WTF: Katrina Victims in Trailer Parks BANNED From Talking to the Media??

[The Cleaner]

YOUR GOVERNMENT AT WORK
FEMA bans reporters from Katrina victims
Residents of trailer parks not permitted to talk with media unless agent present

Federal officials are preventing Hurricane Katrina victims in government trailer parks from being interviewed by the media unless a FEMA agent is present at all times.

Many victims of Hurricane Katrina still reside in FEMA trailer parks like this one, but are being precluded from talking with the media unless federal officials are present.


Source: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/printer-friendly.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51240

[hobbit709]

1. I'd be telling them

what to do with themselves. I'd wave a copy of the constitution in their faces and tell them I'll talk to whoever I damn well please, when and where I damn well please. and if they tried to tell me otherwise I'd tell them to take their rule, fold it until it is all sharp corners and they'd know where to put it. They would have more media publicity than they'd know what to do with at point.

[liberalmuse]

2. In case you haven't noticed...

and I'll bet you have, America is now a facist, corporate-run oligarchy. :(

[The Cleaner]

3. This is scarier than we can know.

What is this, a prison camp? Are these people some kind of danger where they have to be controlled? It's scary because it could be you or me in that camp! Ordinary people!

Now what I want to know is WHY FEMA decided this, and WHO decided it. And does FEMA have the right to suspend the Constitution in this case? If so, why? I believe it is totally unconstitutional and the Federal Government should be SUED TO THE HILT.

They could be beating these people to a pulp and nobody would know it. That scares the hell out of me and I am enraged by it!

Anything we can do about this? Suggestions?

:scared:

[bananas]

6. Also scary - why hasn't it been front-page news?

Why haven't ABC and NYT sued?
Why haven't they put this on the front page everyday?
Why hasn't the nightly news featured a frustrated reporter outside the camp?

[bananas]

4. Yes

After pressure, they say they're going to change the policy,
but U.S. Rep. Melancon says “I think I’ll have to see it first before I believe it"
Discussed here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2742870

[LA lady]

5. Did you notice who brought this out?

Interesting, these are two of our Repuke Congresspeople fighting against this....

hmmmmmm

[Recursion]

7. It sickens me

That some GOP leaders are finally growing the spine Democrats have studiously avoided getting for years to stand up to *

[Synnical]

8. Democracy Now! Reported on this in April

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/04/24/1346217

Monday, April 24th, 2006
FEMA's Dirty Little Secret: A Rare Look Inside the Renaissance Village Trailer Park, Home to Over 2,000 Hurricane Katrina Evacuees

During Democracy Now's recent trip to New Orleans, we managed to get inside the largest FEMA trailer park set up after Hurricane Katrina. Shortly after we interviewed hurricane evacuee Donna Azeez, we were kicked out of the park by security guards working for Corporate Security Solutions, the private company hired by FEMA to police Renaissance Village.

Earlier this month, Democracy Now went down to Louisiana and had a chance to take a rare look inside Renaissance Village - a trailer park on the outskirts of Baton Rouge that houses over 2,000 Hurricane Katrina evacuees. The trailer park has been described in the Louisiana press as "Fema's Dirty Little Secret" in part because of FEMA's tight control over who has access to the park. Prior to being kicked out of the trailer park by private security guards, we managed to speak to Donna Azeez who lives at the trailer park.

[LeftCoast]

9. Doesn't FEMA see how bad the optics are on this?

These guys are just plain dense. I'm beginning to think that FEMA needs a complete do-over. Re-create the agency from the ground up.

[wicket]

10. Looks like the ban has been lifted:

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51241

(Not that World Nut Daily is credible).

[The Cleaner]

12. Thanks for that update.

The first article, the one I posted - said July 26 at 1:00am EST. The article you cite where FEMA reverses this position, says July 26 at 11:18am.

Strange.

I say we get a bunch of reporters down there to interview the residents.

[bananas]

14. WND is just copying the story from The Baton Rouge Advocate

Read the thread I keep linking to.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2742870

[bananas]

13. Rep. Melancon: “I think I’ll have to see it first before I believe it"

see this other thread - uses a real newspaper article.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2742870&mesg_id=2743010

[dogday]

11. Notice the guard called the area

a post, an installation... Was the trailer park under federal regulations I wonder? Sounds like anything within it was under the jurisdiction of FEMA....

Sounds like a controlled living environment for sure... FEMA SUCKS....