When The Levees Broke: a Requiem in Quotes

I watched "Levees" with a pen in hand a piece of paper in fron of me. My goal was to take the quotes that I thought were important then and post them in a blog. This will probably end up being nonsensical for those that didn't see the documentary, maybe even for those that did. The point was to tell the story through random quotes, points and pieces of observation. So we will see how it goes.

Monday:

- 911 was not accepting calls after the flooding started

- "If you don't move we won't help you" (The city/state to it's citizens before
Katrina came as told by Phyllis Montana LeBlanc)

- "That's not this talking. That's the truth!" (Sheryl Livadays referring to the beer in her hand)

- Category 1 broke the levee

- In 1927 the levee was blown on purpose after Hurricane Betsy

- "What you looking at?" (A man wading through the water as a photo journalist rode by in a boat)

- "I'm getting tired" (Man who tied beer kegs to his body to stay afloat)

- Water coming UP through the potholes and sewage drains

- "Water like to sank my boat" (In reference to the Red Cross throwing down bottles of water from their helicoptor)

- "The Coast Guard threw out the books" (In reference to them throwing out standard procedures to help in the rescue effort)

- "It was hot! It was beyond Africa hot!" (Phyllis Montana LeBlanc)

- "The Cajun Navy" (what the residents with boats who were helping the others were called)

- Kudos to Sean Penn!

- "I had to push [her] out the way" (Man whose Mother died in her wheelchair in the Super Dome waiting for the buses)

- "She needed oxygen!" (Little girl talking baout her mother)

- "We just need some help and support" (Little boy with the lisp)

- "[It happened by] Bush's will and mandate." (Harry Belafonte)

- Cops IN UNIFORM looting store and stealing DVDs

- "It was like being in a sewer. It was like being in a live sewer!"

- "OK men with guns" (White woman after being told she could not enter "Jeffersonia")

- Jefferson Parrish official putting cops with guns at the entrance to "Jeffersonia" at the end of the Crescent City connection

- "Not niggers but animals" (White man in regards to being pushed against the gates as people waited to get on relief buses)

- "The arrogance of power!" (Harry Belafonte)

- "We want help!" (Group of chanters at the Super dome)

- "Rudy would have walked on water!" (In reference to Rudy Guliani)

- "He's the type of person that gives C-students a bad name!" (In reference to George Bush)

- "Put those weapons down! "Put'em down got damn it!" (The General with the berret)

- "Women's periods were down on them! People has shit on them... piss on them!"

- "Do you have any drugs on you?" (Airport official)

"If I did I would smoke'em!" (Phyllis Montana LeBlanc)

- "I will take you outside and beat your muthafuckin' ass!" (Phyllis Montana LeBlanc to the airport official)

- "[Give us] some type of compassion. Empathy. Understanding...." (Phyllis Montana LeBlanc)