http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0509/16/acd.01.html (COMMERCIAL BREAK) COOPER: If you're asking yourselves how all of these people here who are hard pressed and have had such a tough time are always able to keep their cool through impossibly difficult circumstances, the answer is that, well, it's not always possible. Today there was an argument in the town of Kenner, Louisiana between Nick Congemi, the chief of police, and a man named Cedric Floyd, the city manager. Here's some of what we saw.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONGEMI: Well where did all that food just go to then? Where'd all that food just go to then? What is this truck doing here, if you just pulled up provided it -- it's almost 2:00 and you provide it after we fed these people?
FLOYD: I'm glad you ...
CONGEMI: I'm glad you're talking about it. You're talking about the meals. Where's the housing for these people? That's what you're supposed to be providing. The meals are easy. You can do that --
FLOYD: Guess what. All you're doing is making a political scene.
CONGEMI: No. I'm not making a political scene.
FLOYD: Don't get in my face. I've been feeding them every day.
CONGEMI: You ain't feeding nothing.
FLOYD: Guess what, Rafael, have we been feeding the people every day?
CONGEMI: But tell the truth. The truth is that you all don't want these people here and you're trying to run them off.
FLOYD: Chief, Guess what. I'm a minority. And you discriminate. You discriminate. Guess what.
CONGEMI: You're a rich minority. You're a rich minority.
FLOYD: That's all right. Guess what.
CONGEMI: You act like this rest of these people. Take care of these people. You try to switch gears on them. Just provide for these people. You have not provided --
FLOYD: All I'm saying is this. Every day -- every day the city government --
CONGEMI: You run off your mouth about how much you care about these people, and you don't give them anything.
FLOYD: Go, chief.
CONGEMI: As a matter of fact, you've got 500 families displaced, and you all are happy with the 500 families that have been displaced. Otherwise, you would have done like you've done for your minorities, and put these people in gymnasiums where they have air-conditioning.
FLOYD: We don't have any shelters.
CONGEMI: What are those buildings? What are those buildings?
FLOYD: Chief --
CONGEMI: You all said that FEMA would be here first thing this morning. They were not here first thing this morning. We had to come and load these people up and get them registered, because you did not have the vision to have them registered for FEMA. If we didn't take them to the police station and have them registered for FEMA, they would've --
FLOYD: But that's part of city government.
CONGEMI: That's right. That's what you're supposed to be doing.
FLOYD: Guess what.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well joining us live is one of the men you just saw passionately discussing things. The chief of police -- I'm being polite -- is Nick Congemi of the Kenner Police Department. We are pleased he joins us. Also joining us is Phil Ramone, Chief of Staff of the Kenner City Administration with the mayor's office. Gentleman, appreciate you both being with us. First of all, chief, what was the argument from your perspective about? You were concerned about housing for some Hispanic residents in your community.
CONGEMI: Yes. I felt that they were being discriminated against. I felt they were being forgotten. This was a group of people whose homes had been destroyed, whose apartments had been destroyed. And the city was taking a position that they were providing food. Well, food and water and ice is very simple. I was asking that the city provide these people with shelter. It makes no difference how much water, ice, and food you bring to them, they're still out on the street. They need a roof over their head. And I think the city has the capability --
COOPER: You're representing the city. Why don't they have a roof over their head?
PHIL RAMONE, CHIEF OF STAFF, KENNER CITY ADMIN.: The city has been providing transportation and shelter needs for our entire community. We haven't discriminated against anyone.
COOPER: What about these people, though? Are they --
RAMONE: Chief Congemi has worked with this administration. We talked about it. And he adamantly opposed opening shelters in the city of Kenner. And Mayor Capitano opened a shelter and worked with Jefferson Parish to maintain two shelters. This community here that was hit, and very unfortunately lost most of their homes and roofs, we have been accommodating them to the best of our need, to the best of our ability.
COOPER: What does that mean? Because they're sleeping where they were living.
RAMONE: Providing food, water, and ice. We are looking --
COOPER: So they don't have a shelter.
RAMONE: There is no shelter being operated right now in the city of Kenner. And one of the problems we had in dealing with the shelter is that we did not get adequate police protection. That's not a derogatory remark against the chief. He doesn't have the manpower to provide us --
COOPER: But it sounds like, frankly, FEMA didn't even discover Kenner exists until last week sometime --
CONGEMI: That's ridiculous about the police protection. We have plenty of police protection. We have the 175th military police from Missouri that's stationed next to us. There's plenty of police protection. There's a lot of people -- you know, there's a misconception about these Hispanic people. The fire department decided to come over today, and they wanted to help dispense the meals, and they were calling us to provide protection. Well, these are law-abiding citizens. They've never created any problems. They have never created any crimes. They're good people.
COOPER: Well how many people are in need of shelter in Kenner right now? You know, I don't get why, almost three weeks after the storm, there's not a shelter for these people or any other people that want it.
RAMONE: We have been meeting with FEMA trying to get a disaster center opened in the city of Kenner, and we have not been able to do so.
COOPER: Do you buy that, that --
CONGEMI: It's all bull. We have people -- now, look. If you were standing here right now, and someone told you I'm going to give you food, water, and ice for the next 72 hours but you have to stand out in the elements for the next 30 to 90 days waiting for FEMA or anybody else to put a shelter over you, your family, and your children, I think it's absolutely ridiculous and it's sinful. And this city government should, at least, put these people inside of a gymnasium until they decide where they can go from there. These people do not even speak the language. They're totally lost.
COOPER: But the man in the argument was just saying that the sheriff has political ambitions. Do you believe politics is what's going on here?
RAMONE: I believe this is probably the worst type of politics I've ever witnessed. Chief Congemi and his office has done a fair job. Did a better than average job. But to say that the administration has turned a blind eye to any resident of that community is fact less and it's really irresponsible. I'm ashamed.
COOPER: Final thought to you.
CONGEMI: Well he's ashamed of everything. The truth of the matter is it has nothing to do with politics. Every time something comes up where there's a deficiency in city government they try to cast it off in some other area, calling it politics or something else. The true fact is, and you know it, is that they do not have shelter for these people. And it has absolutely nothing to do with politics.
COOPER: Well, I tell you what. We'd love to come out next week and drive around with both of you.
RAMONE: The chief ran unsuccessfully against the mayor last year and lost his bid for mayor and he's done --
COOPER: You say it's politics.
RAMONE: It's politics.
COOPER: I want to come out next week and visit both of you. Is that all right?
CONGEMI: Sure. Absolutely. Looking forward to it.
COOPER: We'll go around Kenner. Appreciate that.
360 next. One of the things that went right before Katrina hit. The weather forecast. How meteorologists scrambled when they knew massive destruction was on the way. You had meteorologists personally calling politicians warning them you've got to take this thing seriously.
Plus, my reporter's notebook. What life has been like in New Orleans. Truly unlike any story we've ever covered before. I'll take you on the journey.
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