More Media Censorship: rape, murder in the Astrodome

Boing Boing is updating regularly on techie Jacob Appelbaum doing homebrewed media reports from inside the Astrodome, and their struggles to stay in the dome despite threats from authorities. They are documenting reports from evacuees of rapes, beatings and murders inside the ASTRODOME not the superdome.

Another evacuee: “Over 20 rapes per night happening inside this place. They bring in national guard for media purposes. Bush wants us to stay here to raise his ratings. Some workers are stealing the good stuff, like shoes.”

Also evacuees are telling stories that the 17th street Levees were blown up on purpose by the Army Corp of Engineers to save the French Quarter — numerous reports from evacuees on this subject.
I find this last item difficult to believe, but it does show the frame of mind of the people in the Astrodome, and what the know or understand about what’s going on.

This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. Orb

    So you find it difficult to believe the levees were blown up (I do to), but you don’t have a problem believing that there are rapes, murders and beatings happening in the Astrodome on a regular basis? I have been running across bloggers for two days now who are buying that post at Boing Boing as being a factual account of the actual conditions in the Houston Astrodome, and I am getting to the point where I wonder why no one bothers to do a little searching to see if anyone anywhere else is saying anything about it. Of course, I guess it’s all one big cover up and anything the local media might say is nothing but lies?
    Here are some links to some news stories from local sources about it:
    Click2Houston.com – HPD Chief: Crime In Houston Less Since Hurricane:
    http://www.click2houston.com/news/4948031/detail.html
    HoustonChronicle.com – Crime epidemic here nothing more than rumors:
    http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3340879
    HoustonChronicle.com – Loose talk: Houstonians should ignore unverified reports of crime
    http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/editorial/3342316

  2. Steph Mineart

    Hey, don’t put words in my mouth, especially not on my site. That will get your comment deleted, not read. My site isn’t a democracy.
    It’s certainly not that “no one bothers:” I’m checking as much as I can. No need to be a bitch, really. I’m also less inclined to take your links at face value without being suspicious because you came in bitching and screaming, instead of calmly pointing at facts.
    You have a point; I wondered about that boing boing post and needed to follow up on it, but didn’t have a chance yet; there’s a lot going on.

  3. Clement

    I’m sure that there is alot of scary shit going on in the Astrodome. I am trying to track the genesis of the rape stories because I see the impact that they are having on people that I thought would be a bit more compassionate to the victims in this tragedy. Whether true or false, or simply exxagerated, the effect on those who here about rapes occurring in the Astrodome is to look down at the hurricane victims as subhuman.This perception by the rest of America will be very valuable to those who want to suspend The Constitution while assuring us that every effort is being made to restore security. New Orleans is now crawling with “private security firms” i.e. Blackwater and Wackenhut who are held to even more loose standards of conduct than bounty hunters.
    Katrina was a tragedy. Government and FEMA response was criminally negligent. But now the atrocities will begin and unfortunately few people will believe what manages to leak through the sanitized media-security curtain that has been dropped around New Orleans

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