Sheriff Prosecuted for Diverting FEMA Truck to Aid Katrina Victims

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Mon, 6 Mar 2006 23:15:21 EST

Sheriff Prosecuted for Diverting FEMA Truck to Aid Katrina

Victims

 

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/2/28/135131/215

 

 

 

 

 

Sheriff Prosecuted for Diverting FEMA Truck to Aid Katrina Victims

 

by fivefouranonymous

 

Tue Feb 28, 2006 at 11:51:31 AM PDT

 

Federal prosecutors have pressed charges on local Sheriff Billy McGee

for diverting a FEMA truck carrying water and ice a few days after

Hurricane Katrina.

 

September 4 - Hattiesburg, Mississippi. In our county, there were many

rural citizens who weren't getting help from ANY recovery agencies -

Red Cross, Salvation Army, and of course not FEMA. When FEMA trucks

carrying water, ice, food, and clothing were sitting, unused, for

hours, then days, while people struggled to survive, a local sheriff

(who is now somewhat of a legend) took over one of the FEMA trucks and

sent it to where help was needed.

fivefouranonymous's diary :: ::

 

He is now being prosecuted, and is expected to plea guilty. A full

story from our local paper is at this address:

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/...

 

As far as I know, this isn't any where near national news yet, but it

should be. His quote sums it up fairly well:

" I didn't see anything wrong with what I was doing other than it was

outside the protocol. This is more an indictment of the federal

government than of me. This is a failure of the process. "

 

This shows, on a local level, the true concern of the FEMA clean-up

process: that of diverting attention away from those who really

screwed up, and punishing scapegoats in an attempt to clear the name

of the Bush administration.

 

It may true that he broke protocol, but what did protocol mean in the

days after Katrina? The government broke protocol immediately, by not

having a plan in place. No one was concerned about the rural residents

who deserved help; maybe they weren't close enough to where the

President was going to land and put on a sad face.

 

I know DailyKos has somewhat moved on. Katrina posts pop up very

infrequently. But this is at the heart of the problem of this

administration: they ignore the American people in seeking out

Cheney's fantasies in the Middle East. When, in hindsight, the

administration's motives are questioned, they bring out some more

attention diverters.

 

Billy McGee deserves an apology, not a court hearing. He deserves a

" thanks, " not jail time.

 

Pass this on if you find it important. Thanks.

 

UPDATE: I appreciate all the recommendations. You guys have helped

give this story the recognition it deserves. Some of the comments have

suggested contacting the prosecuting attorney and the Hattiesburg

American. The paper has done a great job at covering the story, so

they probably don't need our help. The Governor and the federal

prosecutor, on the other hand, deserve more than a few complaints. A

local TV station is reporting that Trent Lott has contacted the feds -

presumably so they will drop the charges. I'll update if I find any

new information. Otherwise, thank you all very much and keep up the

good work..

 

UPDATE II: This link to a Hattiesburg American article dated September

5 (the day after the incident occurred) shows just how chaotic the

relief effort was. The article notes that a MEMA (Mississippi

Emergency Management Agency) representative hadn't been sent to

Hattiesburg, and that FEMA offices had yet to be opened in the area.

It also mentions the unusued supply trucks sitting at a local military

base. The real crime is that these weren't put to use sooner.