Department Of Justice Declares New Orleans Police Force “A Threat To The Safety Of The Public”

By on April 26, 2011 in News 28

nola“Police in the US now rival criminals, and exceed terrorists as the greatest threat to the American public.”

Yes, there are bad cops everywhere, but the corrupt, racist, and violent New Orleans police department — in which officers engage in rape, arson, kidnapping, bank robberies, and murder, and citizens are arrested for little or no reason, held without charges for months, and routinely brutalized and tortured — is a different matter altogether. It is little exaggeration to say that the NOPD has become a criminal gang terrorizing the city’s residents. The New Statesman reports:

Something terrible lies at the heart of New Orleans – a rampant, widespread and apparently uncontrollable brutality on the part of its police force and its prison service. The horrors of its criminal justice system from decades before Hurricane Katrina and up to now lie somewhere between, with little exaggeration, Candide and Stalin’s Gulags.

Spit on the sidewalk here, and you may be arrested – New Orleans has the highest incarceration rate of any city in the United States – and if you’re poor and black and can’t pay bail, you will enter a place where any protection under the American constitution and the Bill of Rights is stripped away. You will wait weeks or months to be charged, whether innocent or not, and in the meantime you will be subjected to foul, overcrowded jail conditions, prisoner-to-prisoner violence and the brutality of the deputies who guard you.

On 17 March this year, the federal department of justice (DoJ) decided that enough was enough and it has made moves to have the New Orleans police department (NOPD) placed under the supervision of a federal judge. The New Orleans jail system will likely follow.

The department released a report covering only the past two years and ignoring several current federal investigations of police officers for murder. It says, more or less, that the NOPD is incapable on any level; that it is racist; that it systemically violates civil rights, routinely using “unnecessary and unreasonable force”; that it is “largely indifferent to widespread violations of law and policy by its police officers” and appears to have gone to great lengths to cover up its shootings of civilians. “NOPD’s mishandling of officer-involved shooting investigations,” the report says, “was so blatant and egregious that it appeared intentional in some respects.”

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  • http://voxmagi-necessarywords.blogspot.com/ VoxMagi

    NOPD was always bad…this should have been done decades ago…and I admit to total shock and surprise that anything, however small, is being done now. It’d be a fine thing to see citizen oversight boards in place and genuine transparency and accountability take root nationwide…but somehow I doubt it will fall into place that way. Too much has been vested in buying a new generation of neo-con judges and destroying protections against abuse in our new culture of ‘law and prison as business’. But who knows? Maybe if people see a glimmer of sunshine, they’ll finally want to smash the clouds.

  • http://voxmagi-necessarywords.blogspot.com/ VoxMagi

    NOPD was always bad…this should have been done decades ago…and I admit to total shock and surprise that anything, however small, is being done now. It’d be a fine thing to see citizen oversight boards in place and genuine transparency and accountability take root nationwide…but somehow I doubt it will fall into place that way. Too much has been vested in buying a new generation of neo-con judges and destroying protections against abuse in our new culture of ‘law and prison as business’. But who knows? Maybe if people see a glimmer of sunshine, they’ll finally want to smash the clouds.

  • Anonymous

    Law enforcement police-ing itself? Funny…..

  • Anonymous

    Law enforcement police-ing itself? Funny…..

  • GoodDoktorBad

    Law enforcement police-ing itself? Funny…..

  • Ummduh

    Top down, bottom up. We will need to remove the legitimacy of the local police forces so that a federal police force can step in. Think of what happened in Egypt. Within the marches we will have individuals trained in subversive agitation techniques. They will agitate law enforcement just enough to chide local police forces to use violent, quite possibly deadly in a few cases, force. We will need this to be reported by the media as one of two things: either a failure or inadequacy of the local police forces, or corrupt (racist, bigoted, “macho”, inferiority complexed) members of local police enforcement. The agitators will do their job until a federal police rule (national guard, FEMA, military) comes in to stabilize the situation, and by then most of the populace will be welcoming them as it would bring some “normalcy” back.

    This article just explains the prototype by which we can have laws and judgement already in place so that a legal precedent can be followed.

    We explain all of this in Rules for Radicals. You should pick up a copy:

    http://www.amazon.com/Rules-Radicals-Saul-Alinsky/dp/0679721134

  • Ummduh

    Top down, bottom up. We will need to remove the legitimacy of the local police forces so that a federal police force can step in. Think of what happened in Egypt. Within the marches we will have individuals trained in subversive agitation techniques. They will agitate law enforcement just enough to chide local police forces to use violent, quite possibly deadly in a few cases, force. We will need this to be reported by the media as one of two things: either a failure or inadequacy of the local police forces, or corrupt (racist, bigoted, “macho”, inferiority complexed) members of local police enforcement. The agitators will do their job until a federal police rule (national guard, FEMA, military) comes in to stabilize the situation, and by then most of the populace will be welcoming them as it would bring some “normalcy” back.

    This article just explains the prototype by which we can have laws and judgement already in place so that a legal precedent can be followed.

    We explain all of this in Rules for Radicals. You should pick up a copy:

    http://www.amazon.com/Rules-Radicals-Saul-Alinsky/dp/0679721134

    • Hadrian999

      that was entertaining just for the “reviews”

    • Papa Gede

      “we need federal police forces” . wow. we had that in N.O. in the 1860s-70s. I was brutal, corrupt, and helped create the racial brutality that followed for almost 100 years. Ignorance knows no bounds. By the way, most NO cops are black. I say that as a white New Orleanian who knows I have to watch out for myself in cop situations. I will be targeted…sometimes. As I know black are sometimes targeted in neighboring parishes. Its a shame. HOWEVER, This city is coming together in ways no one would have ever suspected, black or white. And I acknowledge that the wrongs of the past need to be brought to light. How many Americans are aware, however, that the cops who killed and harmed citizens on the Danziger Bridge were both white and black, as were their victims? Get the Feds the hell out. I agree that something needs to be done. What we have now is a witchhunt. Obama’s SS/federales should leave us alone. Despite Katrina and the BP Oil Spill, we’re doing fine. We don’t need the Federal authoritarian state “doing whats best for us.” Thanks. Give my state our goddamn oil royalties, something stolen from us for decades, and all the whiny cries of “Louisiana takes the most federal funds” will fall by the wayside. We’ve been raped by the scumbag, worthless feds since the 1930s. “Federal police forces”, who bow down to BP and other corporate destructors, may as well have their heads seperated from their shoulders as far as freedom loving Louisianians are concerned.
      Bienvenue La Louisiane.
      Peace

      • Papa Gede

        BTW, Ummduh represents every freedom hating, populace destroying, police state elitist attitude from ancient times to the present. Umm, duh. Let the central poilice state rule you.

        • Ummduh

          In our community organizing meeting last week we went over the theory of 33.

          All we need is 33.

          33% that support the cause. This doesn’t have to be 33% of us in the streets, just 33% that support the cause. We need just 1% of us to actually take to the streets. Once the local police beat us down because of our agitations, it will be all over the news. Now mind you, what we will twitter and upload will be of no agitating protesters/marchers. Once the local law enforcement boot is smacked down on our heads, public perception enlarge will be that we were unjustly treated. This publicity will get 5 times the numbers in the streets and the agitators will trumpet up the chiding. Local law enforcement will not be able to handle the situation. ATMs, train stations, major intercections, airports, bus stops, restaurants, hotels and every other place of commercialism and capitalism will be brought closed. If you think we don’t have 1% to start it, just look at our unions and neighborhood outreach marches. We have the 1% already. We just need an excuse now to get 1% of our marchers out in mass nationwide. A summer of high food prices, high energy costs, and high inner city unemployment rates will do that for us.

          33% disinterested. We need 33% of Americans to be undecided, disinterested, or uninvolved. Tell me, do 1 in 3 of the people you associate with really know what’s going on? Nope. They are living in their suburban or country houses sucking air through AC units and cooling their houses to 74 degrees, complaining about their favoured Singer on American idle. When we hit the streets, they wont know what to believe. They will turn to CNN, Fox, MSNBC, and hell even Al Jezeera, and hear how every one of those stations is opining about how Obama should do something. I’m thinking most of those undecideds will line up with us “elitests” or “stateists” (as you prefer to call us), and speak at their precious watercoolers in their office about how the federal government should take control. If you think I’m wrong, take a good look around the next time you are in a Walmart. Who do you think most of those folks will side with? Our progressives or your capitalists?

          33% surprised and uncoordinated opposition. We have been preparing for this moment for years, decades even. We used our unions to get the money, and our population to get the votes, to elect a president to bring the change needed to make the social environment perfect for the revolution. What have you and your like minded people done? Bickerer over tax cuts and wars? While you’ve been BBQing on the weekends we have been holding workshops in the inner cities organizing communities on how to march, protest, antagonize, and carry out a plan. “Conservatives” have been busy jerking off to Sarah Palin reality TV. You will be shocked, startled, and overall drastically less coordinated. What will you do when the military comes to boot their boot on the throats of America? What will you do when government needs to get business operating normally, by taking over capitalist institutions and running them to get you back to work? What, you will cling to your guns and take to the streets? Don’t you see, that will only help bring our communism. You will be peaceful and do nothing? We’re already expecting 33% of America to do that.

          There will be one world currency. One world government (for the most part). And each nation will use its militarys to police its own. And America? You will have the worlds best equipped and trained police force and you will see what it is like to be occupied by it.

          This likely sounds surprising to you. But your military has been overseas for a long time. Think about how long they have been away. How endoctrinated they have become to taking orders. How sad they will be to learn that their homeland is in tatters, and they are returning not to enjoy life back home, but to restore life.

          And the best part, I can tell you now how this will happen, and there’s nothing any of us can do to stop it. It is going to happen. Not anytime soon mind you, probably not until this fall.

  • Hadrian999

    that was entertaining just for the “reviews”

  • Papa Gede

    “we need federal police forces” . wow. we had that in N.O. in the 1860s-70s. I was brutal, corrupt, and helped create the racial brutality that followed for almost 100 years. Ignorance knows no bounds. By the way, most NO cops are black. I say that as a white New Orleanian who knows I have to watch out for myself in cop situations. I will be targeted…sometimes. As I know black are sometimes targeted in neighboring parishes. Its a shame. HOWEVER, This city is coming together in ways no one would have ever suspected, black or white. And I acknowledge that the wrongs of the past need to be brought to light. How many Americans are aware, however, that the cops who killed and harmed citizens on the Danziger Bridge were both white and black, as were their victims? Get the Feds the hell out. I agree that something needs to be done. What we have now is a witchhunt. Obama’s SS/federales should leave us alone. Despite Katrina and the BP Oil Spill, we’re doing fine. We don’t need the Federal authoritarian state “doing whats best for us.” Thanks. Give my state our goddamn oil royalties, something stolen from us for decades, and all the whiny cries of “Louisiana takes the most federal funds” will fall by the wayside. We’ve been raped by the scumbag, worthless feds since the 1930s. “Federal police forces”, who bow down to BP and other corporate destructors, may as well have their heads seperated from their shoulders as far as freedom loving Louisianians are concerned.
    Bienvenue La Louisiane.
    Peace

  • Papa Gede

    BTW, Ummduh represents every freedom hating, populace destroying, police state elitist attitude from ancient times to the present. Umm, duh. Let the central poilice state rule you.

  • Papa Gede

    BTW, Ummduh represents every freedom hating, populace destroying, police state elitist attitude from ancient times to the present. Umm, duh. Let the central poilice state rule you.

  • Ummduh

    In our community organizing meeting last week we went over the theory of 33.

    All we need is 33.

    33% that support the cause. This doesn’t have to be 33% of us in the streets, just 33% that support the cause. We need just 1% of us to actually take to the streets. Once the local police beat us down because of our agitations, it will be all over the news. Now mind you, what we will twitter and upload will be of no agitating protesters/marchers. Once the local law enforcement boot is smacked down on our heads, public perception enlarge will be that we were unjustly treated. This publicity will get 5 times the numbers in the streets and the agitators will trumpet up the chiding. Local law enforcement will not be able to handle the situation. ATMs, train stations, major intercections, airports, bus stops, restaurants, hotels and every other place of commercialism and capitalism will be brought closed. If you think we don’t have 1% to start it, just look at our unions and neighborhood outreach marches. We have the 1% already. We just need an excuse now to get 1% of our marchers out in mass nationwide. A summer of high food prices, high energy costs, and high inner city unemployment rates will do that for us.

    33% disinterested. We need 33% of Americans to be undecided, disinterested, or uninvolved. Tell me, do 1 in 3 of the people you associate with really know what’s going on? Nope. They are living in their suburban or country houses sucking air through AC units and cooling their houses to 74 degrees, complaining about their favoured Singer on American idle. When we hit the streets, they wont know what to believe. They will turn to CNN, Fox, MSNBC, and hell even Al Jezeera, and hear how every one of those stations is opining about how Obama should do something. I’m thinking most of those undecideds will line up with us “elitests” or “stateists” (as you prefer to call us), and speak at their precious watercoolers in their office about how the federal government should take control. If you think I’m wrong, take a good look around the next time you are in a Walmart. Who do you think most of those folks will side with? Our progressives or your capitalists?

    33% surprised and uncoordinated opposition. We have been preparing for this moment for years, decades even. We used our unions to get the money, and our population to get the votes, to elect a president to bring the change needed to make the social environment perfect for the revolution. What have you and your like minded people done? Bickerer over tax cuts and wars? While you’ve been BBQing on the weekends we have been holding workshops in the inner cities organizing communities on how to march, protest, antagonize, and carry out a plan. “Conservatives” have been busy jerking off to Sarah Palin reality TV. You will be shocked, startled, and overall drastically less coordinated. What will you do when the military comes to boot their boot on the throats of America? What will you do when government needs to get business operating normally, by taking over capitalist institutions and running them to get you back to work? What, you will cling to your guns and take to the streets? Don’t you see, that will only help bring our communism. You will be peaceful and do nothing? We’re already expecting 33% of America to do that.

    There will be one world currency. One world government (for the most part). And each nation will use its militarys to police its own. And America? You will have the worlds best equipped and trained police force and you will see what it is like to be occupied by it.

    This likely sounds surprising to you. But your military has been overseas for a long time. Think about how long they have been away. How endoctrinated they have become to taking orders. How sad they will be to learn that their homeland is in tatters, and they are returning not to enjoy life back home, but to restore life.

    And the best part, I can tell you now how this will happen, and there’s nothing any of us can do to stop it. It is going to happen. Not anytime soon mind you, probably not until this fall.

  • Anonymous

    I have had first hand experience with the NO police during the second day of Mardi Gras in 1983 when three of my friends and I decided to urinate in an alley way. Three officers drew guns on us and searched us for weapons and drugs. One friend had a small knife in his camera bag and another had a small quantity of grass. They were taken to jail. I had a large belt buckle on which the lead officer said was a weapon and that I should be arrested but instead decided it would be more fun to bounce me around for awhile to see if I would react but I was able to keep from retaliating. I got my revenge by getting both my friends out of jail in less than hour by finding where they hid the free lawyers. Who by the way were at the court house sitting around with the night court judges socializing. One lawyers response when I came through the door of the courtroom was “Looks like we have to go to work, they found us”

  • Guest

    I have had first hand experience with the NO police during the second day of Mardi Gras in 1983 when three of my friends and I decided to urinate in an alley way. Three officers drew guns on us and searched us for weapons and drugs. One friend had a small knife in his camera bag and another had a small quantity of grass. They were taken to jail. I had a large belt buckle on which the lead officer said was a weapon and that I should be arrested but instead decided it would be more fun to bounce me around for awhile to see if I would react but I was able to keep from retaliating. I got my revenge by getting both my friends out of jail in less than hour by finding where they hid the free lawyers. Who by the way were at the court house sitting around with the night court judges socializing. One lawyers response when I came through the door of the courtroom was “Looks like we have to go to work, they found us”

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Bruce-Miller/100000952005408 Bruce Miller

    ‘Super-Prisons’ and current police mentality not the answer, only turn-stiles for those picked up, incarcerated. America needs asylums, hospital oriented, corrective institutions, geared to rehabilitation, or possibly re-education, right indoctrination, for those who cannot seem to fit into the system. imagine the fear this would strike in the hearts of those who know better. Imagine, no repeat offenders, just re-designated, re-educated folk leaving the institutions, never to return, minds washed of all the nonsense they falsely believe. Cheaper in the long run, more humane. Re-indoctrination a well advanced effective science. Now to apply this knowledge where it is needed.
    America needs to give up guns in the streets, restrict alcohol severely, make war with live ammo in the streets against drugs, create jobs for folk, get public transportation up to snuff, create huge psychiatric hospitals to re-educate ignorant parts of the population.

    • Hadrian999

      no guns in the streets…….war in the streets with live ammo, hmmmmmmmm might be tricky

    • Bonedi

      I’d rather be imprisoned then be force fed propaganda that tells me if i don’t fit into society that i am wrong. Next thing you’ll know we’ll be wearing all the same clothes. Psychology is just the new age religion, what’s the difference between the man on the street corner and the man in the office? Neither actually harming anyone or anything. Is it that one lives better than the other for that is a matter of opinion, not right or wrong.

      • bonedi

        I’d also like to add that most people imprisoned are there for non-violent crimes, maybe we should just stop arresting innocent people, oh wait…then who would work for us for pennies on the dollars…walmart already has their stocks supplied from overseas. Jeez.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Bruce-Miller/100000952005408 Bruce Miller

    ‘Super-Prisons’ and current police mentality not the answer, only turn-stiles for those picked up, incarcerated. America needs asylums, hospital oriented, corrective institutions, geared to rehabilitation, or possibly re-education, right indoctrination, for those who cannot seem to fit into the system. imagine the fear this would strike in the hearts of those who know better. Imagine, no repeat offenders, just re-designated, re-educated folk leaving the institutions, never to return, minds washed of all the nonsense they falsely believe. Cheaper in the long run, more humane. Re-indoctrination a well advanced effective science. Now to apply this knowledge where it is needed.
    America needs to give up guns in the streets, restrict alcohol severely, make war with live ammo in the streets against drugs, create jobs for folk, get public transportation up to snuff, create huge psychiatric hospitals to re-educate ignorant parts of the population.

  • http://profiles.google.com/weekendsvanatta Jason Van atta

    The folks writing this article havent spent much time in the south. spend some time there you will learn to feel powerless and subject to the whims of abusive police with total community support

  • http://profiles.google.com/weekendsvanatta Jason Van atta

    The folks writing this article havent spent much time in the south. spend some time there you will learn to feel powerless and subject to the whims of abusive police with total community support

  • Hadrian999

    no guns in the streets…….war in the streets with live ammo, hmmmmmmmm might be tricky

  • Bonedi

    I’d rather be imprisoned then be force fed propaganda that tells me if i don’t fit into society that i am wrong. Next thing you’ll know we’ll be wearing all the same clothes. Psychology is just the new age religion, what’s the difference between the man on the street corner and the man in the office? Neither actually harming anyone or anything. Is it that one lives better than the other for that is a matter of opinion, not right or wrong.

  • bonedi

    I’d also like to add that most people imprisoned are there for non-violent crimes, maybe we should just stop arresting innocent people, oh wait…then who would work for us for pennies on the dollars…walmart already has their stocks supplied from overseas. Jeez.