Katrina pets executed
We heard the stories about rampant gun confiscations in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. Now, a suit alleges:
For nearly two years, pet owners from the low-lying Louisiana parish of St. Bernard have accused sheriff’s deputies of having wantonly killed dozens of dogs they forced evacuees to leave behind during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, without regard to the dogs’ size or the potential threat they might pose.
One owner said her family was forced at gunpoint to leave its dog behind. Another owner said residents became frantic when, they said, they overheard one deputy claim that “once everybody’s gone, we’re going to have target practice tonight.” They claim in court papers that deputies were under ” authorization…of their superiors and employers.
Two deputies have already been indicted by a grand jury in New Orleans on charges of felony, aggravated cruelty to animals. The Louisiana attorney general’s office is investigating and this morning lawyers for a group of owners will file a comprehensive complaint in federal court in Louisiana seeking class action status for their clients.
When the shit hits the fan, the law should act like the law and not a bunch of goons.
June 12th, 2007 at 9:07 am
Um… Hello.. New Orleans.. The law down there acted like a bunch of goons before Katrina.
June 12th, 2007 at 9:08 am
Coming to my home armed and abusing the color of authority in a criminal fashion and then threatening my pets is a good way to find out how good of a shot I really am.
June 12th, 2007 at 9:42 am
[…] SaysUncle talks about it. One owner said her family was forced at gunpoint to leave its dog behind. Another owner said residents became frantic when, they said, they overheard one deputy claim that “once everybody’s gone, we’re going to have target practice tonight.” They claim in court papers that deputies were under ” authorization…of their superiors and employers. […]
June 12th, 2007 at 10:11 am
There was a video that was shot by two reporters from the Dallas Morning News as they surveyed the damage in St. Benards Parrish. The camera pans from the reporter driving as you hear gunshots. They spotted a Jeep full of deputies and can’t figure out what they are shooting at. Until they spot a yellow Lab crossing the street in front of them. At least the goons waited until the Lab crossed before shooting it. They weren’t very good shots either, he/she flopped a bit.
Now I have to give it to the reporters, they confront one of the Deputies (St. Bernard Sheriff’s Officer Mike Minton) he said he was shooting dogs for their own good, but he had a smile on his face.
More info here:
http://www.pasadosafehaven.org/KATRINA/DOGSHOOTING/HISTORY.htm
and here:
http://www.capcityfreepress.com/lost3
My thoughts on this:
Try this shit in my neighboorhood you had better pack an extra body bag for me, ’cause you are going to be seeing the business end of a side folder AK-47.
June 12th, 2007 at 10:13 am
It is strange how many stories of officers there are across the country where they use deadly force on a furry family member. This speaks tons about the character of these people that hide behind the badge. I have several friends that are officers and I can tell you that unless they are attacked they would never hurt an animal. Anyone that would kill a family pet without remorse should not wear a badge at all. These types of incidents have occurred in Blount County as well as the famous Crossville incident where the cop claimed that the “Pit bull” was about to attack him and he shot the dog on the side of the interstate, but after reviewing the video it was clear that this was no pit bull. Perhaps the fix for this would be that to wear a badge you should be smarter than the animal you gun down.
BT
June 12th, 2007 at 10:15 am
More info here:
http://network.bestfriends.org/hurricane/news/1741.html
June 12th, 2007 at 10:16 am
Here is the video:
http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/photography/2005/katrina_video/straydogs.html#dmn
June 12th, 2007 at 10:21 am
Amen. That’s outrageous.
June 12th, 2007 at 11:39 am
[…] Say Uncle says “When the shit hits the fan, the law should act like the law and not a bunch of goons.” Too often, when the shit hits the fan, “the law” simply reverts to type. […]
June 12th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
I’m not trying to throw gasoline on the fire here, and I certainly don’t support either the random shooting of stray animals or preventing people from taking their pets with them. Doesn’t surprise me that the PD in SE LA would do it, though.
But in a disaster situation, the welfare of animals is going to come last on my list of priorities. If your stray dog comes on to my property when there’s no power, no water, and no 911, the best treatment it can expect from me is to be shooed off. If it refuses to go, or threatens me, it’s going down. I’m not going to take the chance it might turn on me or a member of my family, especially if there won’t be any doctors, rabies vaccine or antibiotics available in the forseeable future.
June 12th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
Unc, lord knows I love my dog; and the killing of pets without great justification is indeed criminal…
but it isn’t execution.
Calling it an execution raises it to the level of killing a human being; and from there it’s just one short step to PETA.
June 12th, 2007 at 3:05 pm
Well, sounds similar to lined up and shot to me. Or unnecessarily abandoned with the intent to kill. Pick a euphemism.
June 12th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
I take any story out of New Orleans with a pretty big grain of salt.
Especially when there is money/lawsuit on the line.
June 12th, 2007 at 11:37 pm
Chris, all due respect, but the slippery slope you’re positing runs steeply uphill.
If what you’re worried about here is PETA, your priorities are a bit out of whack.
June 13th, 2007 at 9:37 am
Jay, did you watch the video. Pretty unambigous to me. Lab walking down the street, deputy shoots it. Then runs over it. Then goes on to shoot nine other dogs on camera. Pretty straight up to me.
June 13th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
My point guys is that you are valuing a dogs life as much as a humans; and that is wrong.
Even if that human is a scumbag piece of shit; unless they really deserve to die, their life is more important than that of my dog…
When someone shoots a dog without justification, we don’t charge them with murder; because a dogs life is not on a level with a human life.
If you DO have jsutification, and you have to shoot a dog who is going to attack you or your kids , do you really want to have to try and present a justification defense against murder?
What if that dog owner sees you about to shot his dog; and he shoots you. SHould he now be able to get off because he was “defending his dog” ?
That’s what I meant when I said it’s one short step to PETA.
That’s what calling it “execution” does; it puts it on the same level with murdering a man.
June 13th, 2007 at 1:16 pm
Hell, lets jsut use a little less extreme example. If you accidentally hit a dog in the street, do you want to have to defend yourself against a vehicular dogslaughter charge?
What about cats… or horses, or rats (rats are pets too after all).
June 13th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
How is pointing out that police are shooting dogs asserting that?
June 13th, 2007 at 6:07 pm
Because you didn’t say that; you said they were “Executing” them.
June 13th, 2007 at 6:42 pm
Then choose another euphemism for kill.
June 14th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
Do you know what a euphamism is? I hardly thinnk “execute” is a sugar-coated way to say “kill”.
June 14th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
I’m not sure at what point the value drops low enough that it is OK for police to vandalize and destroy property. Even if you think that there need to be no more protection for animals than basic property rights, then these deputies were still engaging in malicious and repeated vandalism.
And as far as the law not acting like goons, they are going to revert to form whenever then think we are looking the other way.