Katrina’s Hidden Race War: In Aftermath of Storm, White Vigilante Groups Shot 11

[EFerrari]

Katrina’s Hidden Race War: In Aftermath of Storm, White Vigilante Groups Shot 11 African Americans in New Orleans

In a shocking new report, The Nation magazine exposes how white vigilante groups patrolled the streets of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, shooting at least eleven African American men. Local police have never conducted investigations into the shootings. We speak to reporter A.C. Thompson and New Orleans resident Donnell Herrington, who nearly died after being shot by a white vigilante.

Guests:
A.C. Thompson, investigative reporter whose latest article “Katrina’s Hidden Race War” appears in The Nation magazine. A.C. Thompson’s reporting on New Orleans was directed and underwritten by the Investigative Fund at the Nation Institute. ProPublica provided additional support, as did the Center for Investigative Reporting and New American Media.

Donnell Herrington, New Orleans resident who nearly died on Sept. 1, 2005, after he was shot by a white vigilante in Algiers Point.

JUAN GONZALEZ: The Nation magazine has just published a major investigative report titled “Katrina’s Hidden Race War.” The article examines how a group of white vigilantes in the predominantly white New Orleans neighborhood of Algiers Point shot at least eleven African American men in the days after Hurricane Katrina. Local police have never conducted investigations into the shootings.

The author of the article, A.C. Thompson, will join us in a few minutes, but first we turn to a video produced by the Nation Institute and Hidden Driver. It is narrated by A.C. Thompson and features interviews with some of the victims of the vigilante violence.

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/12/19/katrinas_hidden_race_war_in_aftermath

(Transcript, audio, video at link)

Related:

The Nation: Katrina's Hidden Race War
By A.C. Thompson

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090105/thompson?rel=hp_picks

[nomorenomore08]

1. Cue the Freeper response: "But-but-but... They were stealing things!"

Yeah, maybe food and water, so they and their families wouldn't DIE... Horrible, ghastly stuff, and the sad thing is I'm not really that surprised it happened.

[tkmorris]

2. It's all a matter of perspective

Katrina victims valiantly retrieving supplies





Looter





Get it?

[nomorenomore08]

3. Totally. And the media, having gauged the likely public response, let that "narrative" remain intact

Shameful, absolutely shameful... :-(

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

4. So the moral question is was it a good thing they had guns? or

did they commit crimes?

[EFerrari]

5. Looks like these shootings have never been investigated.

Amy told a story about a man who was shoot and found by a good samaritan. The GS drove the wounded man over to a school were they'd been directed to go. The cops there arrested the good samaritan and let the wounded man die right there. :shrug:

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

6. I hate to say this but that sounds like standard cop reaction.

It must have been hell there.

[Raineyb]

7. Especially when the shooting victim is black

Hell or no hell those doughnut eating sons of bitches would not have done that if the two people in question were white.

Regards

[EFerrari]

8. Bingo. nt

[Hanse]

25. Weren't guns unconstitutionally confiscated during Katrina?

At least from black people?

[catnhatnh]

9. K&R

Mine being the third...of course this belongs atop the greatest page, but without the title supporting or slamming Warren it will die here instead during DU camp colors war...

[EFerrari]

10. Thanks.

:)

[catnhatnh]

12. Patty

Ive seen you often here. I highly suspect we are simpatico. I'm sorry my posting is so hit and run. This shit is way past serious if only because I believe it devolves directly from not charging the current administration with crimes. I never believed that civil rights crimes would pass again but they have. I oppose hate crimes rulings because I believe this is exactly what they denigrate. I don't care WHAT THEY THOUGHT...prosecution and punishment for murder is required. That they hated "niggers" should be ignored. That they murdered (and that our government has) can never be.

The exact same thought process that allowed "niggers" to be shot to death for being in the "wrong" and non-drowning neighborhood, allowed "sand-niggers" to be shot and killed as being less worthy than the kids we sent over there.

I have no answer. This must be prosecuted. People are DEAD and I suspect we could sit on my deck and barbeque...BUT EVEN IF THEY WERE WORTHLESS BASTARDS they were murdered and that ain't free.

Louisiana, hang your head in fucking shame. I care not for your football team and I care not for your carnivals. Black people were shot down by bigots, and until they answer you are shit to me...

[EFerrari]

11. kpere's video thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=385&topic_id=251685&mesg_id=251685

[merh]

13. I'll give it the 5th

but it doesn't matter much to folks - the Katrina fatigue is only matched by the scandal fatigue of the GWB administration.

In the years to come the theft of the monies that should have gone to help the victims will come out but it will be dwarfed by the money misspent and swindled in the name of the war.

But other things take center stage.

[merh]

15. kick

maybe someone will care

[Swamp Rat]

17. Very very very very very very unlikely.

:hug:

[merh]

18. *sigh*

sadly, you are correct. :hug:

[EFerrari]

20. We need a whole new set of habits in this country.

We are a nation of feral children and need to be taken under the wing of a social being and taught how to live.

[lonestarnot]

26. I care!

:hug:

[entanglement]

14. Kick for the victims

[Catherine Vincent]

16. In Louisiana, shoot and kill yet nothing happens to white vigilante groups.

But if this were Black vigilante groups killing, you'd get a different outcome.

[EFerrari]

19. Kick. Thank you for the recs to this report.

:kick:

[Giant Robot]

21. I suspect vigilantism was more rampant down there than this

Here's why:

So my saupervisor and I went to a conference there last year. One evening she and I walked down to Bourbon Street and had a few drinks listened to some music, etc. Walked back to the hotel and I said my goodnight to her, as I was tipsy and tired, and she needed a smoke. While having a smoke she got into a conversation with a man outside the hotel. The next day she had to share it with me. She said that this guy was down in NOLA essentially "on patrol" for looters and criminals and had been coming down there since Katrina to serve "justice." He said he would walk around, armed, and if he saw something suspicious he would investigate and take action. I was told he was very proud of this, and he seemed like he was living a wild west cowboy fantasy. If on one trip in one instance she can bump into someone who owns up to this, then there has to be a hell of a lot more going on than will ever be known.

[EFerrari]

22. Kick

[BlooInBloo]

23. "Error: you can only recommend threads which were started in the past 24 hours"

Sorry - this got lost in THEWORLDSMOSTIMPORTANTTOPICEVERINTHEHISTORYOFHUMANITY.

[EFerrari]

24. Thanks for the kick.

[BrklynLiberal]

27. kick. Too late to rec.