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ACLU Sues New Orleans Prison for Katrina Inmate Abuse

By Jeralyn, Section Huricanes Katrina and Rita
Posted on Sun Nov 20, 2005 at 10:26:26 AM EST
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Via Halcyon at Daily Kos: The ACLU has sued a New Orleans parish prison for locking up 45 inmates without food or water during Katrina. The suit also alleges abuse by prison guards during this period.

Some prisoners claim that deputies forced them into their cells by shooting bean bags, macing and tasering them; once they were returned to their cells, some deputies handcuffed the cell doors to prevent them from escaping. As the locked cells began to flood, prisoners hung signs out of the broken windows for help, and others jumped into the water below. According to the testimonials, deputies and members of the Special Investigation Division shot at some of the prisoners who were attempting to escape the rising water inside the jail, and several prisoners report that they witnessed fellow prisoners getting shot in the back.

When the prisoners were finally evacuated from the jail, many were forced to wade through toxic, waste-filled water to the Broad Street overpass on Interstate 10. Prisoners reported that the armed guards at the overpass had K-9 dogs, which were used to threaten them. Several prisoners said that the dogs bit other prisoners. Many of the prisoners on the overpass said they were maced and beaten, some for nothing more than sitting next to a fellow prisoner who attempted to stand and stretch after being forced to sit on the pavement for hours. Other prisoners recount being maced and beaten for requesting food and water. Female prisoners also report that deputies directed degrading and sexually offensive comments at them.

The prisoners' testimonials are here. (pdf)

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    • ACLU Sues New Orleans Prison for Katrina Inmate Abuse | 4 comments (4 topical)
    Re: ACLU Sues New Orleans Prison for Katrina Inmat (none / 0) (#1)
    by Johnny on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:18 PM EST
    Those dam liberal pinko commie ACLU'ers! When will they learn that anything they stand for is bad for America!?!?!?!?!

    Re: ACLU Sues New Orleans Prison for Katrina Inmat (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:18 PM EST
    Yeah Gulf Coast Reconstruction Watch covered this last week: www.reconstructionwatch.org A good resource for all post-hurricane stuff

    Re: ACLU Sues New Orleans Prison for Katrina Inmat (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:20 PM EST
    What...? You mean it isn't Bush's fault?

    Re: ACLU Sues New Orleans Prison for Katrina Inmat (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:31 PM EST
    Amy Goodman at DemocracyNow.org was way out front on this issue. What's appalling is that most of the Mouthpiece Media has not done coverage of what happened during and after Katrina at Orleans Parish Prison (OPP) and how the Greyhound/AmTrak terminal was turned into a giant holding tank.

    The conditions were appalling.

    Worse yet, we now know from Human Rights Watch (Scroll down to Item Three of this entry) that hundreds of former inmates of OPP are unaccounted for to this day.

    ACLU Sues New Orleans Prison for Katrina Inmate Abuse | 4 comments (4 topical)