UN Human Rights Body Slams Louisiana Actions During Katrina

American Civil Liberties Union, 7/28/2006:

A United Nations human rights body today criticized Louisiana officials for their actions during Hurricane Katrina, including a police blockade on Gretna New Orleans Bridge, which left thousands of mostly black residents trapped in the city, and the failure to evacuate prisoners from the flooded Orleans Parish Prison. The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana, which has long called for investigations into the conditions at the prison and on the bridge, welcomed the report and its recommendations.

'The state of Louisiana should be ashamed of its dismal human rights record as showcased to the world on its handling of the evacuation of those left behind after Katrina and the flood, mainly people of color and the poor,' said Joe Cook, Executive Director of the ACLU of Louisiana. 'We have twice called for the Attorney General to complete his investigation of the Gretna Bridge incident and for the Department of Justice to look into the matter as well.'