After Katrina, New Orleans police shot 10 civilians, at least four of whom died

[babylonsister]

In New Orleans, Chaos in the Streets, and in Police Ranks Too

December 12, 2009


Alex Brandon / Times-Picayune archive
Lance Madison is surrounded by State Police and NOPD SWAT members on Sept. 4, 2005, after violence erupted on the Danziger Bridge. Madison was accused of shooting at police and was arrested, but he was later released. Madison's brother, Ronald, was fatally shot on the bridge.

By A.C. Thompson, ProPublica, Brendan McCarthy and Laura Maggi, Times-Picayune


During the turbulent days after Hurricane Katrina made landfall, New Orleans police shot 10 civilians, at least four of whom died, according to interviews and internal police documents.

Some incidents involving police were widely publicized and have prompted a U.S. Justice Department inquiry into the conduct of the New Orleans Police Department that has brought dozens of officers before federal grand juries to testify.

But a fresh examination of the post-storm period — a joint effort by ProPublica, The New Orleans Times-Picayune, and PBS “Frontline” — raises additional questions about the actions of police who shot civilians. It also reveals deep flaws in the department’s efforts to investigate its officers’ use of deadly force in the chaos after the storm.

Any time an officer squeezes the trigger, a few issues immediately arise: Was the shooting justifiable, a situation that left the cop with no choice but to use lethal force? Or did the officer fire on someone who didn’t truly pose a threat?

At the NOPD, each shooting is supposed to be thoroughly scrutinized to ensure the decision to shoot was proper. But in the Katrina shootings, the department performed only cursory investigations before exonerating their fellow officers, interviews and internal police documents show.

Cops who were present when the gunfire occurred took no statements from witnesses, or even their names and phone numbers. They repeatedly failed to gather important physical evidence, like weapons and bullet casings.

more...

http://www.propublica.org/nola/story/new-orleans-chaos-streets-and-police-1213

[RB TexLa]

1. Shootings aren't as big a thing in New Orleans as the rest of the country. It's what happens

whether it's a police officer or a civilian that shoots you. Violence and murder are just part of the culture of Louisiana.

[babylonsister]

3. Baloney. This doesn't usually happen,...

Any time an officer squeezes the trigger, a few issues immediately arise: Was the shooting justifiable, a situation that left the cop with no choice but to use lethal force? Or did the officer fire on someone who didn’t truly pose a threat?

At the NOPD, each shooting is supposed to be thoroughly scrutinized to ensure the decision to shoot was proper. But in the Katrina shootings, the department performed only cursory investigations before exonerating their fellow officers, interviews and internal police documents show.

Cops who were present when the gunfire occurred took no statements from witnesses, or even their names and phone numbers. They repeatedly failed to gather important physical evidence, like weapons and bullet casings.

[RB TexLa]

5. They've never treated police shooting in New Orleans like that. That might be written somewhere

but they aren't investigated like that. Most non-police shootings in Louisiana aren't investigated like that.

[Goldstein1984]

4. Yes, in more "civilized" parts of the country, the police

use rubber bullets, tear gas, and LRAD (e.g. Philadelphia)

[era veteran]

7. Philidelphia PD is the only American municipal Dept. to bomb it's own people

In 1985 the Philly PD dropped a bomb on MOVE HQ at 6221 Osage AV killing John Africa and TEN other people (including five children). I haven't forgotten.

[Goldstein1984]

11. The only one so far

I remember when that happened. Nobody should forget.

And I remember when Chicago Police murdered Black Panther Fred Hampton in 1969.

Dissent, especially organized dissent, isn't tolerated.

[omega minimo]

12. You are not worth the trouble

[NightWatcher]

2. Katrina +NOPD= anarchy with the cops running wild

I was a fed that had to work with NOPD in late 99-01 and it was very uncomfortable even then. They had just come out of a three year fed probe of corruption and had seen their ranks shuffled about with dozens of former officers having criminal charges filed against them for acts against the citizens. On a monthly basis, we were bringing in officers for other crimes and the NOPD closed ranks. It was recommended to me that I get a good holdout piece in case I ever crossed an NOPD officer.

[hlthe2b]

6. I was among many DUers monitoring this as it leaked out on the

web-- as we were monitoring Katrina since the first NOLA predictions. There was much "traffic in terms of postings from non-traditional and traditional (local) media that very likely has left "forensic" traces on the internet, if they really wanted to investigate. I remember the horror among us monitoring when these deaths were reported... I am convinced it was murder.

[Cetacea]

13. +1

[autorank]

8. It was a practice run for the rest of the country. n/t k*r

[babylonsister]

9. That's more than chilling.

:scared:

:hi:

[autorank]

15. After a while, it starts to look like that

There are way to many of us to pull off anything nationwide. Just remember May Day demonstrations
all over the country by Latinos. Rocked their world. They backed down right away.

:hi:

[Canuckistanian]

10. I'll never forget the stories

The stories of armored personnel carriers patrolling the streets, filled with soldiers armed to the teeth, with people running alonsgside, begging for water.

Or the unknown paramilitary people cutting the phone lines MULTIPLE TIMES until the local sheriff decided to post guards on the vital switching boxes.

Or the groups of people desperately trying to get across bridges to get food, water, shelter or transportation OUT of NOLA, only to be met with armed policemen threatening and harassing them.

I thought shit like this only happened in 3rd world countries.

[autorank]

16. Excellent summary

...and then there's the bridge where people from the Convention Center were turned back...for no reason other than the obvious.

[Cetacea]

14. Agreed. nt

[struggle4progress]

17. When Kat hit NOLA, we had: (1) Republican strategists talking about a onece-in-a-lifetime

chance for a Republican take-over of the city; (2) Day after day of BS media reports about violent anarchy in the city; (3) Day after day of promises to act followed by day after day of inaction; (4) Federal officials preventing people from doing relief work; (5) An increasingly desperate population making efforts to escape to find help and being driven back into the city; (6) Federal claims that this was all the fault of the local government; (7) A determination not to rebuild much of NOLA; and finally (8) A Federal relocation program that redistributed NOLA's poor population across the rest of the country, while relief and reconstruction monies went to the wealthier districts