Sheriff Prosecuted for Diverting FEMA Truck to Aid Katrina Victims
Tue Feb 28, 2006 at 10:51:31 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.
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.
