Looting "out of control" in NOLA...Armed gangs roving the French Quarter.

[mom cat]

WWLTV

[nonconformist]

1. OMG

Unfuckingreal.

[LisaM]

2. Are these the ones who picked up the free guns at Wal-Mart?

It's true, apparently a Wal-Mart was looted of all its guns, which apparently were lying out for the taking.

[Silverhair]

9. Wal-Mart doesn't sell handguns. Long guns only.

Besides, they would have had only about 40 to 50 rifles and shotguns at at time.

[SlipperySlope]

20. Correction: Wal-Mart does sell handguns.

Most Wal-Marts will special order a handgun for a customer, they just don't keep them in inventory.

[Silverhair]

38. A technical difference only.

Handguns weren't laying around for looters to grab.

[SlipperySlope]

43. Agreed - just a small correction - no handguns looted from WM

[K8-EEE]

3. What Can They Get That's Not Ruined....

And where do they think they are going to take it -- who are they going to sell it to?

[mom cat]

5. Someone took a forklift and broke the grates to the Rite-Aid..drugs

People are detoxing and desperate!

[Matariki]

51. Actually they were taking water, ice and ramen noodles

what the hell would you do if you were stuck in a flooded city without food or water?

[mom cat]

52. A lot of looting has been for food and water and I would do the same

thing under the circumstances.Some, however has been stealing of non-essentials. I don't know how much..none of us do.

[K8-EEE]

21. I Wonder If It's Possibly A "Blame The Victim" Campaign, Like:

ONLY THE BAD PEOPLE ARE THERE! They stayed to do bad things. It's not like we left the lowest socio-economic class there to die or anything. Even if we would have offered free Amtrak out of there last weekend, they would have preferred to stay and steal, they're so bad, bad, bad.

[sniffa]

24. indeed

:cry:

[EC]

29. This is ACTUALLY what my RW boss was saying this morning

that they chose to stay there...

[Name removed]

45. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[K8-EEE]

49. Not Excusing The Looting Of Luxury Items

I'm saying the EMPHASIS and the REPLAYING OF THE SAME 20 SECOND FOOTAGE over and over instead of the VICTIMS WHO ARE TRAPPED -- smacks of an agenda.

[chicagiana]

50. I think I saw the lady with the bread cart ONCE ...

... and I kinda shrugged it off.

Most of the footage I've seen have been of people stealing non-food items.

This is all stupidity because FEMA should have been ready to come in IMMEDIATELY after the storm to have disaster relief in place with lots of bottled water and MREs.

[wellstone_democrat]

4. French Quarter? Then it *matters*

From Texas all I hear is worry about the French Quarter and the "stranded tourists!" The racism in other remarks is astounding even for my neck of the woods but if I heard it once yesterday, I heard a 100 times "at least the French Quarter is safe!"

Guess if armed men are in the French Quarter my middle-class suburban neighbors might believe that there is a problem!

I wish that someone would care that the National Guard is missing and that it matters, but all that will come out of this is more slander against desperate people because criminals are also loose in the city. Anything to deny that no one cared that 100,000 were expendable on the day of evacuation and that the government response has been shameful.

[maxsolomon]

13. that is natural

people from elsewhere have been to, know, identify, and care about the French Qtr. they have memories of their own lives connected to that place. it becomes more real, more immediate to them at that point.

if a disaster were to strike Seattle, it would be the destruction of the Pike Place Market that would bring it home, make it real, to the rest of the country.

[LisaM]

18. Or the Space Needle....

there have been business interests salivating to get rid of the Market for years.

[petronius]

35. Why get rid of the market?

It seems like it brings a lot of people downtown who might otherwise not be there - I would think its a good thing.

[LisaM]

41. I LOVE the Market and shop there frequently

but it's in an area that developers would love to get their filthy paws on.

[mom cat]

14. This is just one of the many locations that have been mentioned.

The reason that the Quarter is being mentioned now in terms of looting is that it is one of the few dry areas where looting can occur. Much of the city is under water. There has been a lot of coverage of the areas with economically oppressed areas. That has been where most of the rescues have taken place because these are the areas where people have not had the means to leave.
I have heard a lot of covert class ism and some covert racism, but I have frankly been surprised that it has not been worse.

[Xenotime]

6. This country..

has turned into anarchy. It's only a matter of time before it starts to spread.

[durablend]

40. Me thinks that's what they want...

Then they turn the brown shirts loose! :scared:

[Tin Man]

7. everybody is fleeing to high ground of French Q.

the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Very sad.

[MercutioATC]

8. They aren't "looting", they're just SURVIVING...

:sarcasm:

[fishnfla]

11. Its not a gang, its a club

its the fucking welcome wagon :eyes:

[Name removed]

19. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[LostinVA]

30. I've been through several hurricanes

Was threatened rape by an armed mob looting my bookstore, and STILL was called a heartless person making assumptions from my dry home.... but hey, who am I to stop armed gangs from wanting to survive. Go for it! Loot those private homes. Hey, the oil companies and Bushies are doing it, so it's okay if everyone does it!

I think I've hit all of the points.

This Democratic Socialist is appalled at people sticking up for LOOTERS. No, not people taking diapers and food and medicine and water... LOOTERS. No excuse.

[Nikki Stone 1]

39. I think there are two types of looters: the desperate and the opportunists

The truly desperate really need food, diapers, etc. I feel for those people. There are many folks in NO who haven't eaten much since Katrina hit, and I sympathize with their need and their desperation. I can even see some of these people stealing guns if they feel their own safety is in jeopardy because civic order has broken down.

But there are always those people who are quick to sieze any opportunity to run amok and/or do violence. These are the kind who take advantage of a hurricane, a riot, fires (like we had in LA) and even a parade for a winning football team, to loot and do violence. I remember in LA the looting in 92 after the fires. I could understand taking food--especially since many of the supermarkets in South Central had been burned down by the fires. But what I could NEVER understand was the people who went to Radio Shack and ripped off stereos, boom boxes, computers and the like. Or the people who looted Payless and took 10-20 pairs of shoes. One person simply doesn't need 20 pairs of shoes, no matter what the emergency.

The big problem on DU these past few days is that people have not teased out the issue, and have argued about looters en masse. There are really different people with different motivations.

[BikeWriter]

42. Don't you know it's racist not to support your local looters?

Why do you hate America?
:sarcasm:

[LeftyElvis]

37. Yes

everyone needs new jewelry and stereos.

[Birthmark]

10. Is there any real evidence

Video of one or more armed gangs, for instance, or is this just another rumor?

[QuettaKid]

16. I just now heard it read outloud

on the live feed from khou...

http://www.khou.com/perl/common/video/wmPlayer.pl?title=beloint_khou&props=livenoad

[Birthmark]

17. I know it's coming from the media

And I'm certainly not criticizing you or them or anyone else. I'm sure tha they're doing the best they can under hideous circumstances. But sometimes in situations even less stressful than this, things can get exaggerated. I'd just like to see or hear some real evidence from a reporter on the ground before I accept that this is what's happening.

[sniffa]

25. oh yeah

aLong with footage of the rape gangs roaming NO.

i think drudge shouLd have it up soon.

[GumboYaYa]

31. I have spoken to sveral people in NO who are confirming

that there are in fact armed bands of people going through stealing stuff. One person witnessed looting of all the stores on Magazine Street in Uptown. Some people were taking food, but many were stealing electronic devices and other goods that they do not need for survival.

[leetrisck]

12. Since there aren't enough law enforcement

maybe, just maybe that are trying to help with order - that is possible - we don't always have to jump to the worse conclusions.

[radwriter0555]

15. roving in BOATS can you imagine? Hey, during the LA riots we had the

craziest stories flying by on the teevee and radio, and none of them were true.

Most of what you're hearing is pure lies, speculation and bullshit.

Sure sells ad time though.

[Roland99]

44. Not every street is under 20' of water. Some are just a foot or two under.

[tx_dem41]

48. Correction....

several...Uptown area and West Bank are completely dry.

[tx_dem41]

47. You're right. The three people from New Orleans that told me this..

first hand last night are all liars. Including the one that was robbed at gunpoint. :eyes:

[Krupskaya]

22. Why is all this looting talk all-or-nothing?

"Looting BAAAAD! Guns and gangs!"

"Looting GOOOOD! Baby formula and diapers!"

The lives of 1 million people have just been destroyed. Different people are going to act in different ways. It's possible to be against the guns and gangs, without having someone jump on you and say, "Wl wl wl what about a 10-year-old picking up shoes," just as it should be possible to say, "I'm OK with people breaking into Rite-Aid to get what they need" without someone braying, "DRUGS! GUNS! DEATH! BAD!"

It's not two dimensional. But it's all very sad, whatever your stand.

[LoZoccolo]

23. People know that and yet we still have clowns starting fights.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4518399&mesg_id=4518399

[Krupskaya]

26. Ha. You can't get me to click on that link!

You just can't. I should just freaking hide every single looting thread.

[LoZoccolo]

32. Well then don't.

I don't care. I thought you'd appreciate it.

[LostinVA]

33. I agree with you 100%

Some people are surviving, some people are victimizing those trying to survive.

[chicagiana]

46. People are stupid ...

If I was in a disaster area, the only store I'd break into is the Outdoors store. That is where I would get filters for drinking water and the type of gear you need to survive when civil services break down.

Screw Wal-Mart. Give me Gander Mountain.

[mondo joe]

53. It's not. Virtually every anti-looting post I've seen has made an

exception for necessary food or medicine.

And most "pro-looting" posts, if you can call them that, don't think stealing jewelry or TVs is okay.

[PA Democrat]

27. Well.... according to Rumsfeld, "Freedom's untidy" and "Stuff happens"

"Freedom's untidy, and free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things," Rumsfeld said. "They're also free to live their lives and do wonderful things. And that's what's going to happen here."

Looting, he added, was not uncommon for countries that experience significant social upheaval. "Stuff happens," Rumsfeld said.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/04/11/sprj.irq.pentagon/

[Freddie Stubbs]

28. I'm sure that they are just out getting necessities

like food and diapers.

[petronius]

34. Roving

I like that word to describe criminals prowling our society - only let's start spelling it 'Rove-ing'.

[LeftyElvis]

36. The guys in the black shirts

are eating this up I bet. Anarchy