Current Let's Roll Project...Animal Rescue

[NicoMoon]

Why the inflammatory header? To get your attention. There is a rumor that law enforcement and animal control officers are beginning to shoot stray dogs in New Orleans. Although we have not received any eye witness testimonies to this effect, the opinion has been expressed by people closely involved with the animal rescue effort that it is a very real possibility for the not too distant future. The educated opinion is that once the stray dogs begin to form into packs, as dogs by nature will do, the packs will then become a safety concern, and the shootings will be considered necessary and authorized.

Is this a fact? We don't know. Is it a valid fear? We think so. Do we want to wait to find out? No!

This is why we who are coordinating the Let's Roll project have committed to focusing on this particular area of the relief work. Please read on, and please give serious consideration to joining with us to do as much as we can, as quickly as we can to support the animal rescue effort.

We are in daily communication with animal rescue volunteers Sammy Allen, Tim Horvath, and Sparkie Pam.

They are among a group of self-motivated and loosely organized animal rescue volunteers in New Orleans, currently based out of a rescued animal holding area located in the parking lot of a Winn-Dixie supermarket that is closed to business.

As it was explained to us:

The volunteers go out in teams during the day, identify areas where pets have been spotted, often on advice or guidance by the local law enforcement agents, provide food and water, capture ewhat pets they can, mark the locations with spray paint describing the pet taken or fed, and the immediate locations to which the pets have been relocated, and a notated journal is kept for future reference and to be passed on along with the animal as they move to or from available shelters.

Once the animals are processed at the holding center and all currently available services are provided, including evaluation of any injuries or medical needs, bathing, walking, feeding, at the Winn-Dixie they are moved to available shelters where they are examined by veterinarians, photographed, and added to the Petfinders.com database of found pets.

That's the process in a nutshell. All the details we are receiving tell a far more dramatic and emotionally charged story. Hopefully, as this thread develops, and as the conversations with the workers are aired on the Livewire.fm broadcasts, the drama and emotion will evolve to inspire volunteerism and support for this truly phenomenal and moving instance of human kindness and compassion.

These folks are mostly living out of their vehicles, camping out in the parking lot, and scrambling for their own necessities. Their efforts are not being funded by any specific groups or organizations, so they need our help. The more support the receive, the more efficient they can be.

Not all of us can be in the impacted areas doing this kind of urgently needed rescue work, but most of us can contribute in some way.

Please keep reading and find your way to support these generous heroes and maybe even become one yourself!!

If you are reading this, it's because you have the time and resources to visit the internet, read on message boards like this, and maybe even engage in discussions.

If each us makes a committment to donate a portion of that time and access to resources to the cause of providing the urgently needed support for these volunteers, we will be a part of accomplishing one of the most important and vital areas of the hurricane relief effort.

Together we can make a difference!! Please join us, and please spread the word!!

Nico

[NicoMoon]

Attention Volunteers:

Please sign on and let us know which of these needs you can fulfill.

****************List to be Updated Daily***************
** CURRENT UPDATE http://livewire.fm/forums/showthread.php?t=637 **

Cash donations, money orders or rechargeable debit cards to assist in funding the purchase of large and heavy items like dog kennels, cat traps, animal food, water, buckets, bleach, and cleaning supplies. Also for desperately needed gas tank fill-ups, cell phone minutes, personal necesssities.

Rechargeable cell phones

Towels

Coffee makers

Coffee

Comfortable, functional clothing for relief workers.
Socks, t-shirts, underwear, jeans, work gloves.

Light weight camping gear of all descriptions. Anything that can help make the workers more comfortable.

Dog leashes, collars, toys, any small items that will help in the rescue and care of animals.

We are requesting that all donations be sent directly to the workers themselves through general delivery at the US Post Office addresses which will be posted and updated daily.

The Let's Roll project is not able to coordinate the handling of donations. We are only facilitating communication and providing updated information as it comes in. The Let's Roll project itself does not solicit any direct donations to this group or website. We are all simply volunteers doing what we can, and we can only be as effective as each of you are generous and self-motivated.

We do urgently request that you post whatever donations you've sent, so we can maintain coordination with the recipients.

[NicoMoon]

Again, we can only be as effective as each of you are generous.

We ask those of you who can to join us in working to support the Winn-Dixie Animal Rescue Volunteers.

In their same spirit, we are also self-motivated, loosely organized, resourceful and concerned contributors.

Our coordinating ground is right here on this message board and via our coordinators and moderators e-mail circle.

We need any and all skills, resources or time committments that will assist us in being an effective support resource for the volunteers on the ground.

Specific needs:

Evangelists who can spread the word via crosspostings to other groups, personal email rings, (no spamming!!) public relations campaigns, press releases, etc etc. We need the experienced and the non-experienced, there's something just about anyone can do to help get the word out and help inspire others to volunteer and contribute.

Moderators who can maintain communications with posters, answer questions, and provide information, as well as utilize basic message board functions like moving, copying, editing, or deleting posts.

The Let's Roll area of the message board is largely information only, and soley hurricane relief related, so there should be no need to moderate controversy. We have other threads for those who wish to indulge in discussions and debates.

Coordinators: Self-motivated, organized, self-starters who can jump in, identify needed projects, take charge, and get things done. Projects are largely responses to requests and information provided by Animal Rescue Volunteers.

Audio Techs: We have more offers for interviews than we can currently handle, due to time constraints. If you are equipped to take a raw interview, get it formatted and mixed for broadcast in a timely fashion, we really need your assistance! This volunteer work can lead to paid positions once our commercial projects go live.

Broadcasters: We need articulate and informed people to conduct "Eyes and Ears" interviews with reps from relief organizations, and people on the ground who have relevant stories to tell or information to share. If you have the capability to record phone calls please apply. This volunteer work can lead to your own slot in our upcoming live talk show line-up and provide a lucrative income and unique marketing opportunity. Experience is not required, talent is!

[speckledbird]

FYI: This is from the following CNN Transcript: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0509/29/asb.02.html

COOPER: Welcome back from Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi. You know, we've done a lot of stories over the last few days on -- actually the last few weeks I should say -- on animals abandoned and left behind in the wake of Hurricane Rita and Katrina. The stories are about the efforts to try to save them and there are a lot of good people trying to save these animals.

This is a much different report to tell you about. It is of dogs left behind by their owners and then shot to death. Tonight, some say, police officers may have actually pulled the trigger. Before we show you this, we've got to warn you that some of the images you are about to see are graphic and disturbing but we think you need to see them.

(BEING AUDIOTAPE)

COOPER: You can't tell from the outside of this middle school but inside a slaughter took place.

KIM DAVIS, ANIMAL RESCUER FROM OKLAHOMA: Three dogs, a large one and two small ones, all lying in a pool of blood. Looks like they all may have all been gathered together and shot together. It's hard.

COOPER: Kim Davis came from Oklahoma as an animal rescuer. She never imagined she'd find a scene like this in a middle school that was used as an evacuation center after Katrina hit.

DAVIS: When dogs are shot like this, too, they don't die instantly as you can see from the large amount of blood. They bleed to death.

COOPER: In all there are 14 dogs. Some shot once, others several times. Some were tied up. One looks like it tried to run. All are badly decomposed. They have apparently been dead for weeks.

People came to this place to be evacuated. They had to leave their pets behind. You can even see where one woman tried to make sure she wouldn't lose her dogs; writing her name and phone number on the wall before she left. Others did the same thing.

KIT BAUER, EVACUEE: A lot of people, about 50 or 60 people evacuated to that point and brought their animals with us because they told us we could bring our animals.

COOPER: They were here for three days before evacuating and then the rules changed.

BAUER: They up and told us then that we couldn't take any of the animals with us, which everybody really went ballistic on and, you know, because that was like leaving your kids behind.

COOPER: One floor is littered with dog biscuits. We don't know how long after they left that the dogs were shot. But law enforcement and security experts say these bullets are the type used by law enforcement.

The animal rescuers blame Saint Bernard Parish sheriff's deputies.

JACK STEPHENS, SHERIFF OF SAINT BERNARD PARISH POLICE DEPARTMENT: My reaction is disgust.

COOPER: Sheriff Jack Stephens said he did not give the order to exterminate any dogs but admits it's possible one or more of his own deputies might have done it, so he's handing the case over to the State's Attorney.

STEPHENS: The cards will fall where they may in this thing.

COOPER: Stevens does say his men left as residents evacuated, so it's possible some other group or some individuals in the chaos of the disaster shot these dogs.

STEPHENS: I'm certainly not prepared to say without reservation that it wasn't one of our officers that did it, but what I do know is it's a despicable act. And someone who did this has some imperfection in their psyche and if that someone is a law enforcement officer then they can't be in this business. They're in the wrong business.

COOPER: Another tragedy uncovered where the only thing certain right now is the innocence of the victims.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well since we recorded that video another site of dead, decomposing dogs was discovered and it looked like those dogs had bullet wounds as well. CNN has seen pictures of the second site, just pictures, but they are just too graphic to show you right now.

Joining me now with more, animal rescue volunteer Kim Davis, who you just saw in that report. Kim, how did you find this place?

DAVIS: Actually, yesterday we were out doing rescues. We called a lady that was down in Saint Bernard Parish who has previously that day, asked for some help with some boat rescues so our group called her and asked if she still needed us to come down. She said that she had just been in that school and told us what she had found so we went on in there and discovered it all for ourselves and that's how we found out about it.

COOPER: And it's hard to sort of understand exactly what you were seeing. I mean, you saw animals without a doubt that had been shot, correct?

DAVIS: Absolutely, yes. Absolutely. The amounts of blood around --we saw shell casings from bullets all over the place. Bullet holes were in the dogs. You could see them in some of the legs, but primarily the amount of blood. The pools of blood were just horrific and they were obviously shot, obviously.

COOPER: And some of them were tied up at the time. DAVIS: Yes. We saw two or three that had been taken into a room, they were tied up with mini-blind cords from the windows so that they were tied into a corner, I guess, and then it was able to hold them there so that they could be shot. And the cords were still tied to the collars as of now.

COOPER: And these were all animals that had been left behind by people who had gathered there, been told to gather there to evacuate. Correct?

DAVIS: Yes. They had gone there as an evacuation point. They had spent three days there and they all had their animals with them. This was a three-story building. Most of the animals were on the second and the third floors and according to what we've heard the water had receded enough to where when they came in three days after the storm they were told they had to evacuate. They could not take their pets, but the people absolutely had to leave. They were able to leave in trucks. They didn't even have to be boat evacuated; large trucks that could have accommodated the pets with them as well.

COOPER: It is mind boggling and disturbing and we are going to continue to follow this no doubt tomorrow. A lot more people will have heard of this and let's see what happens. Kim, I appreciate you bringing this to us. Thank you very much.

DAVIS: Thank you so much, Anderson.

[sparkie]

I asked a Louisiana state trooper today if, unofficically, the word is to shoot. He seemed sincere and said, we couldn't shoot looters so we are NOT going to shoot dogs! I imagine if attacked, a reasonable lifesaving response would be to shoot...self-defense.

Still lots of animals loose....especially Pit Bulls. I have enjoyed most of the animals captured. Usually, once they see you are a friend, they are happy.

St. Bernard Parish today: I just helped some nice national guards or Army get gas, tire repair and a view of the outside of St. Bernard parish. I asked at checkpoint today of police, "Are you controlling exiting or entering?", he said entering St. Bernard. I then asked, "Are they letting animal rescue in?", he said NO!. WHY?????? Wha up w/ tha? 5 Oct 2005, corner St. Claude & Poland

Bye, Pam

[speckledbird]

"Three dogs...all lying in a pool of blood...shot together."

As reported to us via transcripts obtained at http://transcripts.cnn.com/,
KIM DAVIS, ANIMAL RESCUER FROM OKLAHOMA: "Three dogs, a large one and two small ones, all lying in a pool of blood. Looks like they all may have all been gathered together and shot together."

Rumor: Threats that once abandoned dogs begin to form packs they will be shot by police and animal control personnel. These are so far rumors that have not been substantiated by on the ground witnesses, but they are afforded credibility by rescue workers on the ground.

THE BOTTOM LINE:
IMMEDIATE HELP NEEDED FOR THE ANIMAL RESCUE WORKERS WHO HAVE SET UP CAMP AT WINN-DIXIE PARKING LOT IN ORLEANS PARISH.

NEEDS: Dog Traps, Dog whistles, Dog cages, Dog collars, Dog food, Change of clothing for rescue workers, Ice, Coffee and electric coffee pots, cash donations for gasoline for vehicles.

HELP by purchasing a Wal Mart Gift Card at www.walmart.com

HELP by purchasing a Petco Gift Card at www.petco.com

HELP by purchasing a Visa Gift Card at http://usa.visa.com/personal/cards/prepaid/visa_gift_card.html

Gift Cards can be sent to the attention of: Sammy Allen, to the following address: Sammy Allen
c/o General Delivery
3301 17th Street
Metairie, LA 70002-9992


This animal rescue team is a self-motivated, self-organized group of volunteers who are responding to the IMMEDIATE and CRUCIAL needs of the moment. They are known by local officials who are cooperating and supporting their efforts. Help us to Help those who are helping the little ones that CANNOT HELP THEMSELVES.

Please send an email to Rickarenn@aol.com or vervilledeb1@yahoo.com and let us know specifically what you can do, each of you, to contribute to the stated list of needs, your help is IMMEDIATELY NEEDED !!

Your help is greatly appreciated!
LiveWire.fm


CNN TRANSCRIPT:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0509/29/asb.02.html

[sparkie]

Sammy was concerned that "Sammy" didn't sound very serious or professional so he told me that we should use Samuel instead in reference to donations, mail, etc. I chuckle alittle to myself because Samuel/Sammy is a hardworking, blue collar, honest southern man. Even tho he was born in New Orleans & has lived in Lake Charles, he is a simple, straightforward country man. Samuel sounds too white-collar for him and his wonderfully informal but effective ways w/ animals. They love him...even killer pits & rots. :)

[sparkie]

I spent time at the Winn-Dixie Animal Shelter w/ a Danish freelance journalist. She flew home last week. She witnessed the slaughtered animals in the St. Bernard schools. She took photos and is writing a story about it. As well as filed a police report and worked w/ some federal law enforcement about these horrible deeds.

She actually slipped in the large pool(s) of blood, fell & sprained her wrist.

I expect to get full details soon. She, as I were refraining from full discussion/disclosure until we felt we were safe in our home state/country. I'm gonna refer to her as "S" until I know it is safe to use her U.S. name. In confusion & being busy, I failed to get her contact info b4 she flew out. But, I have spoken w/ her stateside contact.

She is also active at 1 or more websites so imagine is easily available to us in the U.S. She is a true animal lover, owner of many and even returned to Denmark w/ a wonderful dog named Buddy. Buddy & I became close during our week together as "next door neighbors" at that parking lot...maybe I should say next tent neighbors to be accurate.

I likes "S" immediately. When I met her I said "I got married in Denmark once", she replied "I got married in Vegas once". :D

I quickly saw that she needed help because she was also bottle feeding, EVERY 2 hours, 5 pit bull puppies that were less than a week old and investigative writing and carting for a sprained wrist/torn tendons and caring for that wonderful Buddy and living in a windblown tent. So, I guess I was her personal assistant for several days, i.e. puppies, walked Buddy, did some laundry & dishes in tin foil roaster pans, driver, etc. (Drivers licenses in Denmark are expensive & time consuming to acquire).

Sorry if this is a rambling or disjointed post, like some of my others of the last 2 weeks. But, it also may give you a good sense of what it was like thoruoghout ALL of the gulf coast area. Small chunks of info were gathered & passed on verbally among all....from volunteer to law enforcement to military to victims, etc. And much of this info originated from local radio stations.

Clear example: I am driving in my car spending a few rare minutes listening to a radio station while looking at destruction, dodging debris in road, looking for stray animals, heading to the only operational tire repair center which is open (had remained open during Katrina) to fix the flat tire I got 500 miles before in Lake Charles, LA...probably blown glass from bldgs blown onto "roadway" or maybe from that rough chunk of metal that I did not fully dodge or nails...only god knows. (Sorry..long sentence but long days too). This tire repair center was privately owned, near the outside perimeter of St. Bernard in the lower 9th ward. It may not of been an area that during NORMAL times that I would of felt comfortable going to by myself. But, there, I didn't hesitate.

I realized that the radio might of just said change in Orleans parish curfew to 8 pm...you know, you are not conscious you heard something on radio until after...so I needed to confirm because curfews are very IMPORTANT...I learned that in Beaumont, Tx (one of my 4 threats of arrest I rec'd...Oops!)

I pulled up to this privately owned, let's saw old style tire joint. All the employees were african americans. I hopped out of the car and asked if they could repair the rental tire that got trashed by Lake Charles glass. The young man quietly said yes & began working. I started chatting to him, telling him some of what I had been doing, asked if they were all ok & did they need anything as a rebel red cross volunteer/animal rescuer/electrician, etc. He seemed to relax & started chatting back.

"Yes, they were the only tire joint open" & I could see that they were doing a booming, as well as greatly needed service for ALL vehicles in NOLA. I was only there for 15 minutes while he patched & reinstalled my permanent rental tire. I saw law enforcement & military vehicles as customers. I asked the K-9 unit officer if I had heard correctly if the Orleans parish curfew was lengthened from 6 to 8 pm, he said "I don't know". I asked if there was a tel # I could call for basic info like that & he rattled off a tel but of course it being an official tel #=no working or no answer or busy signal.

The now relaxed & friendly young tire man said the repair was $6....NORMAL price, no gouging! I happily gave him 10 bucks & keep the change. Tire center, corner of St.Claude & Louisa, Orleans Parish.

I continued to drive to downtown NOLA & French Quarter to spend a couple hours pretending to be a tourist...really, I just wanted a friggin' cup of brewed coffee...rare luxury. I was nearly to Canal street when I heard the complete announcements of newest news from the WWL local station. YES....Yippy, curfew was indeed changed to 8 pm. I can stay out PAST when the street lights come on like my mom used to tell me, or in this case past after the lights NORMALLY WOULD of come on. :D

I stopped downtown, near the Mississippi river-convention center-Harrah's casino and saw an outpost HQ for NOPD under the front entry awning for Harrah's. I walked up to them slowly & in a friendly manner because all the while in the gulf I was legally carrying a concealed, loaded pistol in a fanny pack on my stomach. This fanny pack is larger than normal so is obvious to people in the know that it is for a pistol. (The only time I did not have it on me was when I walked in police stations, then I locked it in the trunk of car).

I asked them how they were doing & if they needed anything, as rebel red cross/animal rescuer/concerned citizen, etc. They, like many I talked to wanted to know if red cross was set up yet to give financial aid. Unfortunately, I had no new info to give them on the official aiding organizations such as red cross, fema, etc cause they usually were not in the area YET or not ready YET to effectively assist.

I asked if they knew the new curfew hours & they said "No". I told them what the change was & also that Mayor Naigin (sp?) announced 3,ooo non-essential layoffs of city employees BUT NOT police or fire. I asked them how do they, 5 weeks after Katrina, get their info as police officers, they simply said "From the Radio Stations".

That was an example of the style of communication/info that curently exists and one of many times that I asked for info and instead became the info giver.

Maybe this should be posted elsewhere also. What I saw & did those 2 weeks is still coming out of me in chunks...like I lived it. Also, I noticed that no one had the time to do any full research on any given subject because you were too busy flexing and adjusting/adapting to what was happening right in front of you. You meet & greet fast, grab the tiny bits of info and work w/ it.

I suppose if I had stayed in one area on one subject I could of been more thorough and then been able to give more complete info but I would of missed many of necessary or important things, such as where to get gas, not of met & entered the NOLA EOC, not given that hammer & nail punch to the 2 women cleaning out their mothers destroyed & mold covered home in St. Bernard parish or gotten the 2 hour personal tour of the VERY IMPORTANT pump stations # 1 & #6 that was the REAL reason for drying out of New Orleans (not Army Corp of Enginerrs). Or received all those threats of arrest! :p

Moderators: If this needs editing for spelling or clarity, if it should also be crossposted at Livewire.fm or other sites, feel free. My heads too jammed up right now. Just try not to get me arrested or something. ;) Probably I shouldn't notify red cross that I "borrowed" one of their rental cars for 10 day & 1500 miles and freelanced across Tx & LA. Nor do I want any official or unofficial Animal Control employees to know where I live....seriously.

Bye,
Pam

[WannaKnow]

I wonder what percentage of animals have been rescued in New Orleans. I bet no one knows.