New Orleans indictments further vindicate Bellevue group’s post-Katrina lawsuit

Seattle Gun Rights Examiner ^ | 15 July,2010 | Dave Workman

[marktwain]

Five years ago, in the post-apocalyptic environment that was New Orleans following its devastation by Hurricane Katrina, the Bellevue-based Second Amendment Foundation moved quickly to intervene when local police officials – acting under color of law, but without any warrants, probable cause or true authority under Louisiana statute – announced that in the chaos and anarchy, private citizens would be disarmed.

Now, one of the uglier aspects of this disaster has become clear with the indictment of several police officers for the shooting of several unarmed citizens.

The police decided to suspend the Second Amendment, for everyone but themselves. It has never been acknowledged who actually originated the disarmament effort, or whether then-Gov. Kathleen Blanco and then-Mayor Ray Nagin were involved, but then-Police Supt. Eddie Compass and his successor Warren Riley made the announcement. It visibly stunned SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb, who quickly began making phone calls.

James Letten, the chief federal prosecutor in New Orleans, said Tuesday's indictment offered "compelling evidence" against officers who "abused their power in committing violent crimes against unarmed citizens they were sworn to protect."-USA Today

As SAF began working quietly on a lawsuit, the National Rifle Association was also preparing to step in. Rather than trip over each other, the two gun rights organizations joined forces in what would become a landmark joint court effort that became the launch pad for a series of state legislative efforts to pass laws preventing this kind of thing in the future. They sent investigators to New Orleans, hired a local attorney and literally turned them loose to dig out the facts.

[marktwain]

This should have been a national story, but the msm has generally ignored it.

[anniegetyourgun]

so true

[A Strict Constructionist]

“This should have been a national story, but the msm has generally ignored it.”

The chief and the mayor were black.