With the city being emptied and the water slowly being drained away, the stories are still coming out and the awful truths of what happened in the aftermath of Katrina is starting to be shown. A few of my favorite bands happen to be based out of New Orleans, and as such their mailing lists have been awash with stories from the disaster. Mr. Allan Morris posted a reprint of the escape from New Orleans by Larry Bradshaw and Lorrie Beth Slonsky, two San Fransisco EMS workers who were in town for a conference when the Hurricane hit.
They spent most of the next week trapped by the flood waters and martial law. The details inside are sickening at times, and it makes you wonder how something like this can this happen in our country. Turned away from the Superdome and the Convention center, kicked out of their hotel and lied to be the authorities, these people tried their best to help themselves and get noticed by someone in order to be rescued. But even then they were conspired against:
Unfortunately, our sinking feeling (along with the sinking City) was correct. Just as dusk set in, a Gretna Sheriff showed up, jumped out of his patrol vehicle, aimed his gun at our faces, screaming, “Get off the fucking freeway”. A helicopter arrived and used the wind from its blades to blow away our flimsy structures. As we retreated, the sheriff loaded up his truck with our food and water.
Once again, at gunpoint, we were forced off the freeway. All the law enforcement agencies appeared threatened when we congregated or congealed into groups of 20 or more. In every congregation of “victims” they saw “mob” or “riot”. We felt safety in numbers. Our “we must stay together” was impossible because the agencies would force us into small atomized groups.
It’s long, but well worth the time to read. We can’t afford to turn a blind eye to what happened; not if we don’t want it to happen again.
Tags: National, News, United States