WWLTV.com | ANARCHY | Katrina Aftermath
NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans descended into anarchy Thursday as corpses lay abandoned in street medians, fights and fires broke out, cops turned in their badges and the governor declared war on looters who have made the city a menacing landscape of disorder and fear.
“They have M-16s and they’re locked and loaded,” Gov. Kathleen Blanco said of 300 National Guard troops who landed in New Orleans fresh from duty in Iraq. “These troops know how to shoot and kill, and they are more than willing to do so, and I expect they will.”
Four days after Hurricane Katrina roared in with a devastating blow that inflicted potentially thousands of deaths, the fear, anger and violence mounted Thursday.
“I’m not sure I’m going to get out of here alive,” said Canadian tourist Larry Mitzel, who handed a reporter his business card in case he goes missing. “I’m scared of riots. I’m scared of the locals. We might get caught in the crossfire.”
The chaos deepened despite the promise of 1,400 National Guardsmen a day to stop the looting, plans for a $10 billion recovery bill in Congress and a government relief effort President Bush called the biggest in U.S. history.
New Orleans’ top emergency management official called that effort a “national disgrace” and questioned when reinforcements would actually reach the increasingly lawless city.
WWLTV.com | News for New Orleans, Louisiana | Local News An amazing timeline maintained by WWL-TV with tidbits like this:
4:15 P.M. – (AP): Police say storm victims are being raped and beaten inside the New Orleans Convention Center.
About 15,200 people who had taken shelter at the convention center to await buses grew increasingly hostile.
Police Chief Eddie Compass says he sent in 88 officers to quell the situation at the building, but they were quickly beaten back by an angry mob.
Compass says, “We have individuals who are getting raped, we have individuals who are getting beaten.”
He says tourists are walking in that direction and they are getting preyed upon.
In hopes of defusing the unrest at the convention center, Mayor Ray Nagin gave the refugees permission to march across a bridge to the city’s unflooded west bank for whatever relief they can find. But the bedlam appeared to make leaving difficult.
This is amazing. You are turning on each other in a time of need. I can’t believe that you expect the rest of the world to respect you when you act like this.
Kind of reminds me of the Bakara Market in Mogadisu, Somolia. Especialy when you have shots being fired at the people trying to help. Just goes to show you the attitude of those who lived in this city.
Not to sound racist, but I know my white ass doesn’t belong with the group in the picture. I’d be waling/running the other direction.
Not to mention the majority of those in power tend to be white, who are doing very little about this situation, and mob mentality finds someone to be blamed.
Another thought, if this was someone posh/rich community in New England, I can imagine a much quicker turn-around time of relief.
This is sad!
This is infinitely more sad than the disaster itself.
The suffering is deservedly the hardest for the people who choose to live on the edge by making the choice to have large numbers of offspring that drain any possible financial security that could help alleviate some of their suffering in catastrophic times. I say this because I doubt more than 5% of the “suffering” mob has a emergency reserve pot to piss in but 80% (whom are not children) are likely parents of multiple numbers of children. It may not be PC but reality has a way of teaching hard lessons to people who try to live as though they have some immunity to bad decisions and reality. It’s pathetic to me how many people are surprised by what life looks like when the “American” facade is lifted and all the irresponsibility and bad decisions come frothing to the surface only too late to recognize and mitigate the damage and repercussions. If this country wants to fight the idea of intelligent ‘family planning’ and support the idea of “big religious family’s” then they need to accept the additional level of suffering that comes along when nature rears it’s head.
PS. This goes with my theme that if you have more than 2 children, you’re a hypocritical ass to complain about traffic and long lines.:P