New Orleans sheriff dept. told Vemont NG to shoot, they would cover it up.

[madfloridian]

I have not seen this story anywhere else, and it just utterly amazes me in its tragedy. The VT National Guard was delivering meals, and they tell this sad tale. They were told to shoot and the sheriff's department would cover it up.

http://www.vermontguardian.com/national/0904/VermontGuard.shtml

JEFFERSON PARISH, LA — On the afternoon of Sept. 7, members of the Vermont National Guard brought food and water by truck into a number of poor and working class communities just across the river from New Orleans.

By the end of the day, 12 guardsmen distributed an estimated 900 meals to hurricane survivors. The Guard’s first destination was a housing project in Tarrytown —a series of two-story apartment buildings built in the 1970s and largely populated by poor African Americans.

A distraught woman, mother of three, said: “We’re just hanging on strong … I’m just trying to look after my children … We’re trying to keep clean the best way we can, but it still has the whole filth and smell in it. The damage is real bad … I’m trying to get out of here.”

Addressing local officials, she became angry and proclaimed, “People came here and drew guns on us … were about to beat up my son on his birthday because he told them not to search his bag,” she said. “They came out from nowhere, just crept up on us. When it’s dark, we can’t see nothing. We didn’t know what was going on. They draw guns on us, telling us to raise our hands up … My little niece was right there, she had her baby and they still was drawing guns … We had no choice but to put our hands up or we’d get shot. They said, ‘We saw you breaking into people’s cars’ and were gonna shoot somebody.”

A man in his forties stepped forward and said those who were forced to find food when government aid failed to arrive were targeted by police: “We got a lot of people who go get food for their family. The police killed them.”

The reporter goes on to explain that more reports like this were coming out. He tells more of their ride through this area delivering food. This part tears me up inside.

With chaos still prevailing in Jefferson Parish, it is impossible to verify these serious charges. It is also difficult to tell if these alleged abuses are localized or widespread; however, similar media reports are emerging in and around New Orleans.

The night before the Guard delivered food to this neighborhood, I rode with them on patrol less than a mile away. Two local officers from the sheriff’s department pulled up to the Guard and told Guard members that “no one on this street is innocent.” They further encouraged the Guard to shoot people, and said they would cover up such events.

To date, members of the Vermont National Guard have not fired a weapon.

[Erika]

1. How sad.

[madfloridian]

2. It is unbelievable, really.

That this would be happening in America.

[ispeculate]

4. I got in a conversation with coworkers about martial law in

NO and they laughed me out of the room when I said they would shoot everyone.

Can you imagine what would have happend if Gov. Blanco signed all law inforcement over to *?

[mattclearing]

3. It would be depressing were it not so predictable.

This is the ghetto cop fantasy, isn't it? Kill 'em all, let God sort 'em out?

Make way for the new luxury highrises.

[madfloridian]

9. But the world sees it for what it is.

A friend in Europe has been sending me some cartoons (I say cartoons, but they are too sad to be called that). They are too insensitive to post, but the world sees it. They are outraged.

[me b zola]

5. Well. Another motivation for leaving the bodies in the sun for 2 weeks

and then saying that there won't be any autopsies because the bodies are too badly decomposed.

There needs to be a federal prosecutor to interview all of the evacuees of New Orleans.

[Old Vet]

6. Don't hold your breath,Those people are experts at CYA..........

Its scary.

[fooj]

7. Yes. Should we add that to Fitzgerald's list of "things to do"?

Peace.

[madfloridian]

8. Also from the VT Guardian, Blackwater arrives in New Orleans.

Apparently the first time used on US soil, or asthey call it CONUS, the Continental United States. I am afraid for New Orleans, and I hope God blesses them. They are the first to experience something new in our country, and I am not even sure what it is.

http://www.vermontguardian.com/dailies/0904/0915.shtml#article1


Private military arrives in New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS — Heavily armed paramilitary mercenaries from Blackwater, a private security firm that also works in Iraq, began patrolling the streets of New Orleans last week. Some of them said they have been "deputized" by the Louisiana governor, and have been given the authority to use lethal force by the Department of Homeland Security, according to a report by Jeremy Scahill and Daniela Crespo for Democracy Now!

“This is a totally new thing to have guys like us working CONUS (Continental United States)," a heavily armed Blackwater mercenary told the journalists. "We're much better equipped to deal with the situation in Iraq." Some Blackwater employees are among the most feared professional killers in the world, accustomed to operating without concern for legal consequences. Some of the men in New Orleans had returned from Iraq as recently as two weeks before.

Blackwater is one of the leading private security firms servicing the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. It has several U.S. government contracts and has provided security for many senior diplomats, foreign dignitaries and corporations.

Officially, Blackwater says its forces are in New Orleans to "join the hurricane relief effort." A Sept. 1 statement on the company's website advertises airlift services, security services and crowd control. The company, according to various news reports, has begun taking private contracts to guard hotels, businesses and other properties. Less publicized is that they also are engaged in general law enforcement activities, including "securing neighborhoods" and "confronting criminals," the Democracy Now! report said."

[warrior1]

10. welcome to

bush's nightmare

[McCamy Taylor]

11. Blame NRA for arming citizens of NOLA so police scared shitless of them.

That's what you really hear talking from those police officers, not racism or classism or any judgement that the people on the streets are criminal who deserve to die. The cops were scared to death that every citizen was packing an assault weapon and that they (the cops) would be gunned down, so they convinced themselves that every citizen was a criminal so that they would be psyched up to shoot first.

These cops were from the same city as the people they were shooting. These were their neighbors. They turned on them out of fear. Fear makes people do desperate things. It turns them into animals, and if the animals are carrying guns they are deadly. That includes police officers.

[DoYouEverWonder]

12. There's more - it gets even worse

Mission: Deterrence

September 10, 2005

By BRENDAN McKENNA Herald Staff

Vermont National Guard Sgt. Douglas Greig surveys signs in Gretna, La.


GRETNA, La. — Thursday night's mission for the Vermont National Guard members assisting the hurricane relief efforts highlighted the contrast in styles between the Vermont soldiers and local police and sheriffs.

By about 9 p.m., darkness had settled over the Guard's patrol areas and the third platoon was starting to settle into their checkpoints at the entrance to the Monterey Court neighborhood when a sheriff's cruiser and a pickup truck pulled up.

Two deputies were in the cruiser and another three or four were loaded into the truck.

The deputies asked the Guard how things were going. When the soldiers said it was boring, one deputy said "I guess we'll go make a run through there to see if we can stir some (stuff) up."

"They're going in in squad size. It looks like they're loading up," one Guardsman said as the deputies pulled forward about 50 yards to get ready to make their patrol.


http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050910/NEWS/509100365/1004


The article above documents a number of incidents of apparent police brutality committed by the local law enforcement officers. Seems their brutal and racist treatment of the people under their jurisdiction is an ongoing problem.

[madfloridian]

14. This is truly horrible. What has gone on there that we don't know?

From your link:

"Estey arrived at the checkpoint after walking the rounds

"They're friendly back there," he said. "The kids just came out here and we told them we didn't care if they were riding their bikes in front of their houses, but they needed to be back there."

"They kept saying we were a lot nicer than the cops," he said. "One thing we did not see was any males. The only people we saw were women and children."

Spc. Michael Shepard of Winooski noted another detail about the neighborhood.

"All of the kids asked us if that's all we have for weapons," he said, hoisting his M-16 rifle and nodding towards the 9 mm pistol in a holster on his leg. "I was like, 'uh-oh.'"

[pitohui]

17. learn to read for accuracy

what part of "gretna, louisiana" do you ppl not understand?

this did not occur in orleans & is not the fault of new orleans city or parish officials, nopd, any or all nra members living in new orleans, or anybody else in new orleans

if the story is invented, this would explain the inaccuracies i suppose -- but i think most inaccuracies are being added after the fact by ppl who didn't really read the original story

if the story is true, then accuse the right ppl, not just any random ppl you happen to have heard of

there are serious class & racial issues in jeff parish, they need to be brought into the light, instead of being blamed on orleans

[DoYouEverWonder]

19. I never posted or said anything about the NO Police

Maybe you should direct you comments to the person who started the thread?

[madfloridian]

20. He did, I responded.

I was accused of making the accusations of murder. A little over the line IMHO. I posted a newspaper report.

I can't change the subject line, too late, but I did put a new subject line.

[misanthrope]

13. Not shocked in the least...

...It's a good illustration of why many of us are so leery of law enforcement.

[DoYouEverWonder]

15. That's the shame of it

This sort of thing goes on all the time. It's just most people never hear about it and rarely is anyone ever prosucetued.

However in this instance, considering the fact that the witnesses are National Guardsmen, this case would have a good chance in court.

[pitohui]

16. this wasn't in new orleans, pls change misleading title

if the events you described happened at all, it's quite clear that they happened in jefferson parish

new orleans sheriff has no jurisdiction in jefferson parish, nor does the new orleans mayor, nor does any other orleans official

don't accuse ppl of murder when you don't even know what or who you are talking abt

[madfloridian]

18. Jefferson Parish.

I did not accuse people of murder. The national guard and the reporter who was with them accused them of saying that. There are two articles from Vermont newspapers here in this thread. I have found a few more as well.

Perhaps you should call the newspapers and call the VT National Guard.

Perhaps I should have said Jefferson Parish, but I can't change the headline now.

And I never claimed it was my knowledge of the events. Your post to me could have been written a little less nastily.


QUOTE: "don't accuse ppl of murder when you don't even know what or who you are talking abt"

Talk to Vermont.