GUILTY LA - Shooting on Danziger Bridge, 2 dead, 4 hurt, New Orleans, 4 Sept 2005

[believe09]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100407/ap_on_re_us/us_katrina_bridge_shootings

snip
"Seeing no danger to officers, Hunter says he shouted "Cease fire!" after an unidentified sergeant with an assault rifle and other officers opened fire on a group of unarmed civilians who took cover behind a concrete barrier on the bridge.
After they stopped firing, Hunter says he saw several civilians who appeared to be unarmed, injured and subdued.
"(The sergeant) suddenly leaned over the concrete barrier, held out his assault rifle, and, in a sweeping motion, fired repeatedly at the civilians lying wounded on the ground," the filing says. "The civilians were not trying to escape and were not doing anything that could be perceived as a threat."
Moments later, Hunter saw two men later identified as Lance Madison and his 40-year-old mentally disabled brother, Ronald, running away near the bottom of the bridge.
Hunter's statement said an unidentified officer shot Ronald Madison in the back with a shotgun.
"As Ronald Madison lay dying on the pavement, (the sergeant) ran down the bridge toward Ronald and asked an officer if Ronald was 'one of them.' When the officer replied in the affirmative, (the sergeant) began kicking or stomping Ronald Madison repeatedly with his foot," the filing states.
Madison and James Brissette, 19, were killed by police."
snip

We dont have a smilie that covers how I feel about this....desolate.

 

[believe09]

It intrigues me that this story is not really exciting comment.

Kent State springs to mind everytime I post something else about this story....Every single one of the people on the bridge were unarmed. Someone in LE opened fire on them anyway, and yet the officers who were in whatever mindset that allowed them to shoot were able to respond to the command to cease fire. After the firing stopped, one of the officers decided to try and massacre the witnesses.

THEN, an officer shot the witnesses who were running from the scene. And kicked them....

This happened in the USA. These officers have had a number of years to move on, live their lives and be promoted....these victims were undoubtedly branded as liars, then told that these were exceptional circumstances, yada yada yada.

I think this story is huge. JMO.

 

[Texas Mist]

4th New Orleans police officer charged with helping to cover up deadly post-Katrina shooting

Associated Press
Last update: April 16, 2010 - 1:21 PM

NEW ORLEANS - A fourth New Orleans police officer has been charged with helping cover up a deadly police shooting of unarmed civilians in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath.

A court filing Friday charges the officer, Robert Barrios, with conspiring to obstruct justice after police shot and killed two people and wounded four others on the Danziger Bridge less than a week after the August 2005 storm.

Barrios is accused of providing a false account of the shootings to homicide detectives investigating the case.

more here

http://www.startribune.com/nation/91048999.html

 

[believe09]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100713/ap_on_re_us/us_katrina_bridge_shootings

"Danziger Bridge that left two men dead and four wounded just days after the August 2005 hurricane. In one instance, a mentally disabled man was shot in the back and stomped before he died.

The indictment charges Sgts Robert Gisevius and
Kenneth Bowen, officer Anthony Villavaso and former officer Robert Faulcon with deprivation of rights under color of law and use of a weapon during the commission of a crime. They could face the death penalty if convicted..."

 

[OneLostGrl]

This gives all kinds of info on the ongoing investigation..

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/law-disorder/

 

[i.b.nora]

Rachel Maddow talked about it tonight on her show.

 

[believe09]

Thanks for posting with me here-this story is incredible...it should be going down in history like Kent State IMO. The victims were mowed down and stomped by the people sworn to protect them.

I know that NOLA was chaos at the time, but there was no excuse, no valid reason for this massacre.... God help everyone involved, especially the families that have been struggling to get justice since it happened.

 

[i.b.nora]

3 officers plead not guilty in Katrina shootings

By MARY FOSTER (AP)
"NEW ORLEANS — Three police officers charged in the killing of two unarmed residents on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina and a cover-up that followed pleaded not guilty on Wednesday.

Sgts. Robert Gisevius and Kenneth Bowen and Officer Anthony Villavaso stood before a federal magistrate in green prison garb, shackled at the waist and ankles. They will remain jailed at least until a hearing Friday. A tentative trial date is set for Sept. 13.

Magistrate Louis Moore Jr. read the counts — 13 against Bowen, 11 against Gisevius and 10 against Villavaso. Former officer Robert Faulcon made his initial court appearance Tuesday in Texas, where he was arrested, but has not entered a plea.

The charges against the four carry a maximum sentence of life in prison or the death penalty, although U.S. Attorney Jim Letten said the Justice Department hasn't decided whether to seek the latter punishment.

The family of two victims — Ronald Madison, who was killed, and his brother, Lance, who survived — sat in the front row of the packed courtroom. Gisevius cried quietly as he stood with his lawyer.

"We'll be able to pick this indictment apart," said Frank DeSalvo, Bowen's lawyer. "There is a lot of fantasy there."

Five former officers already have pleaded guilty to charges they helped cover up the shootings. Prosecutors have said police fabricated witnesses, falsified reports and plotted to plant a gun to make it appear that the shootings were justified.

The shootings at the Danziger Bridge happened Sept. 4, 2005, six days after Hurricane Katrina smashed levees and left the city flooded and in chaos. Bodies floated in filthy flood waters. There were reports of looting and gunshots rang out throughout the blacked-out city."

much more ...

This article is a good outline of what all the charges are.

 

[Kat]

http://gantdaily.com/2011/06/29/tri...ers-charged-in-the-danziger-bridge-shootings/

ProPublica Staff
United States (ProPublica) – by Aarti Shahani
June 29, 2011 at 12:40 PM

Trial Opens of New Orleans Police Officers Charged in the Danziger Bridge Shootings

Earlier this week, federal prosecutors and defense lawyers wrapped up opening arguments in the Danziger Bridge murder trial — the highest profile of nine criminal cases against current and former members of the New Orleans Police Department for shooting unarmed civilians after Hurricane Katrina.

 

[Nova]

I hate to hear this. Katrina was a very trying time in our state.

I don't know exactly what went on at that bridge but I will say this, LE and rescue workers were shot at several times while trying to help in NOLA in the days after Katrina. It was widely known and covered by the media. One report even captured some people shooting at a rescue helicopter. A lot of people would not go there to help because of this reason.

I'm in no way saying these guys on the bridge did no wrong, it looks like they did.

Just trying to put it in perspective. A lot of great people that were trying to help we shot at.

A lot of those media reports have been proven wrong, Kimberly.

If you want to put things in "perspective", then face facts: reports of looting and rioting were greatly exaggerated. Most people had more to fear from LE and middle-class vigilantes than they did from inner-city residents run amok.

 

[Nova]

Thanks Kimberly-I know that what you are saying is true. I think that Katrina/NOLA has to be separated out into something different from your typical complaints of police brutality or whatever.

Everyone was desperate, and the first responders were trying to keep order in the middle of insanity.

that being said, I think that the Danzinger bridge is akin to Kent State...JMO. I am glad to hear of the plea-it was the right thing to do.

Kimberly would never lie, but I think history now shows her to be largely misinformed.

http://mediamythalert.wordpress.com/2010/09/01/katrina-and-the-myth-of-superlative-reporting/


Was there looting after Katrina? Of course, there was some: many if not most of the survivors had no food and water. But much of the reporting we heard about violence from survivors running amok was exaggerated.

http://www.infowars.com/white-vigil...rs-without-consequences-in-katrina-aftermath/


http://www.peopleofcolororganize.co...rs-white-vigilantes-police-katrina-aftermath/


http://mediamythalert.wordpress.com/2010/08/26/give-the-press-d-minus-on-post-katrina-coverage/

 

[Nova]

I'm sorry I don't have a link at the moment, but there is increasing academic evidence that the elites that govern us have a vested interest in furthering the myth that we common folk run amok and turn violent in the wake of a natural disaster.

The fact may instead be that the human instinct is actually to cooperate with one another after a calamity, but governing bodies want us to believe we are helpless without them. This isn't necessarily a conscious lie; they may actually believe we will run amok without an immediate, heavily armed response. But as we see in the aftermath of Katrina, theirs is a self-fulfilling prophecy as violence from LE and vigilante "deputies" is touted as evidence of the need for an extreme police reaction.

But it's always interesting to note how the death rate in Los Angeles went DOWN for the week of the Northridge quake in 1993. Despite nearly 60 deaths directly resulting from the quake itself, the murder rate plunged as people came together with their neighbors and total deaths went down. (Of course, that week, at least, we didn't have vigilantes shooting poor people as they climbed out of their demolished homes.)

 

[Kimberlyd125]

Nova, please show me what part of my post I was misinformed about.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Nova]

Nova, please show me what part of my post I was misinformed about.

Thanks in advance.

"Just trying to put it in perspective. A lot of (LE and rescue personnel) that were trying to help were shot at."

Put in perspective, it was mostly LE doing the shooting.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

"Just trying to put it in perspective. A lot of (LE and rescue personnel) that were trying to help were shot at."

Put in perspective, it was mostly LE doing the shooting.

I will pull over what I actually said just for giggles:

"I don't know exactly what went on at that bridge but I will say this, LE and rescue workers were shot at several times while trying to help in NOLA in the days after Katrina. It was widely known and covered by the media. One report even captured some people shooting at a rescue helicopter. A lot of people would not go there to help because of this reason."



BBM. A little different that what you brought forth in quotes as to imply I said it huh???? A direct quote would work better in the future. It would be greatly appreciated. It's not correct to put quotes around a bunch of words and use it as MY QUOTE.




Did I EVER use the words most or mostly????

Did I even say A LOT???

Nope.
I never stated any type of numbers or percentages or the such.

I was not misinformed.
Or as you said "largely misinformed".

Try again!

 

[Nova]

And, Kimberly, I've given you several links that show, upon careful reflection and a lot of legwork, that reports of shooting at LE and rescue workers were greatly exaggerated.

Telling me something was "greatly reported by the media" doesn't mean much when I've provided several links about how wrong the media was.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

And, Kimberly, I've given you several links that show, upon careful reflection and a lot of legwork, that reports of shooting at LE and rescue workers were greatly exaggerated.

Telling me something was "greatly reported by the media" doesn't mean much when I've provided several links about how wrong the media was.

Nova, read up and you will see I said greatly reported by the media BEFORE you provided your links.

As far as people shooting at LE and rescue workers, it HAPPENED and it did keep several people from going to help.
I know several in my small community (a few miles north of Baton Rouge) who did not go to NOLA to help because of the shooting.
We helped in other ways. I won't even get into my experience with that.

So again NOVA, I ask what part of my post was I misinformed about?

 

[Nova]

Nova, read up and you will see I said greatly reported by the media BEFORE you provided your links.

As far as people shooting at LE and rescue workers, it HAPPENED and it did keep several people from going to help.
I know several in my small community (a few miles north of Baton Rouge) who did not go to NOLA to help because of the shooting.
We helped in other ways. I won't even get into my experience with that.

So again NOVA, I ask what part of my post was I misinformed about?

I've already pointed it out twice; I doubt a third iteration is going to make a difference.

I should have made it clearer that we were ALL misinformed in the aftermath of Katrina. It wasn't just you and I never meant to imply it was.

There is better information available now, however; I've provided just a few of the available links. So continued subscription to urban myths is willful.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

I've already pointed it out twice; I doubt a third iteration is going to make a difference.

I should have made it clearer that we were ALL misinformed in the aftermath of Katrina. It wasn't just you and I never meant to imply it was.

There is better information available now, however; I've provided just a few of the available links. So continued subscription to urban myths is willful.

Nothing in my post that you misquoted is wrong.

You have pointed out something I DIDN'T say.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

I hate to hear this. Katrina was a very trying time in our state.

I don't know exactly what went on at that bridge but I will say this, LE and rescue workers were shot at several times while trying to help in NOLA in the days after Katrina. It was widely known and covered by the media. One report even captured some people shooting at a rescue helicopter. A lot of people would not go there to help because of this reason.

I'm in no way saying these guys on the bridge did no wrong, it looks like they did.

Just trying to put it in perspective. A lot of great people that were trying to help we shot at.

This is the original quote.
Point out, in THIS post something I was misinformed about.