Police Chief Says Thousands Trapped in New Orleans Convention Center

AP ^ | 1-Sept-2005 | AP

[Fitzcarraldo]

The New Orleans police chief says 15-thousand people are trapped in the city's convention center. And he says some are being raped and beaten.

Chief Eddie Compass says displaced tourists are "walking in that direction and they are getting preyed upon."

Compass said he sent eight eleven-man teams into the convention center. But as soon as the first team arrived, he said, "they were beaten back within 30 feet of the entrance."

Earlier, the city's mayor issued a "desperate SOS" on behalf of the thousands who are stranded at the convention center.

He also gave the go-ahead for them to march across a bridge to a dry area of the city and look for whatever relief they could find.

[HairOfTheDog]

My god, now FEMA WANTS people to die, along with the President, and they are all lying??

Of course they don't want people to die. But I'm not seeing anything to encourage me that effective leadership is on the scene coming up with ideas. And believe me, I'd love to be wrong.

[Lauretij2]

This makes me want to buy another few thousand rounds of .223.. Any emergency these days, and it's everyone for themselves immediately.

[raygun]

No such term (martial law) exists in the Louisiana Constitution. FYI, it is outright prohibited in Tennessee's Constitution. Nevertheless, the Governator is bestowed special "police" powers during a declared state of emergency. LA Governator did that this Monday. What this does it it de facto "militarizes" the judiciary and law enforcement. It becomes a completely different venue under the UCMJ (uniform code of military justice). With the powers that be under FEMA, Homeland Security, and the U.S. Code (Fedaral statute), these people could be labled "terrorists" and Gitmo'd. No Habeus Corpus, no representation, no charges, no Miranda, nada. They just dissappear, until the benevolent altruistic powers decide otherwise.

The President could decree (by executive fiat) that NO is a national security risk (commerce interuption into Mississippi waterway, oil terminals, etc.), and Federalize jurisidiction in the city.

military mobilization during times of national emergency - a.ka. martial law)

All the president has to do to get tough, should he decide to, is follow already existing Federal Statute (and there's nothing anybody could do about it):

TITLE 50 > CHAPTER 34 > SUBCHAPTER III > § 1631

§ 1631. Declaration of national emergency by Executive order; authority; publication in Federal Register; transmittal to Congress

When the President declares a national emergency, no powers or authorities made available by statute for use in the event of an emergency shall be exercised unless and until the President specifies the provisions of law under which he proposes that he, or other officers will act. Such specification may be made either in the declaration of a national emergency, or by one or more contemporaneous or subsequent Executive orders published in the Federal Register and transmitted to the Congress.

If worse comes to worse, LA leadership will without doubt wish they'd have done whatever possible to wrestle the bull by the horns, instead of deferring to Federal authority (but by then it'll be too late). If I was a perfectly Machiavellian President, I'd send units from every one of the several sovereign States north of the Mason-Dixon line to restore order in NO (and I'd do it with impugnity, and I'd make certain that it is clear who is in charge now). A Machiavellian leader does not desire, nor covet, his subjects devotion, admiration, nor love. He ruthlessly does what's good for the State. Got to break some eggs to make an omlette. I think that's colloquially called "tough-love", and used to be known as corporal punishment. While the connotations are somewhat misinformed, Machiavellian does not mean evil, it does denote a certain degree of callousness, however. Akin to a parent's hardened heart while hearing the cries of protest while spanking their child.

/rant-mode off off off (hmmm, doesn't seem to be staying off though). Does anybody remember "Spare the rod, spoil the child." Paul is quite clear in Romans 13 that a leader wields power through Divine grant. While despots enjoy the same right, a leader's responsibility before God is to wield power, might and authority for good. I believe that Bush will do it, and he won't wait to backed into a corner either, before he does so. Definitely not because he seemed to have raised two mighty fine daughters, comes from the respectible state of Texas, and is a born-again Christian to boot.

Prayers up for all those going through this mess. Oh, and it should go w/out saying: EAGLES UP! (and I mean that as Freeperly as Biblical, i.e. Isa 40:28-41).

[Vladiator]

>However, I just heard a National Guard commander on tv say "we don't shoot people for stealing televisions in this country".

I do.

Tell us all: When was the last time you shot someone for stealing a TV?

[HairOfTheDog]

I don't mean to convict the man, but he specifically mentioned the convention center and said aid had already been 'sent' and it was all under control. It was not under control in any sense of the word last time they broadcast from there, and nothing had arrived. I hope it has by now, I really do.

[green pastures]

"Tell me what you would have done that wasn't done."

I guess DCPatriot (in reply to Blessed, 226) made my point better than I could.

And while this thread happens to be about NOLA, my sister and I were speaking in context of the entire decimated gulf coast area. There are many areas that have not had any help reach them yet.

My question of 'what happened to all the disaster planning, preparedness' was not meant to imply that I had answers. It was meant to express my concern that whatever disaster plans were in place were/are inadequate-- whether a hurricane or a terrorist attack.

I realize, as faithincowboys put it, that "the people of New Orleans are not especially civilized and they are shooting at the people who are trying to rescue them." And IMHO, those who are looting and causing rescue efforts to be diverted instead to law enforcement are culpable for murder. People are dying because of their lawlessness.

As to what I would have done that wasn't done? (Again, totally not the point of my prior post, but I'll play, anyway). For starters--

1) I would have brought in school busses to help evacuate people before Katrina hit
2) I would not have identified the Superdome as a shelter.
3) I would have taken a strong stance on the first incidences of looting.
4) I would have had the folks in the helicopters involved with rescuing people off roofs, also drop water to stranded people that they couldn't get to right away.

[george wythe]

I am getting a real education watching New Orleans die.

It's a sad situation. People who live in suburbia or small town America have no clue at the fear and the harm that inner city inhabitants have to endure. A small hardcore group of thugs usually terrorizes the rest of the 'hood.

[proud American in Canada]

....there's been no water/food drops....but we have the capability to do so outside the U.S. Makes no sense to me at all.

I have been wondering the same thing. At least until recently, helicopters were able to rescue people; couldn't they have thrown down a package of water and food to those they couldn't help? I don't get it.

[hiredhand]

When I was in the USAF for most of the 80s and 90s, I was stationed at Keesler (MS) and Gunter Annex (AL). There was a briefing that we were given before going to pick up POVs (personal vehicles) at the port in NO. Among other things, they "essentially" told us not to be there after dark. Certain parts of the town were OFF LIMITS no matter what! They even gave us a little map so we'd know where NOT to go.

Any other former (or current) USAF people on this thread ever received that briefing?

[nicmarlo]

nor do I...

[jpsb]

"have no clue at the fear and the harm that inner city inhabitants have to endure"

Perhaps the best lesson of the end of New Orleans is that crime/degenerate behavor CAN NOT be tolerated by a civil society. Hopefully we will stop coddling our criminals and bring back chain gangs and public hangings.

[taxed2death]

"The New Orleans police chief says 15-thousand people are trapped in the city's convention center. And he says some are being raped and beaten"




"Southern Hospitality"?

[roses of sharon]

Sure.

[JTHomes]

I think it is on city/state officials to have a disaster plan. That should include how to evacuate these people. With two days notice, how many people could have been moved if all the city buses and school buses had been put to work picking up and dropping off people from/to predetermined locations. The area moves around probably 100,000 or more kids for school every day, this should have been doable. Why didn't they open inbound lanes for outbound traffic? If the Super Dome is a designated evacuation center, why isn't there a stockpile of water and MREs avaiable to supply it on 24hour notice? No one took the threat seriously enough to take the proper steps.

[HangnJudge]

Thank you for the outstanding and thoughtful
post in this matter.

Most of this I just didn't know.
No personal experience in military / police / government work

[proud American in Canada]

Like using expensive helicopters to inefficiently drop sand bags in the levy breaks.

It sounds like you know something about this--I don't, but I have to say, I saw that footage of the helicopter dropping a bag into a huge expanse of water and it seemed to be almost pointless. At the very least it will take a very, very long time to fix it.

[nicmarlo]

good post.

[NonValueAdded]

Perhaps there is a "local name" problem ... the SuperDome is NOT THE CONVENTION CENTER. The Convention Center is a long building down by RiverWalk and it is very spacious but I'd expect it to be in a flood zone. If you have someone saying water was sent to the convention center and then have cameras panning around the SuperDome, it would be the same thing as confusing Capitol Hill with the White House (probably about that distance too).

[Nam Vet]

How did Cap'n Kirk last so long here?? Easy ... He's one of FReerepublic's looney aunt/uncle types that many families have.

We like to let them out of the padded room on occasion just for sh*ts and giggles. 8^)

Nam Vet

[hiredhand]

This is why I refuse to live in populated areas. You've got a good point. Most people in populated areas have a false sense of security, but when supplies can't be shipped into cities, they turn into very uncomfortable places quickly.

A case in point are the bad winter storms we've had here in NC over the past several years. The roads were essentially unuseable for three days in my area during one storm, but after that I returned to work in Durham NC. People there thought that it must be REALLY bad "out where we lived". I thought this was VERY strange. I asked them what conditions were like in Durham and Raleigh and they told me that their houses and apartments were nothing more than fridged caves after two days of NO power.

I told them what I'll tell you. First off...we heat with WOOD. But after a day, the house got a little chilly on account of ceiling fans needing power to run. So I made a semi-perm connection from the generator to the house. Everything functioned except for the clothes dryer and the stove/oven. But we dried clothes over the woodstove in the living room, and cooked on the woodstove and a Coleman stove.

They just blinked and looked at me, but I still don't think they "got it".

As for people preying on one another in situations like these....that would be a VERY UNWISE thing to try out where I live. :-)