Posted on 08/21/2006 8:04:16 AM PDT by gopwinsin04
New Orleans police chief during Hurricane Katrina, Eddie Compass, says he unnecessarily "heightened people's fears" by repeating unconfirmed reports of out-of-control crime in the city during the aftermath of the storm, adding to the confusion caused by the disaster and potentially hampering rescue efforts.
"There were reports of rapes and children being raped. I even got one report … that my daughter was raped," Mr. Compass says in a Spike Lee documentary scheduled to air on HBO tonight.
"In hindsight, I guess I heightened people's fears by me being the superintendent of police, reporting these things that were reported to me," Mr Compass said. "But there was really no way for me to check definitively. So I repeated these things without being substantiated, and it caused a lot of problems."
Officials and local commentators have long suggested that the false reports of rampant crime following the hurricane were a reason for the slowness of rescue efforts. With recovery teams and humanitarian aid groups frightened to enter the city, many storm survivors were left stranded on roofs without food and water, in makeshift rafts, and in filthy conditions at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
In part due to the trumped-up crime reports, officials in a neighboring town — fearing the chaos would spread — responded by ordering police to shoot any evacuee who attempted to cross the Crescent City Connection bridge into the city of Gretna from New Orleans.
"I'm going to tell you that during that storm, the national media reported rampant rumors that have now turned out not to be true. … And people were terrified," Louisiana's lieutenant governor, Mitch Landrieu, says in the film.
"In my estimation, that Gretna thing was a way overreaction to rampant rumors that were being pushed in the mainstream media," he adds.
(Excerpt) Read more at nysun.com ...
Or that the majority of them will NEVER be returned!
The owners cannot find their purchase receipt, or proof of inheritance, proof of the gift, etc. in order to "prove" they owned the confiscated guns.
If a cop takes your property and does not give you a receipt, consider it stolen, and do not expect to get it back.
I snuck a few peaks at the Spike Lee docu tonight. It seemed a little bit fair. But when Harry Belafonte appeared on the screen, I had to leave to avoid an episode of nuclear projectile barfing.
Feds Sending Help For Law Enforcers (New Orleans)
The Times Picayune ^ | August 21, 2006 | Sheila Grissett
Posted on 08/21/2006 7:42:32 PM PDT by mcg2000
Geez, who'd of thought extra law enforcement was needed here now in the year2006, to control and prosecute the thugs? Get a grip....
"Thankfully, the military arrived ALL ACROSS THE GULF COAST, AND TOOK CARE OF BUSINESS."
I have friends in the COE and Wildlife and Fisheries that share that sentiment. Regardless what these denyers say, people I know and trust were there and they sing a far different tune. "I was much safer in Iraq", was one of my COE friend's comments.
Better late than never....
Of course you would never believe a fellow law enforcement partner, firefighter or military back up would you???
What else could the lousy gov. and mayor do but force retractions.... I would love to see the US FEDS order an accounting of all payoffs made to victems and families to keep quiet... been there seen that, and not just in NOR...
It was quelled IMEDIATELY in other cities...
Read this, but again, you would never believe us LOCALS>>>>
To: Terridan; bruinbirdman
"Thankfully, the military arrived ALL ACROSS THE GULF COAST, AND TOOK CARE OF BUSINESS."
I have friends in the COE and Wildlife and Fisheries that share that sentiment. Regardless what these denyers say, people I know and trust were there and they sing a far different tune. "I was much safer in Iraq", was one of my COE friend's comments.
44 posted on 08/22/2006 8:04:10 AM PDT by L98Fiero (Evil is an exact science)
I'll bet ol' Shoot First Harry Lee didn't have any trouble in Jefferson Parish. He'd be in a helicoptor shooting looters with a machine gun.
yitbos
I'll bet ol' Shoot First Harry Lee didn't have any trouble in Jefferson Parish. He'd be in a helicoptor shooting looters with a machine gun.
yitbos
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