WGNO: NO prisoners took over prison, holding multiple hostages

[jim3775]

Report coming over WGNO tv now.

[me b zola]

1. No mention yet on CNN

Please keep us posted.

[ohio_liberal]

2. City, County, or State prison?

Please post an update when you hear it.

I saw footage just a bit ago of inmates sitting in the middle of an onramp surrounded by water but they looked like they were being guarded by corrections officers. Not sure what type of facility they came from.

[ohio_liberal]

11. I want to mention real quick....

Having worked with the OH DRC for 17 years, it is commonly known among corrections officers that the only thing that keeps prisons from rioting is that the inmates allow themselves to be "guarded". COs are outnumbered at least 10-1, most of them don't even carry weapons inside the facilities. I'm not surprised to see frightened, angry prisoners take control of a facility. They'll have to send in the state police to handle the situation.

[qanda]

3. Your title is confusing, because it read like....

There weren't any prisoners who took over the prison. Maybe you can spell it out in your post. Thanks.

[Horse with no Name]

4. Bad situation

But when you basically bestow death sentences on petty criminals by leaving them in the path of a killer hurricane, they have nothing to lose.
They should have moved the prisoners as one of the first evacuations just for security reasons.
East Texas has plenty of rented jail space.
This was a bad decision.

[halobeam]

5. I don't know what the story is yet, but I don't think anyone is

particularly thinking clearly to say the least. Weren't they left there like worthless "collateral damage" of some sort..?? Maybe they snapped, knowing this. Who knows... What will be their demands to get out of this anyway? OMG.

[AnnInLa]

6. hostages: jail employees and their families

including at least 4 children. Lawlessness rampant says the President of Orleans Parish Commission. (who is an African American)

[AnnInLa]

13. OPP....Orleans Parish Prison

Jailers brought their families into the jail, as it is safe from the water, had backup generators, had good supply of water and food. As there were not enough jailers, most were out with rescue, prisoners took over. If you were worried about the prisoners, they are safe.

[bicentennial_baby]

7. oh shit

here we go. x(

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. Are these the same prisoners

who were evacuated to the freeway ramp?

[kbm8795]

9. This is infuriating. . .

WHERE are the federal troops? Is there no way to parachute anyone into some parts of the city?

[never_get_over_it]

15. I'm thinking the Federal troops are in Iraq eom

[jim3775]

10. I dont remember the full name of the prison

It was 'Orleans something prison' im not entirely sure. A guard took his family there to ride out the storm, once the inmates took over he was moved to another section of the prison. He managed to get a cell phone call out and whispered his location and situation.

Edit: Googling new orleans prisons, im guessing it is Orleans parrish prison.

[bpilgrim]

12. they should have been moved before the slow moving storm hit

but i am sure that would have cost waaaaay too much money :argh:

peace

[Jersey Devil]

14. I read earlier NO prisons were being evacuated

Maybe they'd like to get out of jail before they drown in their cells? If that's the reason then they have a damned good one.

[Tinoire]

21. No kidding!

What kind of scum would live prisoners to risk death like that?!

never mind...

[HadItUpToHere]

26. on cnn earlier, they showed a bunch of prisoners on an off-ramp-

their prison/jail had flooded, and they were sitting there, handcuffed, watched over by armed guards- looked to be 200-300 prisoners or so, and maybe a couple dozen or so guards.

[s.Leah.s.]

30. I agree they should have been evacuated.

I was astounded when I heard they were going to be left locked up in the jails. Who made that really dumb decision? And what was the rationale.

[alcuno]

35. Saw this earlier from the aerial view. Prisoners were hanging from the

rafters. If it's the same place. Some prisoners were sitting out on what looked like an interstate and others were inside (the roof was missing) sitting up on something high with water all around them.

[rateyes]

16. Looks like the prison server is down...duh..

but a Dogpile search came up with this as the address:

www.opcso.org

Description says its one of the largest prisons with 7,000 inmates. Holy.Shit.

edit to correct web address.

[rzemanfl]

17. So, these guys will escape, pick up some clothes out of the mess and

and head out, making every New Orleans refugee suspect anywhere they go.

[ohio_liberal]

19. No, that's not going to happen

The state police will never let them out of the facility. They'll negotiate for a time and if that fails they'll take back the facility with force. Riots aren't *normally* about escape, the inmates want something.

**of course this isn't a normal situation**

[rzemanfl]

20. How are the State Police supposed to get there? n/t

[ohio_liberal]

24. When it comes to something like this, they'll find a way

It could be the national guard or city police who respond. I don't know where the inmates are housed in the city or how bad the conditions are. I just read in another thread that they were being evacuated when the rioting took place. In fact, it might be a stretch to actually call it a riot. It might be more accurate to call it a hostage situation. There are only a few involved, or so it seems right now. I have no idea if they're actually inside the facility or outside somewhere. There are other corrections officers on site, you can bet. They're not going to let them all escape.

edited for clarity

[rzemanfl]

27. I'll be surprised if some don't. n/t

[ohio_liberal]

31. I don't know, we'll have to wait and see

The initial reports sounded like full scale rioting. Now it sounds like a few inmates have a few hostages. We don't know if its some trifling fools wanting a million dollars and a helicopter ride to Nicaragua or a few angry, frightened men who want to simply be moved somewhere safer. It's a bloody shame there are family members involved. I realize it's a scary situation in N.O. but one does not take family to stay at a prison, for just this reason. It makes it that much harder to negotiate, and that much harder to use force if necessary.

[Javaman]

18. Here you are folks, Iraq brought to you live in New Orleans...

Granted this isn't really Iraq, but the situation and the means by which it happened is very Iraqian.

Classic example of the do nothing, know nothing, feel nothing commander in chiimp*

colossal failure*.

[sniffa]

22. i knew bush was bringing on the rapture

[bicentennial_baby]

23. ....

x( it's terrible.

[sniffa]

28. so what are we missing now?

i never finished watching that rapture movie.
the antichrist was a prisoner, who started a riot to escape and Lead the forces of eviL. then i forgot to tune every week. :shrug:

and it's been years since i've seen the seventh sign

we got war, pestiLence, famine.. wait, that's horsemen.

[bicentennial_baby]

32. i think it's time to

re-read The Stand :scared:

[Lone_Star_Dem]

37. We'll know it's coming true if they head to Las Vegas

:P

[bicentennial_baby]

38. don't i know it!

i've always maintained that, if it happened, i would so NOT go to Vegas! :o

[Lone_Star_Dem]

39. Colorado or bust!

I just reread The Stand a couple of weeks ago. :hi:

[sniffa]

40. funny you shouLd mention that

that's where the "you don't speak for me cindy" caravan went after the raLLy in crawford*.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

41. Ack!

If it was due to strange dreams they were having my butt is off to Colorado NOW! I'm not waiting for the dreams of an elderly black lady playing the guitar to begin. :P

[Nikki Stone 1]

25. More on this?

?

[AnnInLa]

29. There are 5,000 prisoners at OPP, but only a few are participating

in the takeover. They were being evacuated at the time. Hostages are being held in a stairwell, and include at least 4 children. One guard managed to get out a whispered cell phone call to his mom, who immediately went to officials at Super Dome (or maybe she was already there) but she went begging officials to go see about her son and his family and the prison.

[nonconformist]

33. Haven't seen this mentioned anywhere else yet

Is there a link yet?

[jim3775]

34. WGNO live stream

The closest thing to a link.

http://wwitv.com/b_tv/8267.ram

[htuttle]

42. Here's a link

http://abcnews.go.com/US/HurricaneKatrina/story?id=1081633&page=1

[nonconformist]

44. Thanks

This is just disaster on top of disaster....

[Horse with no Name]

36. Troubled times

One of the nurses that I worked with also worked as a DOC Nurse.
She told me about the lockdowns and what happened when the prisoners got out of control.
I just can't imagine ANY reason--even a hurricane--that I would take my children into a prison if I were a prison guard for this very reason.:cry:

[ohio_liberal]

43. It's a strange place

They house men and women, state AND parish inmates. 7,000 total, but you can probably add 15% overcrowding. It's absolutely huge and it has a bad history. Lots of communicable disease and poor medical care.