Posted on 08/30/2005 10:14:57 AM PDT by aomagrat
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — With much of the city emptied by Hurricane Katrina, some opportunists took advantage of the situation by looting stores.
snip...
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."
snip...
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.
snip...
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 lumbered by.
snip...
"To be honest with you, people who are oppressed all their lives, man, it's an opportunity to get back at society," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...
And bankers too...
from http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050831/ap_on_re_us/katrina_new_orleans
Sean Jeffries of New Orleans had already been evacuated from one French Quarter hotel when he was ordered out of a second hotel Tuesday because of rising water. The 37-year-old banker — who admitted to looting some food from a nearby supermarket — said the hotel guests were told they were being taken to a convention center, but from there, they didn't know. "We're in the middle of a national tragedy," he said as he popped purloined grapes in his mouth. "But I know this city. We will be back. It may take awhile. But we will be back."
Time to start shooting them as a deterrent...
Not the bankers!!!!
What a mess. My neightbor was in New Orleans till Sunday and he said there was absolutely no panic in the French Quarter about the hurricane. He could not believe how lightly people were taking the evacuation.
Blanco can't shoot the looters because they are the Democrat voters that put her into office. In fact, many of them probably voted for her several times in the last election. LA certainly is suffering for their mistake.
She'd sure want to shoot them when she realizes that the looters aren't paying any taxes on their ill gotten booty.
I was in NO once as a hurricain was approaching. I packed up and went to the airport as soon as I got the news. I went standby on the first plane that came closest to home. It took 24 hours to get home but I got out. Usually you can get on some plane. If not, the Grayhound bus will run right up until the last minute.
Just on Fox, some woman New Orleans official begging for the feds to send soldiers in. Could have been Louisiana's Gov.
Thats what we did in Charleston when Hugo came through...city officials said looters would be shot...didn't see a whole lot of looting after Hugo.
The '01 Seattle quake was a joy ride. Nothing like the devastation in the South right now.
'89 SF was no joy ride
Lawsuits could finally breach the City's last defences, flooding in from every angle, and submerging the last hopes of raising Atlantis.
A FEMA chief put a reporter in his place when he started to ask about looting. FEMA said "we'll talk about that in a year or so but not now"!!
It should be amazing to see how this all pans out. I can understand the hardship, and even looting out of necessity (i.e. food, clothing, etc.). But when someone takes a T.V. or a stereo out of a store during the aftermath of a disaster like this, no one can honestly defend them. The ACLU may try.
No doubt a race card will be played. When that doesn't work, the federal government will be attacked for not doing enough to help prevent/clean up the disaster.
Never mind that these so called "stranded" individuals have begun taking pot-shots at the helicopters that are trying to rescue them. In my humble opinion, any necessary step should be taken to protect the lives of the military and rescue personell involved in these operations. Put a Nat'l Gaurd sniper with a trusty M-25 on one of those choppers. Impose martial law. Since the looters don't care about the rights or property of others, why should we care about theirs? If youtake a pot-shot at the chopper, expect a round right back. These people are putting themselves in harms way to rescue the people of New Orleans.
Show some respect.
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