The guy on the left doesn't look too terribly black to me.
Posted on 08/30/2005 12:59:42 PM PDT by LM_Guy
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 today took place in full view of police and National Guard troops.
At a Walgreen's drug store in the French Quarter, 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 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.
A man walked down Canal Street with a pallet of food on his head. His wife, who refused to give her name, insisted they weren't stealing from the nearby Winn-Dixie supermarket. "It's about survival....
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
Did you notice that proclamation from the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake? Why do you suppose it was necessary to issue that?
The instances where society has broken down in the United States in the past 100 years are exceedingly few and far between.
Just like with the insurgents in Iraq, police/soldiers should tail the reporters, because the reporters seem to find all the bad guys. I hope at least the police take the video and find the guy after this is all over. Unfortunately, I don't think after-the-fact shooting for looters is appropriate.
""To be honest with you, people who are oppressed all their lives, man, it's an opportunity to get back at society," he said"
Gimme a freakin' break.
The usual suspects w/the usual crapola.
In law, there is the defense of "necessity". The axiom "any port in a storm" applies. However the concept requires COMPENSATION after the fact.
It is a question of intent. Food speak of intent to live. TV speaks of intent to steal.
After hurrican andrew people learned AMMO an important hurricane survival tool.
Well, after eating all the canned gumbo, gotta have something for dessert you know.
careful there. you are liable to get a 'shoot guns' thing going here on FR, much like 'series. vey series'.
LOL - are you kidding?
Not in this nice-nice we-feel-sorry-for-criminals liberal society.
Fresh food is one thing, but clothing and jewelry is something entirely different.
>The instances where society has broken down in the United States in the past 100 years are exceedingly few and far between.
Perhaps you don't remember the almost annual summer riots of the 60s, Burn, Baby, Burn; and the aftermath of Dr. King, Rodney King and any open door at a King Kullen supermarket!
You bring up a good point. Some of these looter are so corrupot, they might claim food poisoning either from the looted food, or from what is provided by relief agencies. The the lawsuits will fly and that part of the country, juries ahve been traditionally very sympathetic to the poor plantiff. That's in the area where all the class action lawsuits get tried because the juries are so generous.
meet your neighbors....
actually, this should point out to people that we are not so "civilized" a world after all.
As a man with many Black friends, I not comdemming a race. I'm feeling sorry for those who must sit and watch this.
How come they are only taking pictures of black and hispanic criminals. Are the news agencies Racist or something. Do you realize how much money would be saved if a few thousand thugs were shot?
The "food for survival" argument always tickles me. It is based on the notion that these people had no food in their houses to begin with. If Atlanta were flooded out today, I'm sure I could still live for another 2-3 weeks on whatever is in the pantry. It won't be great food, and it won't be complete meals, but it'll be enough to keep me going until order is restored. It'll definitely be enough to keep me from going out and stealing from local merchants.
BTW - how much of that food will not be covered by insurance because it cannot be proved to have been in inventory? Consider that when cutting these people slack for stealing 'necessities'.
Those riots were race-based riots to begin with.
Clean clothes are needed as well....and you must be able to properly accessorize for the news cameras.
"A looter carries a bucket of beer out of a grocery store"
He will probably be dead tomorrow from dehydration.
Looters stealing food and water to feed their family have my blissing. Looters who steal because they are "getting back at society"... can drink their own sewer.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.