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MarkG
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Grand Lord of Apolyton, Owner of all this land as far as the eye can see
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quote:
Overkill: Feared Blackwater Mercenaries Deploy in New Orleans
by Jeremy Scahill and Daniela Crespo
NEW ORLEANS -- Heavily armed paramilitary mercenaries from the Blackwater private security firm, infamous for their work in Iraq, are openly patrolling the streets of New Orleans. Some of the mercenaries say they have been "deputized" by the Louisiana governor; indeed some are wearing gold Louisiana state law enforcement badges on their chests and Blackwater photo identification cards on their arms. They say they are on contract with the Department of Homeland Security and have been given the authority to use lethal force. Several mercenaries we spoke with said they had served in Iraq on the personal security details of the former head of the US occupation, L. Paul Bremer and the former US ambassador to Iraq, John Negroponte.
"This is a totally new thing to have guys like us working CONUS (Continental United States)," a heavily armed Blackwater mercenary told us as we stood on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. "We're much better equipped to deal with the situation in Iraq."
Blackwater mercenaries are some of the most feared professional killers in the world and they are accustomed to operating without worry of legal consequences. Their presence on the streets of New Orleans should be a cause for serious concern for the remaining residents of the city and raises alarming questions about why the government would allow men trained to kill with impunity in places like Iraq and Afghanistan to operate here. Some of the men now patrolling the streets of New Orleans returned from Iraq as recently as 2 weeks ago.
What is most disturbing is the claim of several Blackwater mercenaries we spoke with that they are here under contract from the federal and Louisiana state governments.
Blackwater is one of the leading private "security" firms servicing the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. It has several US government contracts and has provided security for many senior US diplomats, foreign dignitaries and corporations. The company rose to international prominence after 4 of its men were killed in Fallujah and two of their charred bodies were hung from a bridge in March 2004. Those killings sparked the massive US retaliation against the civilian population of Fallujah that resulted in scores of deaths and tens of thousands of refugees.
As the threat of forced evictions now looms in New Orleans and the city confiscates even legally registered weapons from civilians, the private mercenaries of Blackwater patrol the streets openly wielding M-16s and other assault weapons. This despite Police Commissioner Eddie Compass' claim that "Only law enforcement are allowed to have weapons."
Officially, Blackwater says it forces are in New Orleans to "join the Hurricane Relief Effort." A statement on the company's website, dated September 1, advertises airlift services, security services and crowd control. The company, according to news reports, has since begun taking private contracts to guard hotels, businesses and other properties. But what has not been publicly acknowledged is the claim, made to us by 2 Blackwater mercenaries, that they are actually engaged in general law enforcement activities including "securing neighborhoods" and "confronting criminals."
That raises a key question: under what authority are Blackwater's men operating? A spokesperson for the Homeland Security Department, Russ Knocke, told the Washington Post he knows of no federal plans to hire Blackwater or other private security. "We believe we've got the right mix of personnel in law enforcement for the federal government to meet the demands of public safety." he said.
But in an hour-long conversation with several Blackwater mercenaries, we heard a different story. The men we spoke with said they are indeed on contract with the Department of Homeland Security and the Louisiana governor's office and that some of them are sleeping in camps organized by Homeland Security in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. One of them wore a gold Louisiana state law enforcement badge and said he had been "deputized" by the governor. They told us they not only had authority to make arrests but also to use lethal force. We encountered the Blackwater forces as we walked through the streets of the largely deserted French Quarter. We were talking with 2 New York Police officers when an unmarked car without license plates sped up next to us and stopped. Inside were 3 men, dressed in khaki uniforms, flak jackets and wielding automatic weapons. "Y'all know where the Blackwater guys are?" they asked. One of the police officers responded, "There are a bunch of them around here," and pointed down the road.
"Blackwater?" we asked. "The guys who are in Iraq?"
"Yeah," said the officer. "They're all over the place."
A short while later, as we continued down Bourbon Street, we ran into the men from the car. They wore Blackwater ID badges on their arms.
"When they told me New Orleans, I said, 'What country is that in?,'" said one of the Blackwater men. He was wearing his company ID around his neck in a carrying case with the phrase "Operation Iraqi Freedom" printed on it. After bragging about how he drives around Iraq in a "State Department issued level 5, explosion proof BMW," he said he was "just trying to get back to Kirkuk (in the north of Iraq) where the real action is." Later we overheard him on his cell phone complaining that Blackwater was only paying $350 a day plus per diem. That is much less than the men make serving in more dangerous conditions in Iraq. Two men we spoke with said they plan on returning to Iraq in October. But, as one mercenary said, they've been told they could be in New Orleans for up to 6 months. "This is a trend," he told us. "You're going to see a lot more guys like us in these situations."
If Blackwater's reputation and record in Iraq are any indication of the kind of "services" the company offers, the people of New Orleans have much to fear.
Jeremy Scahill, a correspondent for the national radio and TV program Democracy Now!, and Daniela Crespo are in New Orleans. Visit www.democracynow.org for in-depth, independent, investigative reporting on Hurricane Katrina. Email: jeremy(at)democracynow.org |
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MarkG
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Grand Lord of Apolyton, Owner of all this land as far as the eye can see
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quote:
Katrina-hit states turn to security firms
By Marguerite Higgins
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published September 10, 2005
Security companies yesterday said they have seen an upswing in demand for services in the ravaged Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina blew through the region 12 days ago.
Most firms said that work could continue for years as Gulf cities emerge from the rubble and flooding to start repairs and reconstruction.
"Most unfortunately, this looks like a long-term construction process for any one of the cities affected," said Tom Kennedy, senior vice president for protection services at Vance International Inc.
The Oakton investigation and security-consulting company last week sent about 20 employees to New Orleans, Biloxi, Miss., and three other Gulf Coast sites to assess property damage for 10 companies.
Mr. Kennedy, who would not name any of the clients, said the company expects to send more employees to the region as buildings are reopened.
"It's a metamorphosis, but we're there mainly to protect the facilities," he said, adding the company has not helped law enforcement with quelling looters.
Blackwater USA, a Moyock, N.C., security services firm, also has sent about 150 of its workers to the region, said spokeswoman Anne Duke.
The company's guards started helping the U.S. Coast Guard Sept. 1 with search-and-rescue missions, lending one of its Puma helicopters for the missions, Ms. Duke said.
Additionally, Blackwater guards are protecting facilities that house "priceless art pieces" and special landmarks, Ms. Duke said, refusing to disclose which cultural centers or landmarks are being guarded.
Securitas Security Services USA Inc., part of a global security firm with 100,000 employees in the U.S., sent an additional 160 to 175 officers to the Gulf Coast region to support the affected cities and outlying areas that are taking in thousands of refugees.
The firm is working with other companies to bring their facilities back on line with running water, communications and electricity while supplying guards, said Jack Serpas, president for the Southern Central region, which covers Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
"We are preparing for a rather long deployment for this work," Mr. Serpas said, adding the company may pick up work in the areas from government defense contractors.
Security companies generally expect to have increased business after natural disasters, said Chris Stuart, general manager for Top Guard Security Inc., a Hampton, Va., security guard company.
"Communities and businesses just want an extra sense of comfort," he said.
After Hurricane Isabel rolled through Hampton in 2003, Top Guard spent more than a year providing security services for companies rebuilding in the area, Mr. Stuart said.
The company this week was asked by a church to provide security for a "tent city" the church had planned to set up on a 10-acre spot in Hampton for Katrina evacuees, Mr. Stuart said.
"But we are still working with them on the logistics to see if that is possible," he said. |
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Maquiladora
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Do they conduct animal experiments on humans on an island in the caribbean? I hope so.
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shawnmmcc
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So let me get this straight.
We now have administrative search warrants.
They can be kept secret, again via administrative functions.
Secret courts are the primary form of review for these.
The Secret Service is used to police legitimate, peaceful protestors from showing up in the President's video-bites.
Library records are subject to search without a warrant, and if the librarian says anything to anyone about it, they can be jailed.
Peace activists mysteriously end up on no-fly lists, that are maintained by a private company that is not subject to normal government restraints and freedom of information requests.
And now we are deploying private security firms under government contract.
And people think I'm f*cking paranoid or something.
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12-09-2005 15:35
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