6 years later, still picking up the pieces of Katrina

Hurricane Katrina ranks as the costliest natural disaster in human history. But more than the damage wrought by Mother Nature, it is the callous disregard for the poor and black residents of Louisiana and stories of police abuse that endure as the lowest moments in that tragedy. Rumors that police had attacked and, in at least one case, murdered helpless residents of the city were disbelieved, denied, and, until now, forgotten.

William Faulkner said the past is never dead; it’s not even past. And six years later, on Monday, July 11th, a former New Orleans police detective testified that he fabricated witnesses and helped plant a gun to justify the shooting of unarmed residents on a New Orleans bridge after Katrina. From the article:

Lehrmann said the false accounts of what officers did on the bridge continually changed as they honed their cover story.

“The lies changed whenever we needed to change them,” he said.

Read the full story here: http://news.yahoo.com/ex-cop-says-helped-cover-katrina-shootings-181631947.html

Posted by:

Sam Patton

New Orleans Cop Pleads Guilty To Hurricane Katrina “Massacre”

Over the years, I’ve heard a lot of stories about how cops and random racists murdered African American civilians during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Seems like community members are finally getting justice. We may never truly know how many people were murdered during this horrific episode, but it’s good to know that people are being held accountable for their actions. Maybe the next time there is an event like this, others won’t feel that they can literally get away with murder.

via J-Bone

Posted by:

Biko Baker

Brentin Mock: New Orleans? NO MORE $ FOR YOU!

In the good ol’ vein of ‘what-the-hell-is-going on’, our friend Brentin Mock highlights an interesting development in his latest column in The American Prospect.

According to published reports:
“a recent Treasury Department ruling has disqualified the Gulf Coast region from a significant portion of stimulus funding specifically set aside to help low-income housing developments languishing due to the recession”.

This ruling is HUGE. Why is New Orleans disqualified from these treasury funds?

Has it been too long?

Are people starting to forget what happened?

Check out Brentin’s piece over at The American Prospect!

Posted by:

Steve Romain