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Douglas Berry ([personal profile] gridlore) wrote2005-09-05 02:55 pm
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Finally! A Federal official with a brain!

Katrina Victims Get Seized Knockoff Items

The Yves St. Laurent and Tommy Hilfiger labels may be phony, but the thousands of Hurricane Katrina victims getting knockoff items seized by federal customs officials probably don't mind.

Displaced survivors in the Houston Astrodome can choose from counterfeit and abandoned clothing, toys, and even dog food.

More than 100,000 items were quickly taken from warehouses and more will follow, said Kristi Clemens, spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection division.

The agency has some 1 million items stored, and Customs officials are going through their inventory to see what else would be useful. While the initial shipment went to Texas, officials are looking toward a wider distribution, Clemens said.

For humans, virtually anything that you can wear is available: underwear, jeans, baseball caps, T-shirts, shoes and socks. For dogs: much needed food. For children, toys. For everyone: clean sheets and blankets.


The normal fate of such items is an incenerator. Nice to see someone at DHS had the brains to realize that those items could made a hige difference.

Nice to see someone in Washingtoon is thinking for a change.
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[identity profile] docwebster.livejournal.com 2005-09-05 11:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Utterly.. er.. priceless!

Ohmigod, that's fabulous!

[identity profile] kat-box.livejournal.com 2005-09-06 01:10 am (UTC)(link)
I agree with you that it's a better place for these items to end up. The original "owner" forfeited them and when they would have just been destroyed this is a far, far better use for them.

Hear hear to the person (people) who thought of this and made it happen!

[identity profile] tsjafo.livejournal.com 2005-09-06 04:21 am (UTC)(link)
Wow!

All this and China too

[identity profile] 10binary-cats.livejournal.com 2005-09-06 09:01 am (UTC)(link)
And now China is offering aid to victims of the hurricane. Considering a lot of the knockoffs probably come from chinese factories, perhaps they've done enough?

[identity profile] thingunderthest.livejournal.com 2005-09-06 06:43 pm (UTC)(link)
It would be nice if they would give this stuff to the homeless and needy rather then destroying it in normal circumstances. I can just see the cities awash in filthy yet stylish masses.

[identity profile] chaotic-nipple.livejournal.com 2005-09-09 02:44 am (UTC)(link)
Don't worry, it won't last.
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