Report: Murders and Other New Orleans Violence in Katrina's Wake Untrue or Unsubstantiated

Say what? Welcome to Revisionism 101. What's really going on here?

The New Orleans Times-Picayune wrote yesterday (September 26th) that most of the reports of murders, rapes and other violence in New Orleans -- specifically in the Superdome and at the Convention Center -- have been found to be false or unsubstantiated by the evidence.

At the Superdome, where there were reports broadcast around the world of murders, rapes and gang violence, a total of six bodies were actually discovered. Four died of natural causes, one overdosed, and another jumped to his death in an apparent suicide. Four bodies were found at the Convention Center, only one of whom appeared to have been killed. Further, Orleans Parish District Attorney Eddie Jordan told the newspaper authorities had confirmed just four murders in New Orleans in the wake of Katrina, a typical week for the city. Jones expressed anger at reports that flood victims had turned into rampaging mobs.

Reports of mayhem came not just from evacuees, but from officials too, including Mayor Ray Nagin, who told Oprah Winfrey about armed gang members raping and killing people inside the Superdome. He charged the crowd had descended to a, quote, "almost animalistic state." However, few of those reports are backed with any evidence, and most of the stories had turned out to be false, according to key military, law enforcement, medical and civilians officials, the paper reports.

Because of the widespread reports of violence, Louisiana National Guard Lieutenant Colonel Jacques Thibodeaux assembled a 1,000-man force of soldiers and police in battle gear to secure the Convention Center on September 2nd. But he says they met no resistance, and secured the center in 20 minutes. They found only old people and infants near death because of a lack of food, water and medicine and crowds of people living in filth, but no evidence, witnesses or victims of any murders, rapes or beatings.

Why change the story now? Who benefits? Were all of those people lying? If so why?