Friend who survived Katrina says 200+ were shot dead during martial law

[zulchzulu]

I'm not about to give away the identity of my friend, who was a worker during Katrina dealing with the water pumps...but in a recent discussion with him, he said that after a week of living on crackers and water while working for the utility company, the National Guard and Army got in touch with them. He and others with him were given MREs and had frank discussions about the events happening.

Maybe it was reported somewhere, but he said some of those in the NG said that at least 200 people were shot on sight in the area if they appeared to be armed.

Perhaps it's a story that needs to be investigated. It is very disturbing. I told my friend to write his story (which has some very harrowing events) and submit it to various publications.

[NJCher]

1. what's good for Iraqis is good for Americans

This is the thinking of the bush regime.




Cher

[pitohui]

2. he does need to share his story

keep in mind that dmort is saying that v. very few of the dead are gunshot wounds, and those few, some are being accounted as suicides

i don't doubt yr friend's story for a minute because of the terrible conditions in this area prior to katrina, w. a horrific gang war going on, such things as entire families including a 7 yr old being wiped out, the sudden cessation of hostilities suggests to me that the gangbangers have either been removed or died or both

two murders in july were cleared in one day when police found the suspects themselves shot dead, that's how bad the violence was this summer

i won't criticize those who had to defend themselves during the state of emergency (it is not technically called martial law here) without knowing more facts but if injustices occurred they should be exposed

if people were killed on sight without cause, this needs to be told

if yr friend is free to tell his story, i wish he would

[OKthatsIT]

18. The MSM should show 'good faith' and begin reporting REAL NEWS

so Americans can judge for themselves what happened in LA.

I blame them for this as much as the Neocons.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

3. All together now.... "He killed his own people"....... 20 plus years

ago.... so we must bomb the f**k out of his country today.... nevermind we helped arm him before during and after said crime.

[Lancer]

4. I have no reason to doubt you or your friend

I think it will be years before we know the full story of what went on in the aftermath of Katrina. That said, I do think your friend should talk to one of the investigative reporters at the Times-Picayune. That's just my opinion, but if this happened it needs to see the light of day. IMO

[zulchzulu]

11. I fear my friend would get attacked if he reported to Times Picayune

His story needs to be told in a more anonymous setting...so he won't popped by some people who'd rather have that story stay under wraps...

[raccoon]

19. Maybe he could go to some independent media source? nt

[zulchzulu]

5. The only links I can find don't mention any numbers

Here's one:
http://prisonplanet.com/articles/september2005/080905confiscatingfirearms.htm



You'd think the NRA would have raised a stink about this...but...

[zulchzulu]

14. Another...

http://prisonplanet.com/Pages/Sept05/010905crackdown.htm

What a tragic time in American history...

[AX10]

6. I have no reason to question your friends account.

The reality is that we may never know the truth about the real horrors that occured in New Orleans.

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

7. That is horrible, but seems likely

I heard people saying that the NG were shooting at them.

Also the shoot to kill order for looters etc was a real mistaken tactic, IMO.

Hope it does get investigated.

[Coastie for Truth]

8. I have wondered (and defended the NGO Responders on DU)

why FEMA was so friggin berserk about keeping the NGO's (Red Cross, Southern Baptist Brotherhood, Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul, LDS Bishops' Relief, Ham Radio, "Non-NMDS" medics, etc.) out of New Orleans for so long.

"The whole world is watching"

[havocmom]

9. The US government sent in 'private contractors' aka mercs

and gave them license to kill. Guys just back from Iraq possibly a bit jumpy and trigger happy, plus mad that they were not getting the big bucks they made overseas.

Yeah, I would think it safe to assume a lot of people were shot indiscriminately. And probably more were brought down for things they saw.

Your friend needs to get friends with some juice and then go public. Light needs to be shed on the corrosive insects eating the foundation of our republic.

[Angry Girl]

10. I wouldn't be surprised

The situation in New Orleans made it the perfect time for many people to get rid of anyone they didn't want.

A couple of links:

Blackwater Down
http://www.thenation.com/docprint.mhtml?i=20051010&s=scahill

Overkill: Feared Blackwater Mercenaries Deploy in New Orleans
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0910-07.htm

On New Orleans' dark streets, patrols assume the worst
Martial law and poor communication lead to tense situation for one reporter
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/09/09/MNGIJEKPNJ1.DTL

[Pepper32]

16. You are absolutely right Angry Girl

New Orleans was Rosewood all over again. :(

[brmdp3123]

12. You know somebody who said that they met somebody who said that

somebody told them that they saw...

[firefox]

13. Max Cleland said NO police went on looting spree and killed many

There was a thread some weeks back where Max Cleland said that after the hurricane some of the New Orleans police went on a looting rampage and executed many citizens. He said the bodies were stored in a warehouse. The thread was on DU and I was hoping for a follow up story, but we get the expected silence on such atrocities.

Maybe the thread was really a hoax. And maybe somebody else remembers that thread. There are a lot of things we have not heard including if and why so many NO police officers resigned in the first few days after the hurricane.

I think a DU search for police warehouse looting Cleland" will produce that thread.

[Pepper32]

15. Not sure if this is true but this is something I have suspected all along

Damn :(

[OneBlueSky]

17. there is much we don't know about what happened in NO . . .

and maybe never will . . . the thing that most bothers me is the death count, which I believe to be way too low . . . I'm sure there are still bodies in attics that no one has found, and who knows how many were sucked throught the pumps or otherwise washed out to sea . . . or shot on site . . .

the other thing that bothers me a lot is the way poor residents of the city are being prevented from returning to their homes to assess the damage and salvage what they can . . . if this had happened in a predominantly white middle class community, you can be sure that the victims of the disaster would have been treated far more compassionately . . . but poor black folks? . . . they apparently just don't count for much . . .

[leesa]

20. OK. Silly Republicans who think Dems and other groups are out to get your

guns....wake the fuck up already!