Do you catch the reference to the post-mortem report on the 1968 Demorat convention in Chicago that called the reaction of the authorities a "Police Riot?"
I didn't see the reference, but I remember it well. The difference perhaps, is this: in '68 the Chicago cops ceded their authority by letting their anger and frustration get the best of them. In New Orleans, the news media claimed authority by celebrating their anger and frustration at the Bush administration.