Should We Stand by an Accept Discrimination in Louisiana

Rev. Jackson seeks Congressional probe into CCC bridge blockade
Posted by West Bank bureau November 02, 2007 11:42AM

The Rev. Jesse Jackson is seeking a Congressional hearing on the police blockade that kept evacuees fleeing New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina from crossing the Crescent City Connection.

Jackson's call came one day after an Orleans Parish grand jury refused to indict a Gretna police officer for firing a shotgun in the air as evacuees attempted to cross. Gretna police along with deputies from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office and Crescent City Connection police officers decided to close the bridge Sept. 1, 2005 amid the chaos in New Orleans and a fire that looters set at Oakwood Center in Terrytown.

The grand jury's action Wednesday essentially ended the criminal case in New Orleans.

On Thursday, Jackson, founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, said that federal funding to Louisiana should be stopped "until officials can ensure freedom of movement.''

"The Crescent City Connection is a state bridge and was built with federal funds,'' Jackson said. "The Gretna Police Department did not have the authority to barricade the bridge and prevent citizens from seeking safe ground.''

Gretna officials have said they stand by their decision to close the bridge, citing the lack of resources on the West Bank and the mall fire.