Orleans Parish Prison: K-Ville vs Reality

The character of Trevor Cobb, played by Cole Hauser, was a prisoner in Orleans Parish Prison (OPP) and almost drowned when Katrina struck. His cell mate did drown. In K-ville episode 2, three prisoners escape from OPP and the show centers around that facility.

There is a good possibility that people may believe that prisoners drowned in real life. To set the record straight and provide some additional background for the series, I thought I would share a little bit of real life information about OPP. Just a note, my dad was NOPD and as a kid I used to hang out at central lockup and the court house. I even got a personal tour of a small part of OPP. I know quite a few people who know it a lot more intimately than I do. heh

So, I wanted to share something I read on Java Joe's Journal Jive, Trouble over 'K-Ville': Nothing bad happened at prison!. Apparently, the OPP Medical Director is not happy about what transpired in the K-Ville pilot. I bet he really hates K-Ville's second episode. ;-O

“No one died in the OPP,” says Inglese. “Fiction or not, this depiction is an affront to the medical staff and deputies who, for five harrowing days, risked their lives for the inmates and civilians in their care. They’re among the many unsung heroes of Katrina—as are many inmates—who will never receive the recognition they deserve. Minimally, however, their heroism should not be undermined. Unfortunately, since so many factual depictions make up the back story of K-Ville, viewers nationwide are left with the impression that prisoners under our care drowned.”

That should set the story straight. No one died as OPP during Katrina. It should be noted that Dr Inglese has a book, No Ordinary Heroes: 8 Doctors, 30 Nurses, 7,000 Prisoners and a Category 5 Hurricane, about his experiences.

Having said that, I am sure OPP was not a pleasant place after Katrina hit. From one inmate present at the time (quote provided by the ACLU):

Breakfast on August 29 was the last meal that the inmates ate at the prison—from that point on they had no food or water. Inmate #52 reports that escaping prisoners were shot at, and that "deputies did assault prisoners." Inmate #52 reports the inmates could not breathe, and he "thought we were going to sufacate [sic]." Some inmates found a pipe and started to break windows to get oxygen. After 48 hours on F Side, Inmate #52 was brought to the bridge early Wednesday morning, before the sun came up. The inmates were "told to leave everything behind, and walk out with our hands on our heads. The water was so deep I had [two] small prisoners holding on to me. One on each shoulder." The inmates were taken to the bridge in small boats carrying approximately 8 to 10 prisoners at a time. Once on the bridge, Inmate #52 still did not receive food or water.

Definitely not a pleasant experience. I'm sure the experience wasn't much better for the cops or the guards either, though.

Did you like this entry? Why not subscribe to it? Or, if you prefer, you can subscribe via email.

A Blast From New Orleans’ Past: 10 Headlines From The New York Times

Specifically, 10 Headlines From the newly opened, NY Times archive. I present 10 headlines from 1851-1980. Anything before 1922 is freely available. Anything between 1922 and 1980 will cost you to read more than a brief abstract.

I love this stuff. If you like this kind of thing, drop me a note and I'll do some more. If you include a topic list (like Mardi Gras, Shrimp, Flood, etc), I will do a list of old headlines with about that topic.

October 7, 1851, Wednesday

LATEST INTELLIGENCE; Arrival of the Georgia at New-Orleans from Havana--Release of Capt. Ellis, one of the American Prisoners.

The steamship Georgia has arrived at this port in forty-seven hours from Havana. Her news is of no importance, further than the fact that Captain Ellis, one of the recent invaders, has been released from prison. The U. S. steamer Saranan, and ships Albany and Decatur, were at Havana. She brings a large number of passengers and the California mails of September 6th.

October 10, 1851, Wednesday

FATAL AFFRAY IN NEW ORLEANS.--Quite an excitement has been produced in New Orleans, by the death of Alderman William Laughlin, on Sunday evening last, In a rencontre with Ex-Alderman William Silk. Both of the gentlemen were highly respectable. It appears that they met at. Kathman's Coffee-House, at the corner of Bienville and Marais-streets, and got into an altercation, when harsh words were exchanged.

July 4, 1853, Wednesday

The Wreck of the Ship William and Mary--A Passenger's Statement.; From the New-Orleans Picayune

May 15, 1927, Sunday

THE LONG BATTLE TO SAVE NEW ORLEANS; Herculean Labors and Costly Strategy Used to Check the Mississippi

LAST to receive the impact of the crest of the heaviest flood that ever swept down the Mississippi will be the levees that half encircle New Orleans. Will they hold? The eyes of a nation are focused on these man-made embankments that hold the fate of the gay and lovely metropolis of the South, our chief foreign trade port after New York.

September 20, 1947, Saturday

NEW ORLEANS HIT, HURRICANE HOWLS ON TO ARKANSAS; 90-Mile Winds Batter the City as Tidal Waves Flood Bayou Area -- Fury Is Dropping SIX DEAD AND 400 HURT Gulf port Destruction Is Heavy -- Thousands Are Homeless Along Stricken Coast HURRICANE HOWLS ON TO ARKANSAS DESTRUCTION LEFT IN WAKE OF HURRICANE AT NEW ORLEANS

A devastating hurricane was centered in mid-Louisiana early today moving in a northwesterly direction toward Arkansas. Six persons were reported dead along the Gulf Coast and some 400 injured in its wake

April 10, 1955, Sunday

NEW ORLEANS RELIVES ITS CREOLE DAYS; Author of "Bayous of Louisiana," "Queen of New Orleans" and "Plantation Parade."

Today, Easter Sunday, marks the traditional opening of New Orleans' "rival to the Mardi Gras" in its appeal to thousands of travelers--the annual Spring Fiesta. For ten days, through April 20, Orleanians and visitors will join in commemorating the Creole-American civilization which saw its golden days in and about the river city a hundred years or so ago.

September 11, 1965, Saturday

New Orleans Loss In Storm Heavy; 23 Dead in 3 States; STORM LOSS HIGH IN NEW ORLEANS Floodwaters Swirl in Southern Cities After Pounding by Hurricane

Hurricane Betsy dashed itself against lower Louisiana and Mississippi early today and ended a destructive journey that began 15 days ago in the Atlantic Ocean.

November 14, 1960, Monday

U. S. COURT BARS LOUISIANA'S MOVE TO SEIZE SCHOOLS; Enjoins Legislature After It Votes to Call Troopers to Prevent Integration SHOWDOWN DUE TODAY New Orleans Board Plans to Defy State and Admit 5 Negroes to White Classes -- U.S. COURT BARS LOUISIANA MOVE

A special legislative session approved steps tonight to forcibly prevent desegregation of the New Orleans public schools.

April 9, 1971, Friday

Plan for Domed Stadium Stirs New Orleans Resistance

Louisiana officials are going ahead with plans to build a $150 - million air - conditioned sports arena in downtown New Orleans amid allegations of "boondoggle," "swindle" and "kickbacks."

August 9, 1957, Friday

New Orleans Laymen Asks Pope Bar Integration in Archdiocese; POPE GETS APPEAL FOR SEGREGATION

The Association of Catholic Laymen of New Orleans, bypassing its Archbishop, today asked Pope Pius XII to stop racial integration in the church.

Did you like this entry? Why not subscribe to it? Or, if you prefer, you can subscribe via email.

Not Untrue but Misinformed From India

One of the topics that I spend a lot of time on is New Orleans news from places outside New Orleans. I like to see how other people see New Orleans. I especially like news about New Orleans from outside the US. The point of views can be fascinating.

Along those lines, I found an article in The Hindu. The Hindu bills itself as Online edition of India's National Newspaper. This particular article, After the floods, is written by Anjali Kamat and was posted on September 23, 2007.

I don't want top say that the author got it wrong as much as I want to say he is misinformed. For one thing, he starts off with a picture labeled, "Now a Wasteland." Excuse me, New Orleans is not a wasteland. True, there are plenty of areas that need work. Some areas haven't even started work. Calling it a wasteland damages your credibility though.

With all of the half-truths and misinformation in this article, there is one comment that really stands out as being just plain ignorant.

Visiting the post-Katrina landscape of New Orleans is a bit like time travel. It’s a crash course in the long and shameful history of American poverty, injustice, slavery, and racial segregation. But it’s also a window into the future of what other cities in the United States and perhaps across the world could soon look like. That privatised, gentrified, and militarised future is unmistakeably bleak and terrifying.

After a statement like that, you would think the author would provide some information to back up the statement but not in this case. It's a drive-by insulting aimed at New Orleans and all of the US.

But, as I said above, there are some very true statements in the article:

Two years after the flood, little has changed at the Lower Ninth Ward. The scene is eerily reminiscent of images from days after the hurricane.

Or this:

After two years of wrangling with the bureaucracy, owners who had finally received federal money to rebuild their homes returned only to find their houses demolished and their property seized by the city. Meanwhile rent prices had skyrocketed by almost 200 per cent.

The insane cost of living that is currently biting New Orleans is particularly vexing. Until there is additional housing, rent will remain high. With insurance and taxes out of control, I don't see it getting better any time soon.

This following paragraph is a prime example of, almost paranoid, misinformation.

The city’s elite called Katrina a godsend that “cleaned up” the crime-ridden projects. But all Stephanie could talk about was how much she misses the sense of community at the projects. She now lives in Survivors Village, a rat-infested “tent city,” erected in protest by former public housing residents like herself, right across the street from her old home.

Who, in New Orleans, called Katrina a "godsend"? I think they got that from the K-Ville pilot episode.

Even though this article is mostly wrong or warped, I still like reading what people in other places are thinking. The downside to reading this is that I have to ask myself, "Is this the image New Orleans is broadcasting to the world?"

Did you like this entry? Why not subscribe to it? Or, if you prefer, you can subscribe via email.

Jesus, Voodoo and Gay Bars

As I may have mentioned, I am a news junkie. I read everything. Today I found an article in the Florida Baptist Witness called New Orleans: Where voodoo and Christianity collide.

I'm not a very religious person. I don't have anything against people who are. I don't have anything against people who aren't. I don't particularly like being preached to when I'm down in the quarters or off having fun (like at Mardi Gras). This article has a neat viewpoint though that I don't see very often.

"The difference between the French Quarter and [other] suburban areas is the concentration of darkness," Greg Hand, the church's pastor, noted. His wife Wren added, "There is a very real spiritual oppression that is present here."

This quote kind of sets the tone of the article. I have often wondered if people still think of the French Quarter as the ultimate source of debauchery. I guess they do. I can tell you I have been in strip clubs in Florida, Texas and Connecticut that go much further than New Orleans. There are no completely nude strip joints in NO that I know of.

Abner had visited New Orleans before the trip, but he was shocked nevertheless by what he experienced early Sunday morning in the French Quarter. "It was a really sad, sad sight, walking down the street at 9 a.m. and seeing a bar still open," he recounted. "People were drinking, the music was cranked up and folks were slumped over the bar."

That's called having a good time. I don't know many people who do this frequently. If you are drinking at 9am on a daily basis, you're probably homeless and that happens in every city. Of course, the bars being open at 9am might make it a bit easier. ;-)

Whether it's the tourist visiting the city or the person walking out of a "gay bar," the Hands seek to convey a message of love as they walk around the city. One person who was the recipient of "sowing seeds of love is now here [at church] set free," Hand said.

I'm guessing they had a "gay convert" from this quote. So is the person no longer gay or is the person just going to church now? I can't quite tell. I wonder which bar it was?

Anyway, the article is an interesting read. It is definitely from a viewpoint I don't share but that's why I read as much as I do. I like hearing the other side.

Did you like this entry? Why not subscribe to it? Or, if you prefer, you can subscribe via email.

REM's New Orleans Instrumental #1

Some guy created a video from REM's New Orleans Instrumental #1 using an aquarium and some food coloring. It's kind of freaky but if you like the song, it's very relaxing to watch.

Did you like this entry? Why not subscribe to it? Or, if you prefer, you can subscribe via email.

Does New Orleans Need a DA?

I wrote a while back about Eddie Jordan and the racism case. The DA was sued by a bunch of white employees who were fired and immediately replaced by black employees. The white employees won and it looked like a good thing.

Actually, it is still a good thing that racism was taken on and beaten. The bad part is that somehow Eddie J is not responsible for paying. According to this article, This may kill New Orleans entirely, the DA's office may lose furniture and vehicles to cover Eddie's lost suit.

Eddie made the decision, eddie is responsible, eddie should pay.

UDPATE: According to New Orleans City Business (on Oct 24, 2007), the city council is requesting information from the City Attorney.

"Specifically, I requested a legal opinion outlining the city and Council’s rights, responsibilities - if any - and alternatives in satisfying that judgment," Fielkow said.

"I am not inclined to support the use of city funds to satisfy this judgment and await the city attorney’s opinion," Fielkow said.

I think you probably know how I feel. Everyone I hae talked to about this feels the same way. Fielkow puts it best:

“The timing of this issue could not be worse," Fielkow said. "The needs of the city of New Orleans greatly outnumber the resources we currently have, and it is most unfortunate that the DA’s action has caused this burden to be potentially placed on the City of New Orleans and our citizens.

Did you like this entry? Why not subscribe to it? Or, if you prefer, you can subscribe via email.

New Orleans News From Qatar

From The Penninsula, Qatar's Leading English Daily, Mobile health units set up in New Orleans with Qatar Katrina fund.

Qatar was one of the first foreign countries to respond to Katrina and offer assistance. If I'm not mistaken, they offered assistance even before Bush did. Go figure.

March of Dimes, the international agency involved in preventing birth defects of new-born babes, has introduced three mobile health units in New Orleans, by utilising "Qatar Katrina Fund", last week.

With the impacts to health care in New Orleans, gifts like these mean so much more to the locals than do platitudes from US politicians who stop by every few months and make promises on which they never deliver.

“With the Emir's fund, the March of Dimes purchased three mobile health units to provide parental and early paediatric care for mothers and children living in hurricane-damaged areas. These mobile health vans include private examination rooms, waiting areas and nurses' stations, and they are equipped with foetal monitors, ultrasound machines and other medical equipment. A mobile unit is already making an average 35 patient-visits each week, and is expected to serve over 4000 patients throughout the course of the project,” he said.

Did you like this entry? Why not subscribe to it? Or, if you prefer, you can subscribe via email.