Even a cop joins in the looting

NOLA.com ^ | 08/30/2005 | Mike Perlstein and Brian Thevenot

[Truthsayer20]

Law enforcement efforts to contain the emergency left by Katrina slipped into chaos in parts of New Orleans Tuesday with some police officers and firefighters joining looters in picking stores clean.

At the Wal-Mart on Tchoupitoulas Street, an initial effort to hand out provisions to stranded citizens quickly disintegrated into mass looting. Authorities at the scene said bedlam erupted after the giveaway was announced over the radio.

[Shawndell Green]

Whole lot of atavism going on, baby.

[tiki]

This is complete greed. When they're hungry in a few days they'll wish they had some food and those TVs aren't very edible.

[Theophilus]

given the chance, some people would steal lighter fluid on the way to hell.

[atlanta67]

New Orleans does have the most corrupt PD in the nation...they should send Rudy down to NO, to manage the situation

[LifeOrGoods?]

I didn't know New Orleans had cops.

[yarddog]

I too have heard that New Orleans has one of the most corrupt PD's. Probably even worse than Atlanta or Philadelphia.

[Alberta's Child]

“The police got all the best stuff. They’re crookeder than us,” one man said.

This would not surprise me at all. Louisiana has the proud distinction of having two former New Orleans police officers on death row -- for crimes they committed while they were active police officers.

One of them -- a female quasi-humanoid mutant named Antoinette Frank -- actually killed three people (including a New Orleans cop responding to the scene) -- while holding up a Vietnamese restaurant.

No, you can't make this sh!t up.

[Black Tooth]

If you want to argue that looting doesn't occur when the slightest opportunity presents itself - regardless of geography

Won't argue with that. However, I have never heard of law enforcement officers or firefighters looting in a disaster.

[Alberta's Child]

You beat me to it, Sauron. See #87.

[in hoc signo vinces]

Exactly. Sorry, words in vacuum rarely denote context. We're in agreement.

[RFEngineer]

my apologies......

[Black Tooth]

This is classic human nature. Look at the LA riots, NY blackouts, or Baghdad, if you must, but nonetheless it is and was entirely predictable.

And Detroit, Philly, Miami etc.

But again, I've never heard of firefighters or law enforcement joining in with the looters in a disaster, or riot.

I'd say this is a first that I can recall.

[RFEngineer]

"Won't argue with that. However, I have never heard of law enforcement officers or firefighters looting in a disaster."

I have. Read it here on FR too. Human nature.

[Black Tooth]

What city was that?

[RFEngineer]

That wasn't my point. Search, google, whatever if you must satisfy your curiousity. I'm not touching it here.

[SteveMcKing]

Does he think that looters know how to read anything?

[SauronOfMordor]

One of them -- a female quasi-humanoid mutant named Antoinette Frank -- actually killed three people (including a New Orleans cop responding to the scene) -- while holding up a Vietnamese restaurant.

She would have gotten away with it too, except the child of the owners hid in a refridgerator and fingered her as the shooter when she showed up later (responding in uniform). Frank killed the cop because the cop recognised her

[Black Tooth]

I know that wasn't your point, but you did madke the statement. I did a google search, and didn't find any other incidents of LEOs or firefighters joining in with looters.

Thanks.

[perfect stranger]

He's giving them the chance to read it.

If they didn't take heed of those words that would be their problem.

[OldFriend]

Lefists only want looters in Iraq shot dead.

Homegrown looters are a totally different story.