Ouachita officials say no to ‘thugs’

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Ouachita officials say no to ‘thugs’
As the chief law enforcement officer in Ouachita Parish, Sheriff Richard Fewell on Friday declared that the parish “could not and would not” accept buses filled with hurricane evacuees who supposedly raped, robbed and looted in the New Orleans Superdome.


“I don’t want people who live here all the time to be the victims of the thugs coming out of New Orleans,” Fewell said.


Fewell said his decision was a proactive measure to prevent the criminal activity that’s occurring with evacuees in other parishes but emphasized that those in desperate need would still receive help.


The announcement came after rumors circulated throughout the day about whom and how many people would arrive at the Red Cross shelter at the Monroe Civic Center that has been set up to accommodate evacuees from Hurricane Katrina, which struck the Gulf Coast on Monday.


Law enforcement officials received conflicting reports. The first report was that 50 busloads of 40 people each were en route to Monroe from New Orleans. The second report was that 16 busloads of the elderly and infirm would arrive in Monroe for medical care.


Capt. Don McDonald, Louisiana State Police Troop F commander, confirmed that while they were initially told to prepare to escort 50 buses into the parish, that group had been diverted.


Local law enforcement officials, already stretched thin because of sending officers to southern Louisiana and increased security at the Civic Center, said they simply could not handle thousands more people.


At an afternoon new conference attended by officials from throughout northeastern Louisiana, including state legislators, members of the Ouachita Parish Police Jury, West Monroe Mayor Dave Norris and elected officials from outlying parishes, Ouachita Parish Police Jury President Kim Golden affirmed what Fewell had said.


“The decision has been made that the renegade buses can be denied access,” Golden said. “The only evacuees that will be considered will be sick, elderly and medical.


“We want to help everyone, but our first commitment is to our own citizens.”


Golden confirmed Friday night that state Sen. Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, was headed to Monroe with a busload of 160 people, 10 of whom are support workers. “We know that this group has three very young babies,” she said.


Golden said the state Department of Social Services had assessed the evacuees in Baton Rouge and that the Red Cross had been notified and was ready for their arrival. The group was supposed to arrive sometime after 10 p.m. Friday.


The policy, as set by local officials, of having Social Services pre-clear the evacuees is being followed, Golden said.


Other public officials at Friday afternoon’s gathering supported Fewell’s decision, including state Sen. Charles Jones, D-Monroe, and Monroe Police Chief Ron Schleuter, who said that his department, the Sheriff’s Office and the West Monroe Police Department are in “good control of the situation.”


Schleuter said the only issues Monroe police have had at the Civic Center thus far are from Monroe residents entering the shelter and causing problems. He said police want to keep the environment safe for the evacuees already in the Civic Center.


On Thursday a fence was erected around the Civic Center and evacuees and volunteers given wristbands.


“We don’t need problems that are occurring in the Superdome,” Schleuter said. “We don’t have the manpower.”


Golden’s support of Fewell’s decision came after a contentious closed-door executive session of the Police Jury at noon during which angry voices could be heard.


Fewell, Chief Deputy Joe Davis and 4th District Attorney Jerry Jones were invited to the meeting.


The agenda said the meeting was called “for discussion and review of issues related to Hurricane Katrina Emergency,” but, according to Fewell, it actually dealt with the possible influx of evacuees.


Juror Walt Caldwell opposed going into executive session, taking the extra measure of refusing to attend because he said the meeting should be public.


“We’re in a state of emergency, and the reasons for that need to be explained,” Caldwell said. “The community needs an honest assessment of what the situation is, and what the plans are.”


While the 2,000 new evacuees expected to join the more than 2,200 already in the shelter did not arrive Friday, Jerry Jones said he was concerned about the well being of Ouachita Parish residents.


“My concern is public safety,” said Jones. “I’m the district attorney. I will deal with the aftermath of the problems facing the sheriff and police departments of this parish.”


Originally published September 3, 2005