New Orleans Didn’t Just Go Nuts -- It’s Been Nuts

New Orleans Didn’t Just Go Nuts -- It’s Been Nuts by Mac Johnson Posted Sep 6, 2005

Where to even begin in being one more idiot talking about Hurricane Katrina? I hate the subject. It should be a news item and a humanitarian cause --a huge recovery and reconstruction effort joined in by all. It should not be a political issue fit for “commentary.”

But the Hurricane tore at more than just the weaknesses in New Orleans’ inadequate levees. The shortcomings of the levee system were known to all who ever lived on the Gulf Coast, and in the end, all the levees really did was encourage expanded development in a huge geologic bowl sitting between a large lake, North America’s mightiest river, and the immense green waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The whole booby-trap was simply yet another triumph of government subsidized and directed development. And its failure was long anticipated.

First out of the gate were the Holy Men of the Cult of Global Warming, who couldn’t wait for the first dead to wash up before they declared the Hurricane irrefutable proof of Global Warming and a direct responsibility of George W. Bush.

Next up were the racial ambulance chasers, always looking for another grievous injury to add to their political caseload. Looking at the Sea of Black faces abandoned without transportation, food, water or protection, they somehow managed to look past the City’s Black Mayor, Black Police Chief, Black City Council members and all the other Black office holders that run the 67% Black city, and found that the whole thing was: white folks’ fault. Yet another example of racism at its worst.

This opened up a torrent of Bush-bashing, since he was the closest Republican that had any responsibility for the City. The Democratic Governor of Louisiana -- though white -- was merely a victim of the whole thing it seems, just like the Mayor of New Orleans. Nobody has any power in this world other than George Bush. Nobody has any responsibility. George Bush is now the navel of the world for his enemies. If a butterfly flaps its wings in Central Park, it’s George Bush’s fault. And the butterfly is racist. And it was blown there by Global Warming.

And at some point during the disaster, the most disturbing of all the infighting began. The thugs of New Orleans turned on their neighbors like a Mongol horde. Looting erupted, as did arson and robberies, shootings and beatings. Rape became an organized crime as gangs preyed on the defenseless stranded girls of New Orleans. Pharmacies were looted and hospitals were surrounded and invaded in a manic hunt for drugs. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin couldn’t stop such junkie armies from destroying much of what was left of the City’s medical infrastructure, but he could excuse them, explaining that it was all just people “looking for something to take the edge off their jones, if you will.” Actually, no, I won’t. (The mayor added a few minutes later in the same interview: “You know, I'm not one of those drug addicts. I am thinking very clearly.” And nobody said different, Mayor.)

Barbarians with an edgy jones shot a cop in the head, shot a national guardsman, halted life-saving evacuations by firing on helicopters and humvees. Police had to mow down a gang of six shooting at contractors who came to repair the levee breaches. A group of white civilians that came into the city in private boats to save as many refugees as they could -- giving lie to the racism howls of the media -- gave up and turned back because people began shooting at them, trying to take their boats.

Soldiers who should be concentrating on rescue operations are carrying full battle gear through the streets of an American City, opening doors with rifles at the ready. Overnight, it seems, The Big Easy had become Thunderdome, and Mad Max was nowhere to be found. In the middle of the worst American natural disaster in over a century, gang warfare, anti-authority psychosis and individual malevolence finished off the hope of tens of thousands that had survived the flood. It did more to demoralize the nation than the storm had done.

The storm may have triggered the violence, but it did not cause it. What we saw in New Orleans was what happens in America’s most murderous city when the criminals realize that all the cops have left.

It wasn’t desperation, or insanity, or protest. It was New Orleans, without police.

Many people believe that Washington, D.C., is the “murder capital of America.” And indeed it often is, but that is only because such rankings are limited to “major cities” –those with a population of 500,000 or more, and New Orleans has (or had) a population of 485,000. Were it not for this actuarial accident, Washington, D.C.. wouldn’t even have a shot at the murder title. The per capita murder rate in New Orleans is 16% higher than in “Murder Capital” Washington, D.C.; and nearly 10 times the national average. To have a murder rate equal to that of New York City, New Orleans would need to reduce its murders by 86%. No, that’s not a typo.

At a time when crime is plummeting in most of America, it has been steadily increasing in New Orleans. And one cause is simple: The New Orleans City Government has run its law enforcement apparatus into the ground. On a per capita basis, New Orleans has less than half as many cops as Washington, D.C.: just 3.1 police officers per 1,000 citizens. Turnover has become a huge issue, as young cops leave at the first opportunity. A report conducted for the city two years ago said that New Orleans was “bleeding police officers.”

The strain shows. Fewer than one in four murder cases in New Orleans results in a conviction. 42% of violent offenders have their charges dropped by prosecutors because the cases are “not suitable for court.” Many in New Orleans will not now testify against the thugs that they know -- more likely than not -- are going to be released Scot-free. People don’t even bother calling the police in New Orleans anymore. In 2004, academic Researchers conducted an experiment in which they had police fire 700 blank rounds into the air, in a single afternoon, in one neighborhood. No one -- not one person -- called to report the gunfire. It was background noise.

The report on police levels mentioned above stated that New Orleans needs 2,000 cops just to maintain order in normal times. When Katrina struck, the city had only 1,700. No more than 1,500 are on duty now, after dislocation, desertions, resignations, and two suicides.

There is no wonder the place went chaotic. There should be no mystery. It is barely under control on a good day.

Why are the cops leaving? They are utterly demoralized. They face low pay to fight a losing war against crime in a city that will not commit resources to the battle. “We have to use our own shotguns," one patrolman was quoted in the New York Times. "This isn't theirs; this is my personal gun."

They are demoralized because they have to bear the reputation of working in what is widely acknowledged as the most corrupt police department in the country. More than fifty NOPD officers were sent to prison in the 1990’s, two of them to death row.

They are demoralized because they have to live in New Orleans, due to a strict residency requirement for police. And unless you are wealthy enough to live in the perpetual party of the Vieux Carre, New Orleans is not a nice place to live -- especially for those with children. 84% of officers with children reported sending them to private or parochial schools, at their own expense. That’s quite an endorsement of Mayor Nagin’s schools.

So they leave, and are not replaced. It is not just “white flight” either, for those that want to see the world through racial lenses. Most of those leaving are black officers.

All this is not to say that New Orleans has had no plan to reduce its high crime statistics. For a while, one police district tried lying about the statistics. It meant letting some violent thugs go (and with an edge on their joneses, I’m told), but it was cheaper than fighting real crime; and it kept the tourists coming.

Asked if such lying meant that perhaps the NOPD should have its stats audited by an outside agency, Police Chief Eddie Compass stated, “I don't need an outside agency coming in. I think we have proven that we are capable of taking care of our own house.”

This is the same Chief that now screams on camera for outside agencies to just take over. As soon as order is restored, you can bet the New Orleans City Government will rediscover its need for independence -- and privacy.

The overnight crisis we saw in New Orleans this week has been a long time coming. It was just the bursting of a purulent boil that has been festering for years.

Undoubtedly, that is Bush’s fault as well. Perhaps his Global Warming has been putting an edge on criminal’s joneses, unbeknownst to the City Government. Mr. Johnson is a freelance writer and medical researcher living in Cambridge, MA. His published commentaries can be viewed at www.macjohnson.com.

The answer to that "major cities" anomaly is simple: arbitrarily round up the population to 500,000 when calculating the per capita murder rate. That means increasing the population - thus decreasing the per capita murder rate - of NO by 3%. You then change
"The per capita murder rate in New Orleans
is 16% higher than in “Murder Capital” Washington, D.C"
to read,
"The per capita murder rate in New Orleans, as a major city,
is 13% higher than in “Murder Capital” Washington, D.C."
If New Orleans is the den of iniquity this article describes, what are the chances that the mayor - or the governor of LA - are the second coming of Elliot Ness? This really sounds like a job for Rudi Guiliani. Absent strong oversight we can't possibly afford to rebuild New Orleans.
Gee, what are the chances that the traditionally corruption-free political home of Bill Clinton would be right next door to a cesspool of corruption like Louisiana? </sarcasm>

---Why are the cops leaving? They are utterly demoralized. They face low pay to fight a losing war against crime in a city that will not commit resources to the battle. “We have to use our own shotguns," one patrolman was quoted in the New York Times. "This isn't theirs; this is my personal gun."---

This has been the problem for forever there. Back in the 70ss and 80s it wasn't uncommon for policemen with more than three kids to qualify for foodstamps. The city didn't even pick up all of their salary - the state supplemented it and it was still not very good.

And there was an attitude about paying cops. A friend of mine once said, "It's a very good salary for someone with only a high school degree."

People complained about graft and corruption and brutality in the police force. Back when I paid attention to this, which was probably in the 80s, lot of times blacks were hoping white cops would respond because they felt the black cops were more likely to be brutal.

Yet no one was willing to do what it took to get quality people and retain them.

And they didn't have enough to do the job the city needed, anyway.

Slogan for years has been the city that care forgot, but in many ways, it was the city that forgot to care.

Thanks, Angel.

I've read *several* excellent essays attempting to assess "the situation" since yesterday's reading of Whittle's magnificent work.
Seems to really have touched a nerve unlike anything I've witnessed in my life, that's for certain.

Be that as it may peeling away all the onion's layers reveals at the core they all essentially arrive at the same place, say the same thing:

"Next up were the racial ambulance chasers, always looking for another grievous injury to add to their political caseload. Looking at the Sea of Black faces abandoned without transportation, food, water or protection, they somehow managed to look past the City’s Black Mayor, Black Police Chief, Black City Council members and all the other Black office holders that run the 67% Black city, and found that the whole thing was: white folks’ fault. Yet another example of racism at its worst."

"Racists" all?

Take it or leave it.
Argue "pro" or "con" until the cows come home & you're blue in the face.
Apply all the denial you can stand, if that's your bag.
But nothing alters the glaring, ugly reality of what happened.
*Nothing*.

Truth speaks louder than anything, or anyone.

...& thank God at least that's still true.

I didn’t die once. :)

and I’m certainly not making excuses for anyone in response to the guy who smells...something. What some of the people do and did there is unforgivable, that the democrats have been making certain parts of the populous there prone to buy into their victim mentalities, getting them dependant on welfare and not making the area appealing to do business in, less your business is connected to the tourism industry, is old news to me, and not a new contempt that washed in with katrina.

New Orleans is lovely though; there are a lot of good people there whom celebrate life and each other in daily generosity, courtesy and good will. Aside from some of the greatest people I have met, as I’ve traveled a little, the city its self is inspiring in its history, culture nature and architecture. And any republican, constitutionalist and libertarian should be able to appreciate the social structure the cajuns who still enjoy their independence in the communities deep in the swamp, far away and untouched from the crap currupt government running the state into the ground. If you’ve had the rare pleasure, you understand its charm.

Incredible !!

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Exactly on the money!

In the late 1980's I was enrolled at the Tulane School of Engineering during the day and cleaned office buildings in Jefferson Parish at night for survival $$$(NOTE:Middle class family, on partial scholarships, NOT rich).

One year I moved closer to campus to save time and $$$. That year there were 8 murders within a 12 block radius of my rented basement apartment and a female classmate was mugged(severely beaten in the face almost to the point of not being able to see). At that time, a 45 S&W was purchased and carried concealed full-time when I went to and from my night job. It probably saved my life one time at night while I waited for a red light on an intersection of Earhart(on the Orleans Parish side) in a not-so-good part of the area. As my car was approached(in an area known to NOPD as a car-jacking light) by three folks who seemed very interested in my 1985 Nissan...the 45 was simply displayed(vertical toward the roof of my car) and a round was loudly racked while I looked in their direction with a "bring it on" face. They quickly scattered to seek the more defenseless.

Glad we moved to Texas. The "bad" memories fade and the good ones stay. I don't want to go back but will remember times like this:

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

There are a lot of truly decent people in New Orleans. (Or there used to be.) I haven't lived there since the mid-80s, but yes, it was always a place where you had to keep your wits about you. Think about its history: it started out being a pirate's haven, and pirates continued to walk freely in the city under the noses of the several governments which ruled it.

That said, if, Heaven forbid, a disaster as large as this one struck almost any city in the country, you'd have a similar situation. Without authority, any city is vulnerable to the same elements.

When we drive into Oklahoma city in the early morning hours before dawn to drop cattle off at the stockyards, we have to pass through an area that is riddled with gangs. After dark, that part of town is just about "theirs." It's not a safe place to be outside of your vehicle, or if you should run out of gas while driving through it.

Many times, they fan out to other areas, including rural places like the small town just a few miles from us. They recruit more gang members, and they bring their gang wars to the farmland.

New Orleans was bad, I'm not saying it wasn't. I am, however, saying that what happened right up front in New Orleans is going on where it can't be seen as well in most, if not all, cities.

Yes, another truly major reason. Many of these thugs are cowards. One night I was late getting off work, and caught a bus home after dark. Someone thought I'd make a good mugging candidate, and snuck up behind me and tried to grab my purse. I swung around and started beating him with my (closed) umbrella, and literally chased him down the street calling him some very unladlylike names. He ran like a little scared chicken.

Yes, good points. One of the policemen who used to come to our neighborhood watch meetings told us that there wasn't even a health benefits program for the police. This was in the mid-80s. We couldn't fathom the concept of no health care for someone in a dangerous line of work.

Absolutely. Too many people here on Free Republic think New Orleans is only the French Quarter, and that its only residents are the ones we saw looting and pillaging.

No one saw the many good people who risked everything to help their neighbors, like the two nurses who stayed behind to help at the hospital, rather than bug out with all their friends and families.

They got a brief mention on Fox, then they returned to the regular menu of looting and pillaging. There are many stories like this one, but they're not being reported. Looting and pillaging is the only thing they want to publicize.

After carefully re-reading derdy's post, my reply was wrong and out of order. I apologise.
I incorrectly construed the reporting of sniping, rape, and assault as giving such behavior a pass. That is not the case. I appreciate you bringing this to my attention. No need to send me a dunce cap, since the one that I have on is uncomfortable.

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