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Camp Greyhound

Camp Greyhound is the nickname of a temporary makeshift jail at the Greyhound Bus station next to the New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal that was operated in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina of August 29, 2005.

Operation
The construction of Camp Greyhound by the Louisiana Department of Corrections was one of the top priorities in the rebuilding of New Orleans. Sixteen cages of chain-link fencing topped with razor wire were erected at the bus station under the canopies to house up to 700 people. Work was done by prisoners from the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola under the direction of Burl Cain. Most suspects had been arrested for looting, while others were detained for curfew violation, vehicle theft, intoxication, or resisting arrest. Food consisted of military issued meals. The camp was protected by the National Guard on the outside. where inmates were photographed and fingerprinted. The single public defender was unable to offer individual advice; the only options were to plead guilty and agree to community service, or to be sent to a permanent facility and wait a minimum of 21 days for further processing. Clad in prison-orange, they were not allowed to notify relatives or lawyers, and no phone calls were permitted. A report by The Washington Times from September 9, 2005, indicated that over 220 people suspected of looting were at Camp Greyhound at that time. Camp Greyhound operated for about six weeks or two months. == Denial of constitutional rights ==
Denial of constitutional rights
The collapse of the judicial system after the hurricane affected people held at Camp Greyhound. By the end of its operation, exaggerated reports of unrest, looting, and violence started to be revised and retracted. Indeed, a small number of NOPD officers were reported to have participated in the looting. Reports emerged indicating innocent people being incarcerated for a prolonged time; first at Camp Greyhound and then transferred to outside prisons. James Terry was arrested for "looting" his own apartment. He spent time at Camp Greyhound and then at a permanent jail without ever having access to a lawyer, being charged with a crime, or having a court hearing before his eventual release seven months later. In contrast, a jury later awarded $650,000 to two tourists who had been caught in the system. == Legacy ==
Legacy
In 2009, Dan Berger argued that journalistic routines and uncritical reporting by the media "legitimated punishment as disaster policy" and "suggested militarized policing and imprisonment as fundamental to restore order". In 2011, James Fox from the New Statesman opined that Camp Greyhound was "known for organized brutality, a little-known, near-exact facsimile of Guantanamo Bay". == References ==
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