One year later: Trapped in New Orleans

[This post continues the Institute's ongoing coverage of the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina on August 29.]

We all remember the stories, heard dozens of times, about the failures and heroism that were part of the Katrina rescue effort. On one hand, the shocking stories of botched rescue attempts and astounding incompetence. On the other, the heart-warming stories of people who did everything they could to help those in need.

And then there's another category entirely, reserved for the chilling examples where skin color directly affected the chances of survival for hundreds of people. The AP reported last week on one such case that -- almost a year later -- is still winding its way through the New Orleans legal system:

NEW ORLEANS - A grand jury investigation into the actions of a suburban police department whose officers barred New Orleans residents fleeing Hurricane Katrina's flooding from entering a suburb was announced late Thursday by District Attorney Eddie Jordan.

Law enforcement officials from the city of Gretna prevented the evacuees, most of them black, from crossing the Mississippi River Bridge into the predominantly white suburb.

The residents, trying to escape the city three days after Katrina hit, claimed their path was blocked by armed officers, some with dogs.

The Sept. 1 incident on a non-pedestrian toll overpass sparked charges of racism against Gretna's police department and city council, and exacerbated already strained relations between the two cities.

The District Attorney's office said they had "received findings" that "involved several hundred evacuees claiming that law enforcement officers denied them access to safety while attempting to flee New Orleans."

Gretna police and city officials could not be reached for comment Thursday. But in an interview with the Los Angeles Times last November, Gretna Mayor Ronnie C. Harris said the city stood by its decision to block the bridge, because "we were concerned about life and property."

Harris added that it was "quite evident" that the fleeing group contained a "criminal element."

For more about this story, see the Los Angeles Times piece from last September.