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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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To: combat_boots

I can not believe how these people are being treated. If they will not let them leave on foot, what the heck do they think these people are supposed to do??????


21 posted on 09/02/2005 7:49:48 PM PDT by chris1 ("Make the other guy die for his country" - George S. Patton, Jr.)
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To: Dane

Yep. That was pretty much the answer to the question. Authorities in states other than La. have actually spent some time thinking about what they should do. In La. no one prepared even though they knew the big one was inevitable. My example is a small one but I think it illustrates the lack of preparedness perfectly.


22 posted on 09/02/2005 7:49:54 PM PDT by Arkie2 (Mega super duper moose, whine, cheese, series, zot, viking kitties, barf alert!)
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To: GoBucks2002

"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."

Does this mean that Hitlery has positioned her queen to take the judiciary by delay, sacrificing these pawns?

Would the Demoncrats do this ON PURPOSE?


23 posted on 09/02/2005 7:50:02 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: Dane

I cannot believe that they will not let these people walk over the bridge to safety. This is unreal that they would force these people to endure these horrid conditions.


24 posted on 09/02/2005 7:52:04 PM PDT by chris1 ("Make the other guy die for his country" - George S. Patton, Jr.)
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To: GoBucks2002
No Demorcratic elected official will be removed over this. His or her "base" will defend them to the death.

From what I've heard, most of the Mayor's 'base' is ready to lynch him. But you don't hear that through the 'Bush's Fault' media.

25 posted on 09/02/2005 7:52:35 PM PDT by atomicpossum (Replies should be as pedantic as possible. I love that so much.)
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To: chris1

"I can not believe how these people are being treated. If they will not let them leave on foot, what the heck do they think these people are supposed to do??????"

I specifically heard Shep say that he, on the overpass, was positioned overtop the convention center, where all that mass of people still is.

He then said that Gretna has electricity (pointing in the distance), and, that people were being turned back if they tried to walk to that parish.

O'Reilly repeats, so watch for yourselves. I don't understand this at all.


26 posted on 09/02/2005 7:54:50 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

If they are talking about the route 90 bridge that goes over the convention center and then on to cross the mighty mississippi, that has to be about a 4 or 5 story drop. What were they thinking?


27 posted on 09/02/2005 7:54:55 PM PDT by NonValueAdded ("Freedom of speech makes it much easier to spot the idiots." [Jay Lessig, 2/7/2005])
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To: chris1

Reports of the cop breaking open the DVD case at Wal-Mart and people stealing tvs and computers sort of puts some of the looting in perspective.

Also reports of looters entering peoples homes and being caught in the act even with dead homeowners there. Efforts are being made to tag the homes with bodies (it is a health problem). The looters are out for booty in some cases. How much food do you need? Grab enough to get you by until you can get out of the area. I understand that no one know how long that is. Depends on if someone is marooned or not. Some roads may be long but if they are passable then it is best to get out.


28 posted on 09/02/2005 7:54:56 PM PDT by weegee (The Rovebaiting by DUAC must stop. It is nothing but a partisan witchhunt.)
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To: combat_boots
Shep Smith said he has YET to see a Red Cross truck.

A spokesman for the ARC was on Hannity and Colmes (or O'Reilly), and said that the ARC is not allowed in to unsecured areas, since they are a civilian organization. It's not their choice; those are the rules (and rightfully so).

29 posted on 09/02/2005 7:55:51 PM PDT by Born Conservative ("If not us, who? And if not now, when? - Ronald Reagan)
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To: doug from upland

Nagin had a plan alright. As a matter of fact, here it is. Straight from the horse's mouth.



http://www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx?portal=46&tabid=16

Browse around the site and you'll find more. Do it quickly though, I doubt it will be accessable for long.


30 posted on 09/02/2005 7:56:32 PM PDT by Roccus (Able Danger? What's an Able Danger?)
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To: atomicpossum

There was the same finger pointing at Mayor Brown in Houston when we had a "100 year flood". He never was prosecuted for any negligence.

He was forced from office because of term limits where his replacement was slected by the same kingmaker ex-mayor who appointed him.


31 posted on 09/02/2005 7:57:56 PM PDT by weegee (The Rovebaiting by DUAC must stop. It is nothing but a partisan witchhunt.)
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To: combat_boots

This was confirmed in the article and by Shep. If true, this is shocking and disgusting. The looters are one thing, but these are FELLOW AMERICAN CITIZENS who are being put unnecessarily in harm and peril.


32 posted on 09/02/2005 7:57:59 PM PDT by chris1 ("Make the other guy die for his country" - George S. Patton, Jr.)
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To: weegee
Every point you make is spot on. This hurricane, I hope, marks the death of "smart growth" and traffic calming in this country. The dual socialist agenda of packing people into dense housing and creating impossible situations for driving private vehicles mean harm and death to our citizenry and those in our government pushing these agendas need to lose their jobs immediately!
33 posted on 09/02/2005 7:58:35 PM PDT by hedgetrimmer
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To: evaporation-plus
Keep a Cool Head
One of the reasons it's so easy to collapse during a crisis situation is that even the most minute tasks can be desperately frustrating. For instance, you need to move fuel from a 55 gallon drum into a generator fuel tank. First you have to have tools to open the drums and the tank. Someone has to go find some if there aren't any available. Then you have to have pumps to draw it out and pump it into the tank. That means you need extension cord. Have to move the drums and that means you need a dolly. Every step requires items and equipment that could be missing. Then the pumps could burn out. Every simple step has a dozen issues that could cause problems. It's easy to say screw it and abandon ship. And that's the easy stuff.
34 posted on 09/02/2005 7:59:03 PM PDT by Former Military Chick (I salute all our Vets, those who walked before me and all those who walk after me.)
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To: Former Military Chick
Can't wait for the next time the lefties demand that we all move to high-density housing in some sh$%hole city to Save The Earth.

I like acreage out in the county, thankyouverymuch.

35 posted on 09/02/2005 7:59:12 PM PDT by Hank Rearden (Never allow anyone who could only get a government job attempt to tell you how to run your life.)
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To: chris1
At this point, can anyone blame anyone for looting food and supplies?

The looting started before the storm had subsided. I wonder what's even left to loot, now that people really need it.

susie
36 posted on 09/02/2005 7:59:46 PM PDT by brytlea (All you need as ID to vote in FL is your Costco card...)
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To: combat_boots
Shep Smith said he has YET to see a Red Cross truck. Shep is on the overpass.

I read elsewhere that the RC is not being allowed into NOLA because the authorities want the city cleared out.

37 posted on 09/02/2005 8:00:52 PM PDT by pbear8 (Laus Semper Deus)
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To: hedgetrimmer

Amen. Although we did not do this after 9/11 I will really want to choke GWB if we do not tell the Sierra Club and RFK Jr. to F themselves and do what is necessary for this country.


38 posted on 09/02/2005 8:01:28 PM PDT by chris1 ("Make the other guy die for his country" - George S. Patton, Jr.)
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To: combat_boots
Would the Demoncrats do this ON PURPOSE?

Remember, the Dems, thank to the MSM, think they speak for a majority of America. They almost certainly will try to impeach Bush, because they will look at the approval ratings and think a majority is on their side. They want to get RINOs distancing themselves from Bush, so that they will sell him out at every turn in order to get the good press coverage the RINOs think they need to stay in office. This way, the RATs will sink the Bush judiciary agenda (and the rest of it, too) from within.

With nothing to show in 2006, this makes Republican Senators WAY more vulnerable than DemocRATs. If they don't get the Senate then, they will try to get it when Hitlery is elected President over a politically weakened (if not physically weakened) Cheney in '08.

At least that's the way I see it. I don't think they are going around slamming the President and making wild accusations just for fun.

39 posted on 09/02/2005 8:01:50 PM PDT by GoBucks2002
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To: Former Military Chick

Ping


40 posted on 09/02/2005 8:03:03 PM PDT by ntnychik
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