to expedite the evacuation and no inbound traffic is allowed, even to the point of being arrested if you try it. I wonder why that wasn't done in La.

Because NO and LA are a corrupt cesspool. They had no plans, just look at this picture of the school buses unused that could have been used to evacuate 10's of thousands of people.


17 posted on 09/02/2005 7:45:14 PM PDT by Dane ( anyone who believes hillary would do something to stop illegal immigration is believing gibberish)
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To: Former Military Chick

Set me straight! Is there electricity there?
He set up a web cam?
Bodies were put in the freezer?
Interview by cellphone?
What am I missing?


18 posted on 09/02/2005 7:45:19 PM PDT by evaporation-plus
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To: doug from upland

DFU,

YOU are DA MAN! Attaboy!


19 posted on 09/02/2005 7:47:23 PM PDT by combat_boots (Dug in and not budging an inch. NOT to be schiavoed, greered, or felosed as a patient)
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To: weegee

Agreed. I was flamed like hell before for daring to say that the govt on all levels here is to blame with piss poor planning and logistics.

Shepard Smith onFox clearly said that they were prohibiting people from walking over the bridge. This call confirms that.

To me this is the height of criminal negligence on the part of the govt. At this point, can anyone blame anyone for looting food and supplies?


20 posted on 09/02/2005 7:48:27 PM PDT by chris1 ("Make the other guy die for his country" - George S. Patton, Jr.)
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