I heard a few media people commenting on the "anniversary of Katrina", and I noticed something big missing. Yes, there were comments about the failure of FEMA, a comment asking why Ray Nagin was speaking about failures in the Katrina response when he was one of the main people who failed, and how New Orleans isn't coming back.
But no one mentioned the police who killed a man on a bridge leading out of New Orleans.
NEW ORLEANS — In a verdict that brought a decisive close to a case that has haunted this city since most of it lay underwater nearly six years ago, five current and former New Orleans police officers were found guilty on all counts by a federal jury on Friday for shooting six citizens, two of whom died, and orchestrating a wide-ranging cover-up in the hours, weeks and years that followed.
The defendants were convicted on 25 counts, including federal civil rights violations in connection with the two deaths, for the violence and deception that began on the Danziger Bridge in eastern New Orleans on Sept. 4, 2005, just days after Hurricane Katrina hit and the levees failed.
“The officers convicted today abused their power and violated the public’s trust during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, exacerbating one of the most devastating times for the people of New Orleans,” Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said. “I am hopeful today’s verdict brings justice for the victims and their family members, helps to heal the community and contributes to the restoration of public trust in the New Orleans Police Department.”
And, as always, there was complete silence by the "law and order" conservatives about the police who broke the law and were convicted. Not one conservative mentioned the "Jack booted thugs" of the New Orleans police department, but they hadn't mentioned it up until this point, so why expect otherwise?
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