Posted on 08/31/2005 5:40:37 AM PDT by Proud_USA_Republican
NEW ORLEANS — With much of the city flooded by Hurricane Katrina, looters floated garbage cans filled with clothing and jewelry down the street in a dash to grab what they could. In some cases, looting on Tuesday took place in full view of police and National Guard troops. At a Walgreen's drug store in the French Quarter (search), people were running out with grocery baskets and coolers full of soft drinks, chips and diapers. When police finally showed up, a young boy stood in the door screaming, "86! 86!" — the radio code for police — and the crowd scattered. Denise Bollinger, a tourist from Philadelphia, stood outside and snapped pictures in amazement. "It's downtown Baghdad," the housewife said. "It's insane. I've wanted to come here for 10 years. I thought this was a sophisticated city. I guess not." Around the corner on Canal Street, the main thoroughfare in the central business district, people sloshed headlong through hip-deep water as looters ripped open the steel gates on the front of several clothing and jewelry stores. One man, who had about 10 pairs of jeans draped over his left arm, was asked if he was salvaging things from his store. "No," the man shouted, "that's EVERYBODY'S store." Looters filled industrial-sized garbage cans with clothing and jewelry and floated them down the street on bits of plywood and insulation as National Guard (search) lumbered by. Mike Franklin stood on the trolley tracks and watched the spectacle unfold. "To be honest with you, people who are oppressed all their lives, man, it's an opportunity to get back at society," he said. The rest of the story is at the link.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Sadly, they tried that and it didn't work.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1473997/posts
I would NEVER defend looting, but I would certainly HOPE that the police priority would be given to finding survivors and helping people who need help. If a looter, arms full of loot, runs by a group of policemen who are carrying an injured person, I'd certainly be horrifed to see them drop the person and run after the looter. I know that is an extreme example, but you get the gist. Jewelry, electronics, any material thing is just a material thing. Saving human life and relieving suffering takes precedence here IMO.
Yes I would. Even flipping burgers is an honorable job. Prostituting herself puts her in a position of being killed, either immediately by her "trick" or long term with STDs. That's taking good care of her kids, eh?
A Wal-Mart that sells Rolex watches? Where is that Wal-Mart?
Not blaming themselves for having created this permanent, amoral underclass, the unrepentant liberals must back them by implying noble motivation for their thievery and (keep watching your telly) assault, mayhem and murder.
What if a citizen uses a LEGAL firearm?
Don't even bother to try to clarify that point as far as some of the folks around here are concerned. I tried to explain the difference in my view about taking needed food and water as opposed to taking TVs and such. One guy was so blind running mad about that he posted the same comment twice to tell me how "disgusted" he was.
"I have children and I would not steal to feed them."
Maybe you would go back later and pay? You would really let them dehydrate or starve in front of your very eyes?
OK, I'm not as conservative as you, and I don't think I want to be...
"I have children and I would not steal to feed them."
You would sit around and watch them starve? Sure. Right now, there is no ability to get relief into these people and distribute food. They don't have a means to get to these people yet. Many of these communities are basically lakes. This food that they are looting is probably going to end up in a dumpster after this is all over anyway. And its insane to think that the Red Cross or state police is going to confiscate the food in the stores and start rationing it out anyway.
Until we have real service available for these people, we need to understand that all many of them want to do is survive. I by no means am condoning looting - all I'm saying is that the idea that we should shoot looters of food on site is insane. Also, the idea of condemning these people for what they are doing in this catastrophe is flat wrong. Until you go through something like this - you can't begin to imagine what goes through a person's mind. I know I can't.
I agree.
I hope they drown trying to save that stolen flat screen.
You say that now while their bellies are full and they have clothes on their backs and they're all warm (or cool) and comfortable, but what if some catastrophe occurred and they were starving to death or freezing to death?
Its easy to be a saint in paradise.
You obviously have chosen to ignore the facts behind the looting. They are not limiting their activities to acquiring the necesseties of life, they are stealing loads of electronics, clothing and just about anything they can get their hands on.
So, let's recap the situation. The choice was made to have the children you mention in the post, without the means to properly care for the children. The choice was made to live in a city built lower than sea level and surrounded by water. The choice was made each election day to elect reps that did nothing to improve the infrastructure of their levee system. The choice was made to remain in the area when the evacuation orders were issued.
At what point are people held responsible for their choices?
Most of those looters look like highly mobile, active, healthy people--people who could and should hve gotten out of the city when they were given fair warning to do so. No money for them.
What I cannot understand is why these able bodied looters are not helping with the search and rescue and cleanup operations. I believe that they could be helpful in some way.
"At what point are people held responsible for their choices?"
As a GWB compassionate conservative, I think that the reality of the situation is that many of these folks have probably never had a choice in their lives. Sure there are the evil ones, and they deserve the worst, but, my God, we can't imagine the desperation of these people - how dare we judge?
They didn't leave because they are dumb..let evolution work....and by the way..after a couple of days ..these "helpless Looters' will start killing people...
they had time to leave
they had time to prepare
they are dumb....plain fact
Have you been to New Orleans? Overall it is a trashy city, but the French Quarter is not a "gheto" (sic) as you put it. It is a tourist trap.
Fox News said MRE's are being flown into the Superdome.
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