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 ...
What I'm not ignoring is that many people in this thread are condemning all looters without considering that many of them are doing so for what they perceive to be survival purposes. Anybody that is stealing tv sets and jewelry now is a bad person. I have no sympathy for these people. Do I think that any attention should be paid to them right now - No! Worrying about looting right now would only take the limited resources needed to save lives. An earlier post made this argument perfectly.
It's a little late in the game to start with - they made their bed, now they can lie in it. Are you really advocating just letting these people die? In the US we have a long history of helping people that don't necessarily deserve it. We do so because we care about the person and find value in the human lives that is not dependent upon what type of person they are or what past choices they have made.
I am only talking about the people that are looting for food and toilet paper (there are some things that are just as important as a good man sandwich).
What if the store owner was counting on the stock of food and water in his store to feed his children? Would the looting of it still be acceptable? What if the looters decided to steal food from you and your family to feed their family?
The bottom line is that the people you are painting as desperate people trying to do their best to ensure their familiy survival are actually actively harming other people in the process.
"I think that the reality of the situation is that many of these folks have probably never had a choice in their lives."
Good one. The man just holds them down and they are victims for life.
I've been to NO. The company I work for has an office across the street from the Superdome. They occupy 4 or 5 floors of a skyscraper. I've stayed in the Hyatt there a few times. If you walk 3 or 4 blocks out of the French quarter... you're in "the projects".
Yep. The DUmmies are LOVING it. Check out the last DUmmie FUnnies.
By condoning their behaviour now, you are ensuring that in the next disaster these same people will fail to evacuate. By allowing them to behave in this manner, you are creating more danger in the future for them.
There was a mandatory evacuation order, though I understand many didn't possess the means to get out. I would guess some were too lazy or indifferent to seek help.
This may not sound funny, but why didn't the looters use the shopping carts they stole before Katrina?
Share that thought with a young entrepreneur who is working his a$$ off 20 hours a day trying to keep the less than 1% gain that his little retail business is netting him. I would hope your family would not be the one mistaken for a REAL looter and shot on sight by a very frustrated business owner.
Typical liberal/islamist mindset.
Claim victimhood to legitamize savage behavior.
Well said.
Will be very interesting to watch these looting rocket scientists try to get their bling on rescue boats. Will they whine "I worked hard for that &*&^. I had to use THREE good chairs to break the window and I cut my leg when I got into the store. Now I don't get to keep my stuff. Somebody needs to pay me back."
I don't think the kids are eating DVD players.
I can understand people taking water and food during all this, but big-screen tvs? Come on. Where they gonna plug them in with no electricity??
How heartless you are. They are still voters.
The storm forced all the motivated people away and left the welfare types behind. Their welfare system no longer works, and they are angry. They didn't mind playing the roll of "victim" their whole lives as long as there was a paycheck in it. The Democrats started this "entitlement" process, by convincing them they were "oppressed", and now they'll blame the Republicans for the looting... The looters are looting on borrowed time. Their day won't last long in N.O. Should they get "evacuated" to another town, expect big time looting to occur there as well. In order to expand their voter base, the Democrats will welcome them with open arms...
Link please
Good point. Why would I contribute after watching all that looting? Ain't gonna happen.
"Share that thought with a young entrepreneur who is working his a$$ off 20 hours a day..."
Ok, why "make the choice" to invest in your future in an area that is so vulnerable to begin with?
What's good for the goose....
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