This was originally posted as a comment on badtux's diary. Once I posted and realized how long it was, I decided to post it as a diary. Thanks to badtux for inspiring me.
I live in Lafayette, LA. We have several thousand evacuees in our local arena, the Cajundome. In my community, the rumors began to spread on Thursday of last week. I was working in the courthouse of Acadia Parish in Crowley that day (I do real estate abstracting) when I first heard the rumors. According to the scuttlebutt, "those people" were running amok in Lafayette. Carjackings. Burglaries. Rape at the Cajundome. Numerous businesses robbed - grocery stores, gas stations, a gun store. I called my wife at work - she had heard the same - a few even more blood-curdling - stories. I called my office - ditto. Guess what? Those rumors were false.
Friday night, a friend of mine and I decided on the spur of the moment to take a truckload of supplies to Covington, LA to help out victims of the storm. Saturday morning, while shopping for the supplies, I got a call on my cell from a friend in a little town near Covington. She had called my wife, who told her what we were doing. "Don't come down here without a gun," she said. Thugs from New Orleans were running amok, there was a riot at the Winn Dixie, etc. I told her about the rumors here two days earlier - but she was adamant. Be carrying heat, or don't come. I talked with my buddy about it; we agreed that it was unfounded panic - we would go unarmed.
I just reread what I have typed so far. It seems so ludicrous, but I swear, I am not making this shit up.
We took 20 gallons of gas, 24 gallons of water, 3 ice chests full of ice, and a shitload of food, diapers, etc. to Covington. Trees were down everywhere, and where they fell, power lines went with them. The shelter where we left our load was at a middle school in a low-income area of town. All black. While driving there, we passed many people walking down the street, working to clear their yards, sitting on porches. We had our windows down, in a pickup truck filled to capacty with supplies. With the downed power lines and debris, we were going about 5-10 mph. We were not carjacked. We were hardly given a second glance. I pointed to a middle aged man doing yard work, and joked to my friend, "Look out! He's got a rake!" (The friend who had called me advising weapons left me a message at home later that evening, admitting that she had been panicky, caught up in rumormongering, and apologized.)
This letter to the editor was printed in our local paper today - the author spells it out far better than I can.
Those inciting fear are real criminals in this catastrophe
Who are the criminals of this historic catastrophe?
I know the majority of Acadiana citizens will open their arms, their homes and their pocketbooks to care for the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. I know that the majority of survivors who are here in Acadiana will be grateful for a new beginning in what, I believe, is the best place in the world to live. I know most of us are heartbroken and disturbed about how the poor, disadvantaged and dedicated people of our state have been treated by the state and federal government.
I also know there are some of you who are now showing your true colors, your racial colors.
My husband and I have witnessed bigotry and racism in the last few days from a woman who professed to go to church several times a week and from white employees at a Dollar General Store who closed the door in the face of black hurricane survivors an hour before closing time.
I also know that a large hospital corporation left their employees stranded in a New Orleans hospital while the CEO was airlifted by a private helicopter.
I also know there are some of you who will take advantage of the outpouring of help offered by Acadiana.
I also saw, as you did, that the media was able to see and report the suffering while the government and those in charge, particularly the head of homeland security, Michael Chertoff, claimed they did not exist and the news media should quell rumors! I heard it with my own ears on a NPR radio interview.
Those of you who have judged others, who still judge today, who voice racist comments to your neighbors, who believe, somehow, people deserved what they got, who are inconvenienced by the traffic, who have bought weapons instead of new underwear for displaced children, those corporations who did not save their employees and the federal government that is supposed to protect its citizens, those are the real criminals and thugs in this catastrophe.
Shame on you.