Lake Charles area under martial law and curfew ?

[kentuck]

Because of the destruction of Hurricane Rita? I talked with a person yesterday who said there was looting and that the National Guard was patrolling the area and that there was a curfew and that martial law was in effect. Anybody know more about this?

[merh]

1. Don't know first hand, but I know it is not surprising.

What do you expect after a hurricane?

[Silverhair]

2. No Martial Law. He doesn't know what he is talking about.

Most people don't know what martial law is. It is NOT NG patrolling the streets and helping keep or restore order. That is STILL regular civilian law. Martial Law is when the civilians are taken before military courts under military rules.

[ReadTomPaine]

4. This is true - Martial law was never declared for Katrina, for example.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/09/08/martial.law.qanda/

I think the last hurricane that Martial law was declared for was Camille.

[Silverhair]

6. Not even then.

Last Martial Law was after the Civil War in the South.

[ReadTomPaine]

7. Actually, there was one occurrence that seems verified after the civil war.

Here's a Lexus Nexus link with some info.

http://www.lexisnexis.com/academic/2upa/Imhw/wwIIMartialLawHawaii.asp

and here's another synopsis:

From 1941 to 1944, Territorial Governors Joseph B. Pointdexter and Ingram M. Stainback stripped themselves of their administrative powers by declaring Martial Law. With the territorial constitution suspended, the legislature and supreme court were also dissolved indefinitely. Military law under the Uniform Code of Military Justice was enforced on all residents of Hawai‘i. A military governor from the Judge Advocate General's Corps assumed control of Hawai‘i and governed from ‘Iolani Palace, which was quickly barricaded and fitted with trenches.

Under Martial Law, every facet of Hawaiian life was under the control of the military governor. His government fingerprinted all residents over the age of six, imposed blackouts and curfews, rationed food and gasoline, censored the news and media, censored all mail, prohibited alcohol, assigned business hours, and administered traffic and special garbage collection. The military governor's laws were called General Orders. Violations meant punishment without appeal by military tribunals.

I'm surprised this information is rather hard to pin down - there's a lot of confusion regarding this issue among the general populace. I'd heard for instance that Camille was another example, but after your note I did a bit of research and found most of the sources citing this weren't as reliable as I had been told. Interesting.

[Silverhair]

8. Interesting. Thank You. And that does point out what...

...Martial Law REALLY is. Most people think that if the NG get called out, it's martial law.

Given the situation in Hawaii after Pearl Harbor, it is understandable.

[ReadTomPaine]

10. No problem Silver! It was a post of yours that got me interested in this..

in the first place. I selected that latter quote because it was so illustrative of your point.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=4515354#4515658

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1778930#1778961


Photo of the Iolani palace being fortified:

[mcscajun]

3. Haven't heard a peep about martial law, but some areas are under

curfew.

http://www.kplctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3896244&nav=menu66_2

[pacalo]

5. My area went through the same thing.

Coming back home after the evacuation, we had to stop at several checkpoints to show a driver's i.d., proving our residency.

For the first several weeks, the National Guard was everywhere: directing traffic, outside of stores & businesses, hospitals, etc.

Curfew was set at 6 p.m. during the first couple of weeks, then it was gradually raised to 8 p.m., 10 p.m., etc., as businesses returned to normal.

Under the * regime, seeing so many military personnel & their humvees in your hometown can be unsettling & can give one the impression of being under martial law. Perhaps that was Gov. Blanco's thinking when she (smartly) refused to allow the military to take full control over law enforcement.

[tammywammy]

9. There are areas in Texas too with a curfew

There's no electricity, downed trees and power lines, it's just not safe to be outside in the dark when you can't see these hazards.

The National Guard is just helping maintain order. I don't think Pt Arthur is allowing people back yet. (Well, I know that my family's still up here, and will be for a couple more weeks).