Katrina: Looting

[j0nes 0]

It's hard to say what I would do in that situation....

Would I loot (steal) food, botteled water, diapers.... maybe.

Would I loot(steal) electronics or luxury items, no fricken way.

It's easy for those of us not in the situation to sit back and judge.

[Gravitymaster 0]

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President bush should declare martial law and looters should be shot on sight.

I think shot on sight is a touch much, but a good 2-3 minute beat down would be in order I think.

A butt full of rock salt would do wonders.

[gemini 0]

Although it was a different time (1900), the Galveston Hurricane killed 5-8K and stranded the city from outside help since it is on an island.

Martial law was immediately declared because looters were stealing not only from homes and businesses, but from the dead.

I don't recall how many looters were shot, but basically if you were caught looting you were shot.

Again, I can understand people needing/stealing food and water, diapers, even medical supplies (e.g., basic human needs), but this has gotten out of hand while the authorities wring their hands.

Blue skies,

Jim

[jdhill 0]

Well, they are moving many of the 25K from the Superdome to the Astrodome... Since there were only 9K in the Superdome during the storm itself, I'd venture to guess some that have gone there after the storm participated in the looting... hopefully they got the looting out of their system becasue the cops here aren't nearly as distracted, and the corner store still has the guy with the gun behind the counter...

J

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke

[freethefly 6]

Saw this morning that some are stealing food, water and other items and selling them at the shelters. I liken these people to be much like the oil companies. When an item is most needed someone will profit. Sad world. As far as shooting these people as some suggest, that is also a sad response. Besides what will they do with all the bodies? Seems we live in a world reversed.

"...And once you're gone, you can't come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black."
Neil Young

[jdhill 0]

I guess you are getting at the fact that the 1st photo calls the subjects, who are black, looters and in the 2nd, where the subjects are white, they are called residents, and they found the bread and soda... At face value, I could see where someone might see that as some sort of racial bias... and I' not saying that its not, but...

I'm not sure what the editorial practices are for photo captions, but they are from two different services, and two different photographers, (not sure if they came of the same websites) which could account for the difference in perspective and caption.

You can also not account for what the photograhper saw before taking the picture... they may have seen the looting actually happen, or seen the others pick the stuff up off the street...

Not saying that any of that has anything to do with the captions, but there is an alternative to the racism card...

J

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke

[Treejumps 0]

The whole town is being evacuated, there won't be power there for months, and the homes of these looters areprobably destroyed. What to do... Oh I guess I'll grab a nice 50" flatscreen TV. So typical. Give lowlife people a chance and a reason and they steal anything not nailed down.

[Rookie120 0]

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A butt full of rock salt would do wonders.

This is true, but I think a 3-4 minute beat down would do better. Ass whoopin always worked on me when I was a kid.

If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

[billvon 3,085]

> I think that shooting them on sight is definitely not out of the question.

Hmm. If I were stuck in the Superdome with a few thousand starving people, I might just strike out to a local store to see what kind of food/water I could get. If it was open I'd buy it; if it wasn't (and there were no other options) I would take what I could and bring it back. Heck, if I had a gun, I'd take that too to protect myself against people who figure they'd like to shoot me on sight. It would be too bad if two people ended up dead (and a lot of people ended up starving) because someone wanted to be a vigilante.

New Orleans has been destroyed and tens of thousands of people are facing massive food and water shortages. Dozens have already died of exposure, and dehydration. That's more important than losing bread and water from a store.

[Hambone 0]

I couldn't agree more. I think that taking food and water is one thing, But loading up TV's VCR's DVD Player's and Computer's till your car doors won't close is totally disgusting. If you are hungry and thirsty then you would get water, and food. But taking TV's and Luxury goods don't do you any good. Just cuz their was a hurricane and destruction all around that doesn't give you any right to upgrade your entertainment center. That was my point, not that i didn't think people should survive. I am all for doing what ever they have to to survive. I didn't mean for my statment to be taken that way, and am sorry that it was, it was not my intention to insinuate that people should die instead of take water and perrishable items in order to survive.
It is like nothing anyone has ever experienced, these people have lost everything. They are definitly in my thoughts and prayers!

Yeah...You need to grow up. -Skymama

[pajarito 0]

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New Orleans has been destroyed and tens of thousands of people are facing massive food and water shortages. Dozens have already died of exposure, and dehydration. That's more important than losing bread and water from a store.

Right. Check out the news. A bunch of them feel like they need a new TV and car stereo to go along with that bread and water. It's nice of you to come to the defense of these thugs, though. Somebody's got to do it... I guess.

[Hambone 0]

*** It's nice of you to come to the defense of these thugs, though. Somebody's got to do it... I guess.

[billvon 3,085]

>I think that taking food and water is one thing, But loading up TV's
> VCR's DVD Player's and Computer's till your car doors won't close is
> totally disgusting.

Yep, both disgusting and selfish. You see both the best and the worst in people at times like this.

[billvon 3,085]

>It's nice of you to come to the defense of these thugs, though.
>Somebody's got to do it... I guess.

Hey, if you were in that situation, you'd be breaking plate glass windows to get food/water for your family - and I'd be defending you too. I wouldn't even call you a thug!

[pajarito 0]

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Hey, if you were in that situation, you'd be breaking plate glass windows to get food/water for your family - and I'd be defending you too. I wouldn't even call you a thug!

No. I would have gotten the F-out (with my family) when I saw that thing barreling towards me on the weather channel. If I was there, however, you're right in that I would be doing whatever I could to survive. I think I could live without the 10 TV's from Wal-Mart that I didn't pay for though. I'm seeing parking lots full of people just stealing shit on the news. I wish they could round up all those people and prosecute them later. Pisses me off.

[jlmiracle 7]

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If I were stuck in the Superdome with a few thousand starving people, I might just strike out to a local store to see what kind of food/water I could get.

Its only been a few days, these people aren't starving to death. Apparently though they believe they are entitled to take ANYTHING, including TV, computers, multiple pairs of shoes, clothing (its pretty hot down there what do they need 50 pairs of jeans for), basketball, etc. etc. etc.

I can't believe anyone would defend THESE people.

j

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

[billvon 3,085]

>Its only been a few days, these people aren't starving to death.

How long can you go without water?

>Apparently though they believe they are entitled to take ANYTHING, including TV . . .

Like I said before, I think the people stealing TV's are selfish criminals. But I would hesitate to shoot someone with a bag of loot, only to find out the loot was bottled water and diapers. And with the state that New Orleans is in now, it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that that's happening as well.

It's all well and good to sit in front of a screen in an air conditioned room and say how awful thieves are. But I think if you found yourself in the same situation, you'd find yourself tempted to steal - if only to get yourself water.

[Keith 0]

Interesting how you make things up to support your position

Keith

Don't Fuck with me Keith - J. Mandeville

[pajarito 0]

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Interesting how you make things up to support your position

Like what?

[Keith 0]

The people from the superdome aren't the people doing the looting. The people doing the looting are the people who stuck it out in there homes. The people doing the looting are certainly starving and suffering from dehydration.

Keith

Don't Fuck with me Keith - J. Mandeville

[Keith 0]

Like Bill is supporting looting luxury goods that's what.

Keith

Don't Fuck with me Keith - J. Mandeville

[Hambone 0]

What we are dealing with here is a Slippery Slope. We all know what we would do. But we aren't in that situation and God Forbid we ever are. I an sickend by the fact that people are pushing buggys full of clothes and carrying TV's from Walmart. It saddens me that people feel that it is acceptable. Mostly because it means that the police are having to be pulled off of what ever search and rescue they are preforming to deal with Hoodlums taking TV's. Before you say it i know that there are even Police involved in this, and that sickens me too. But no one knows for sure what we would do, or how we would react. I can only hope and pray that most of us never have to find out. Its a sad day, and will take quite a while for things to return to normal if they ever do. But stealing for sport is dispicable nomatter the cause. Stealing for survival is accepted and understood.

Yeah...You need to grow up. -Skymama

[jlmiracle 7]

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The people from the superdome aren't the people doing the looting. The people doing the looting are the people who stuck it out in there homes. The people doing the looting are certainly starving and suffering from dehydration.

So I guess the report of looters selling food and water at the shelters is wrong?

Those people were hardly starving - had enough energy to run way when confronted.

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

[Keith 0]

Judy you're such a bastion of compassion. I would guess that, yes, the reports are wrong. The shelters are being run by the Red Cross and the National Guard. I doubt people at the shelters have the resources to pay for food. Besides I don't think it would be too smart to fence stolen food in front of the National Guard and Red Cross.

Keith

Don't Fuck with me Keith - J. Mandeville

[kelpdiver 2]

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I think that shooting them on sight is definitely not out of the question. Though it is a sor t of moral delima. DO you only shoot the people that are taking to ridiculous stuff, like TV's and computers, and dvd players; or do you deal with everyone...

Even with due process, we've executed innocent people. And many of you want to skip over the due process bit?

I don't disagree with the sentiment, at least for those looting non essential goods. (Given that bread will spoil anyway, have a hard time worrying about it).

But I'd hate to be killed because I was carrying out my own laptop as I went for safer ground.