One Louisiana city refuses to take hurricane evacuees. Officials blame racial justice protesters.

[brooklynite]

Source: Washington Post

As Hurricane Laura hurtled into the Gulf Coast last week with alarming speed, powerful winds and historic flooding, Lafayette, La., missed the worst of the devastation.

But as protests against the local police shooting of a Black man have resumed this week, officials say there’s another danger that could be headed their way: outside agitators, ready to wreak havoc at demonstrations.

Now, citing this “serious, local security threat,” Lafayette — a combined city and parish of 244,000, and one of the largest municipalities near Laura’s path — has barred charity groups from sheltering hurricane evacuees fleeing Louisiana’s battered coast.

“We are not in a position to safeguard people displaced by Laura,” Cydra Wingerter, Lafayette’s chief administrative officer, wrote in an email to area humanitarian groups Saturday, according to the Acadiana Advocate. “We know that bad actors will take our hospitality and use it against us.”


Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/08/31/lafayette-hurricane-laura-shelter-protests/?hpid=hp_hp-banner-main_mm-evacuees-12p%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans

[marble falls]

1. I hope the next one comes up about 20 miles east. We'll see how they feel about storm relief.

[Glorfindel]

2. No surprises there...it's Louisiana. Remember this post-Hurricane Katrina incident?

"Why Did Police Block Desperate Refugees From New Orleans?"

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-bridge-to-gretna/

Talk about your "Southern Hospitality!" I lived in south Mississippi at the time. Mississippi gets a bad rep, but nothing like this happened there.

[Roy Rolling]

4. This article is out of context

The situation on the ground during Katrina was chaos. I was there, using articles like this to draw an analogy with Lafayette today is not accurate.

Smaller, individual police agencies only had temporary authority because of the federal government’s levee breaks and subsequent inaction. Migration of refugees didn’t help, they needed to be evacuated by bus, plane, or car if available. Walking over the bridge from one disaster area to another didn’t help. There wasn’t paradise across the bridge, there was death, flooding, shortages, and no power. Refugees were better off boarding busses and transportation to safe areas, and Gretna was far from that after Katrina.

Stop blaming Louisiana for Katrina!!

[marybourg]

12. So, armed police officers were correct

in preventing Black refugees from walming across the bridge to seek safer surroundings?

[Dustlawyer]

5. In 2005, me, my elderly mother and uncle had to evacuate ahead of the storm.

It was 105 degrees and took 13 hours to go 60 miles. My mother had to use the restroom really bad when we got to Huntington, Texas. The cops had barricades in front of every business entrance through town and would not let evacuees stop for any reason. It was shocking, heartless, and all kinds of wrong. I may have had a little satisfaction when the hurricane hit them too.

[Roy Rolling]

3. Lafayette

The heart of Trump country in Louisiana. Oil support companies now on life support in Louisiana think the problem is not enough people buying gasoline.

Of course, Trumpism infects every parish in Louisiana to some degree. But only some are willing to brand themselves as uncharitable, greedy, and proud morons.

Lafayette seldom has that restraint.

[tetedur]

10. The problem with Lafayette is a callous Republican Mayor-President

and whoever this Cydra Wingerter is.

I would agree with you that they are proud of being morons and completely tone-deaf as to how this sounds to the rest of humanity.

[fleur-de-lisa]

6. Wow. What assholes. New Orleans welcomed evacuees, put them up in downtown hotels

and created a family resource center for them.

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[Roy Rolling]

11. Thanks, FDL

New Orleans owes the world a debt of gratitude for all the help during Katrina. We don’t forget, and are the first to offer help to others. Other cities who didn’t have dead bodies floating in the streets, like Lafayette, never learned that hard lesson.

Putting refugees in luxury hotels that are empty because of cancelled conventions is a perfect fit. We are glad to help.

[patphil]

7. All good Christians there in Lafayette I presume. (sarcasm)

The state has been devastated!
It's time to extend a hand to help those who have suffered so much.
Instead, they extend a middle finger.

But I'm sure these same people will take all the local, state, and federal help they can get for themselves.

[tetedur]

8. Hurricane evacuees have nothing whatsoever to do with the demonstrations about Trayford Pellerin

This is a blatant politicization of a humanitarian issue. This is just one more way for the Republicans to make a bad situation worse. They are blaming the protesters for not taking in refugees? The demonstrations descended into some looting and setting of fires but for the most part, they have been peaceful. We are not under siege!

Lafayette had bus loads of people housed at the Cajundome after Katrina for as long as they needed help. The Cajun Navy was born after Katrina. Hundreds of people tried to bring their boats in a caravan to New Orleans to rescue people and the "authorities" wouldn't let them in the city.

What is this Cydra Wingerter talking about when she says "bad actors?" People who have just had the crap kicked out of them are not looking to come to Lafayette and join in demonstrations.

This reminds me of when the Democratic Party Headquarters in Lafayette was vandalized in 2004 and the Republican Party Head blamed the damage on people fleeing from Hurricane Ivan in Florida. Right, They loaded up ladders and brought tar to specifically come to Lafayette to smear G.W. Bush's name on the windows of the headquarters. But I digress. . . .

[Yeehah]

9. I'm so sick of evil republican assholes

They are proof there is no inherent good or decency in people.

[tetedur]

13. They have "clarified" the statement.

https://www.katc.com/news/lafayette-parish/lcg-releases-statement-to-clarify-halting-of-shelter-plans

State GOHSEP officials made it clear that congregate sheltering was not advised due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Friday, August 31, 2020, Wingerter and Chief of Minority Affairs Carlos Harvin engaged with members of the non-profit and church communities to explore options for sheltering in Lafayette if the state were to request our assistance. After the events around the city this past weekend, Wingerter requested local pastors "pause" efforts to establish shelters.

"I personally witnessed pedestrians walking in and along Johnston Street carrying semi-automatic weapons and wearing bullet-proof vests. I was concerned. Many people were concerned," Wingerter said. Pastors responded to Wingerter to inform her they were aware of the situation and hesitant to open a shelter because of the unrest and uncertainty.

Get ready Ms. Wingerter, I think you're going under the bus. And as for these so-called "pastors" they have already sold their souls. You see in this town it's not okay for protesters to carry weapons to protect themselves. It's is only okay for Trumpers to carry weapons.