Posted on 08/31/2005 7:09:41 AM PDT by End Times Sentinel
NEW ORLEANS - At first it just seemed that the Wal-Mart in New Orleans' Lower Garden District was doing a very brisk post-hurricane business yesterday: The parking lot was full, people were leaving with brimming baskets, and city police and firefighters were there as if to oversee it all.
But people weren't going through the front door. They were squeezing between boards meant to protect the now-shattered glass from Hurricane Katrina's winds. One man was packing his van so full of computers, televisions and DVD players that he had trouble closing the rear doors. One woman was carrying three jugs of laundry detergent in a city with no power to run a washer.
As in so many past disasters elsewhere when crisis and chaos have replaced order and normalcy, a beleaguered New Orleans was beset by looters.
The widespread plundering started before Katrina had finished its onslaught Monday. That afternoon, looters broke into an emptied sporting-goods warehouse in Mid-City, a grocery in Treme, and the hardware center Uptown. In one instance, witnesses said, police were called but did nothing until one man shot another.
People said they had heard Wal-Mart had opened its doors to provide supplies for law-enforcement agencies sheltering the 10,000- plus people in the Louisiana Superdome. A Wal-Mart spokeswoman, Sharon Weber, said law enforcement, emergency-management teams, and relief agencies had "unwritten permission" to help themselves to whatever they need from Wal-Mart stores in times of crisis, but that standard procedure was for the police or aid officials to "leave us a list of what they take so they can pay us later."
At the Lower Garden District Wal-Mart, among the items seen being loaded into police cars were dozens of T-shirts, DVDs, and dog food.
But when law-enforcement officials went to get their goods, others - people of all ages and races - followed.
"They just came and no one could stop them," said David Brown, 38, a Port of New Orleans employee.
Brown and a coworker were filling their vehicle with dozens and dozens of canned goods - stews and chilis and Spaghetti-O's. Brown said the food would be used to feed the port's police and its employees, many of whom, like him, had worked nonstop since Saturday.
They were only taking essentials, he said, though a copy of Queen Latifah's Beauty Shop movie had apparently made that list.
Brown said the work showed no sign of easing.
"It's pretty bad," he said. "They've been calling for body bags all day."
Most streets in New Orleans were empty yesterday except for the hub around the Wal-Mart, in a section of the city that remained dry. People were everywhere: in cars and trucks, pushing goods in carts and baby carriages, dragging full trash cans and laundry baskets. The steady stream of cars caused a traffic jam on the streets near the store - the type of traffic jam last seen here when people tried to evacuate.
"Is everything free?" asked a woman who pulled up in a red car. Hearing "yes," she started to chant: "TV! TV! TV!"
Inside, a teenage boy held up a pair of blue lacy panties and snickered, "I want to see somebody in these so bad," before tossing them in his basket.
Another man used a table to break into one of the last unscathed jewelry cases.
A rumor that the National Guard had arrived sent people running toward the store's exit, shouting: "Come on! Come on!" But no one put down any merchandise, and the Guard rumor turned out to be false.
Some shoppers were oddly selective. One woman said she was taking only facial-care products. Another was pushing a cart filled with silk roses and baby's breath. In the pharmacy aisle, she leaned over the handle, pushing it slowly as she read labels the way a paying customer would.
But the overwhelming feeling was one of chaos - angry shouting, carts ramming, fast grabbing. When a teenage girl passed out face down between the baby clothes and a women's-sock display, people pushed past or stepped on her.
Joseph LoCascio of Picayune, Miss., stopped to try to help the girl. He rolled her over, and she vomited pink liquid all over her face and hair. He then rolled her back.
"People just walking around like they don't care," he said.
He and his friend Sandi Nolan, 21, of Baton Rouge, tried to revive the girl by pouring water, Gatorade and soda over her face and neck. It only left her shirt and hair soaked.
LoCascio tried to get a man in a firefighter T-shirt to treat the girl, but the man hesitated, saying: "She's breathing. If I took her, where would I take her?"
About 15 minutes later, a firefighter medic arrived and began checking the girl. Still, LoCascio and Nolan were furious at their fellow looters.
Both have infants being treated at Children's Hospital, New Orleans, and had come to get baby food and supplies.
"I've never seen people like this. I have drinks and chips, things I need," Nolan said. "They're getting chain saws and fishing poles, anything they can get for free."
As she and LoCascio left, she noticed he had at least a dozen DVDs in his basket, as well as baby formula and baby food. She laughed and pointed it out to him.
"They're for the kids, so they can watch them," he said. "Things like Finding Nemo."
Nolan laughed. "Don't worry," she said. "I got a few too."
People should wait before throwing money at the problem.
Only a fool will send aid.
Any aid dollars you send will 99% sure get into the wrong hands.
Also, remember the Red Cross just hid 4 terrorists in Iraq from US forces.
OE has a good one here.
BTW, it just hit me why this has been buging the Sh*t out me. The looting looks like the films I saw of the 67 Detroit riot.
I'm not sending one penny to the vermin infested zoo formerly called the city of New Orleans. They should raze the whole place down along with the looters and start anew.
But.....but.....but......I thought these *poor* looters had no transportation to leave the city ???
Remember the parable about the wheat and the cockle. The Lord is letting those who bear grow fruit to grow among the "weeds," which will also grow until the last day. Don't let it prevent you from helping those less fortunate. For every one looter, there are probably 5 people who aren't looting.
From what I am seeing on TV, it seems the looters are getting back at Wallmart for slavery.
You and I may not have lost EVERYTHING so far in our lives, but I hope I never behave as badly as those looters are right now.
Taking care of your family does not include stealing a TV or jewelry. You can still take care of your family by waiting a few hours until the Red Cross truck shows up with water and food.
Looting is wrong in so many ways. I too am reluctant to send money to looters and bad people.
Don't let the actions of a few deter you from helping all the others.
What is worse is that NO ONE from another country has offered so much as a kick in the ass to help our victims. NOT ONE!
Bring our ships that are helping other countries out and bring them home where they are needed more. WE COME FIRST.
So screw all you countries with short arms and deep pockets. You won't get a penny from this house from now on. I urge my fellow citizens to lobby their representatives to vote to remove our money from the UN. Its take, take, take, SCREW YOU.....
Yes, many of those who left probably have insurance, but from what I've been reading it may take 6 months to a year before the insurance companies are able to settle with everyone. In the mean time many of those people are going to end up in shelters or tent cities or whatever temporary housing FEMA and others are able to come up with. They are likely to end up needing the help of the various aid agencies before this is through. The same is true for those in the shelters or needing rescue and the aid agencies also provide food, water and shelter for the rescuers. You have to make your own decisions about your money obviously. I would just ask you to just take into account that there are far more people who are just trying to survive and take care of their families than there are those who are out breaking the law. Please don't penalize them for the actions of a few.
IMO his reaction is just. If the population of New Orleans and it's public officials have done NOTHING to quell the looting, they deserve NOTHING.
Any monies recieved right now will likely support exactly these people immediately, and they have shown absolutely NO regard for the people who owned the items they are stealing.
Those who left and are not participating in this animalistic activity, will be helped and aided in time. I will help when this behavior stops, and if it doesn't I will not help.
I'd be pretty mad at God right now too.
Why be mad at God? He wasn't in charge of the maint. and construction of the dikes and pumps.
Or so DU told me.
Good catch, this was all planned in advance. These people stayed specificly so they could loot.
I say torch the whole place.
We are talking NO here ... one of America's most crime ridden cities ... probably #1 in corruption within city agencies ... what did you expect?
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