With all the hate going around, individual examples fade from memory, but let us revisit the time when Crawford Caligula was fiddling, New Orleans was drowning, and Brownie was doing a “heck of a job.” If you remember, police murdered two unarmed black citizens on the Danziger Bridge. Friday, the beginning of justice arrived, long overdue after almost six years.
A jury convicted New Orleans police officers of violating the civil rights of two people killed a week after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005. A fifth was found guilty of a later cover-up, along with the other four.
Jurors deliberated three days to convict the officers of all 25 counts they were accused of. They are to be sentenced Dec. 14 by U.S. District Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt in New Orleans. The four who fired shots at the bridge are in custody. The fifth, a detective, is free on bail.
The civil rights violations caused the deaths of James Brissette, 17, and Ronald Madison, 40, the jury found separately, meaning the maximum punishment for the four officers directly involved is life in prison.
The jury convicted officers Kenneth Bowen, Robert Gisevius, Robert Faulcon and Anthony Villavaso of opening fire on unarmed black icivilians on the city’s Danziger Bridge and conspiring with others to cover up their actions.
The fifth, homicide detective Arthur “Archie” Kaufman, was convicted of conspiring to make the shootings appear justified.
The shootings took place on Sept. 4, 2005, one week after Katrina flooded most of New Orleans and one day after stranded evacuees were airlifted and bused to safety… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Bloomberg>
We will not know whether justice is truly done, until these men are sentenced. Because they were entrusted to uphold the law, to serve and protect, these men are more culpable than others might be, so light sentences would be most unjust. I hope that they come to realize the magnitude of their crime, join the grief over what they have done, and change.
I believe that the majority of police officers are professionals who do their jobs well. However, there is an unfortunate tendency among even good police to form a “thin blue line” and cover up the crimes of their fellow officers. Therefore, to protect citizens, all police actions should be subject to oversight by independent citizen review boards.
12 Responses to “Delayed Katrina Justice”
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To hell with sentencing let’s give them some 19th century justice and lynch them from the bridge, that aught to satisfy some blood lust and the needs of justice in America today.
Mark, your anger is getting the better of you. I condemn all calls to violence.
Angola will be a fitting punishment for these swine. I predict they’ll “see the light” on the inside. 👿
Johnny, no doubt they will get protective custody. they would not survive a week in general population.
So the law makers, just like the politicians can’t control themselves and start doing the opposite of what WE hire them for! Ain’t it a great country!
Lee, this has nothing to do with law makers.
I agree with you– the heat of the moment is no excuse . Period , The guilty verdict is a fair one it seems-
Thanks Phyllis. We’ll have to wait and see what sentencing brings.
Civil rights violations? How come they weren’t charged with murder, because that’s what it was? They killed 2 unarmed black men on that bridge without provocation – I call that murder in cold blood. And it wasn’t an accident either – one man was shot 3 times and the other was killed and his body put in a car and set on fire! That’s premeditated murder. Throw the book at all of them and may they never see the light of day and put them in general population; they won’t last long in there. 😡
Lisa, civil rights violations are how the federal government can take action, when Republican racists at the state level refuse to do their job.
Unfortunately, on the inside, these scum of the earth with be in protective custody, the same place they put child molesters, ex-gang members, etc. That is because the general prison population hate these people and would love to get their hands on them. So, these scum of the earth people are in a population that does not come in contact with the general prisioners. I would love to see an ex-cop go to prision and be in the general population, they would not last to long before they had an “accident.” Which is what they deserve.
Welcome Debbie. 🙂
I understand your anger, but I have a different perspective as someone who spends a couple days a month in prison as a volunteer. People go to prison as punishment, not for punishment. I don’t care what someone has done. If they are serious about changing into productive members of society, I’m happy to help teach them how.