Mayor calling off search and rescues to deal with looters???

[gatorboy]

Did I hear that right on CNN? Every rescue mission is being canceled now to deal with the looting?

[youngdem]

1. I hope to hell NOT!!!

The people down there are in serious trouble.

[Stewie]

25. I hope they are

Looters are trying to bust into the hospital on Napoleon, generators are being stolen from sheriff's command centers and people driving rescue vehicles are being carjacked. Slap a lid on it NOW before the looters start gunning down the survivors. Letting the city degenerate into "Lord of the Flies" would be even worse.

[orleans]

57. yeah! and arrest the POLICE who are syphoning gas from

abandoned cars! How dare they steal too!

:sarcasm:

give me a break! call off search and rescue??

bring in the fucking national guard and the army!! or what about getting the air force to work--they fly helicopters don't they??

[Rose Siding]

2. WWL announced that earlier- 1500 police pulled from rescue to

perform law and order functions.

[undergroundpanther]

5. Fucking property freaks

Sociopaths don't care about lives they WON thier shit and winners take all..Evil fucking people like that are the bane of life.

[William769]

3. Yep

Thats what they said. I'll say it again looters should be shot on the spot & get back to the rescue mission.

[undergroundpanther]

8. Why not shoot BULLIES on the spot.

[William769]

16. If they are looting, sure.

[undergroundpanther]

31. fascist mentality over stuff..??!! WTF

Looters are not bullies if they are in a suvival situation. Tell me Are they killing people or just taking STUFF from stores?

Stuff isn't alive. Stuff has no life to lose.Stuff isn't a human being,Stuff is worth less than a life.
If a human being is hurting another human being abusing human beings THAT is a problem. Cops abandoning search and rescue operations to defend flooded out stuff iin stores is SICK and it's sociopathic!

[faithfulcitizen]

39. my guess he's talking about the type that dump the sick from boats

to steal them.

[undergroundpanther]

42. Than fuck the assholes

Up,don't dump sick people,that is bully behavior..Why not take the boat and row everyone to land whatta asshole!

Don't dump people unless the person is already dead,than you can't do much for them,dump them out than..and find a live struggling person and haul them in,they may even be able to help row!! Than go to land let everyone out and go back out and hunt for more people!

That's what I would do.

[faithfulcitizen]

43. from what i understand, they were being evacuated from a hospital

they had to call off the evacuation for the night b/c it wasn't safe, i.e. they might get dumped in flood waters. I think they were also trying to evacuate 100 babies at the time.

[undergroundpanther]

48. Fucking bullies

No grown MAN should be permitted to kill a bunch of sick people cause he thinks he is some alpha male and his own life matters more than thiers.I remember also an article about a starvation situation in africa where bully males locked up the food and let thier wives and kids starve because thier wives were expendable..This entitled better than everyone else kind of Alpha bully type of person needs to DIE and be wiped OUT of the human race.

[tkmorris]

51. Hey, neat idea!

Let's shoot speeders on sight too. And tax cheaters. Oh and people who get in the express lane at Winn Dixie with more than 10 items. I hate those fuckers.

Embezzlers. Burglars, gamblers, adulterers. All of em.

If you begin a policy of shooting looters the next natural disaster will be accompanied by gunfights the likes of which are not usually seen outside of Basra these days. Furthermore the people responsible for carrying out such a policy will be primarily people not trained for police work. It'll be the National Guard etc. Remember Kent State?

Really, does stealing a couple of CD's or a television from a half destroyed Walmart warrant this? What the hell kind of country do you want to live in anyway?

[undergroundpanther]

54. No

Shoot abusers. Shoot sociopaths that would dump sick people in the water instead of stealing the boat and rowing EVERYONE to land.I don't care who controls the boat as long as they don't kill people.. Understand?

As for looting Those people need to survive any way they can. I don't begrudge them for taking STUFF. However killing raping and torturing PEOPLE is WRONG. I would shoot a rapist if I saw him raping,I'd kill a person beating up a smaller person and terrorizing them like a sadist..and I'd waste the pieces of shit who were tossing the sick PEOPLE in water to die,while they take a boat..that is bully behavior. because It's murder.

Take a boat fine, but don't murder or abuse people while you do it.

[Incitatus]

44. Shooting BULLIES on the spot.

I kinda like that idea. :evilgrin:

[undergroundpanther]

47. Wish more people could admit to themselves

what bullying behavior IS and what kind of person a bully IS and refuse to pity them.
Anyone pushing sick people out of a boat they are taking to save themselves needs a bullet in the head.pronto.

[Incitatus]

49. I think you misinterpreted what I meant.

[undergroundpanther]

52. what did you mean?

[Incitatus]

58. I agree with you, and more

[undergroundpanther]

59. Oh, Ok

Glad someone else sees what this mess is about too.

[VolcanoJen]

62. So, in protecting the rule of law, you choose to administrate...

... instant justice. Bang, you're dead, don't take my stuff.

Your position just doesn't make sense to me.

[bklyncowgirl]

4. Apparently some--not all--cops are being reassigned to chase looters.

If reports are true about armed looters threatening hospitals and interfering with rescue efforts then sadly it was necessary.

Where the hell is the army?

[wellstone_democrat]

6. he's been reading DU and the WSJ

and knows that property is more important---its symbolic ya know.

Bitter? You bet. My oldest friend and her family are missing. They stayed to get her father in law out of the hospital and then it was too late in the day and it was recommended that they stay. Their neighborhood is full of submerged houses and they haven't shown up at the superdome or anywhere else yet.

I hope they took whatever they needed.

[joanne]

11. People have stolen weapons

Sounds like total anarchy.

[tjdee]

7. I wish they'd differentiate between looters and violent thugs.

I'm pretty sure people can tell the difference, and if the mayor has to deal with people shooting up the place, that is entirely different than people stealing from grocery stores/restaurants/whatever.

[Birthmark]

9. Stupidest move ever.

If they want to stop the looting, they need only evacuate the people from NOLA. I guarantee that this will stop virtually all looting. I guess allowing everyone to die of dehydration and water borne disease will stop it, too.

[ordinaryaveragegirl]

10. I heard that too...

Of course, I also heard things about cops themselves looting in a Wal-Mart. Why do I get the feeling that NO could really use their National Guard troops at home??? That would solve a lot of problems.

(post 200 here...:) )

[bobbieinok]

20. looting rampant in the FL 92 hurricane....people sitting in front of house

or tents with guns---that made a major impression on me

there are always such problems after natural disasters...AND THE GOVERNOR SENDS IN THE NATIONAL GUARD....THE NATIONAL GUARD

[MadisonProgressive]

12. Why punish the people fighting for their lives?

They didn't loot anything!

[undergroundpanther]

32. Some people value THIER PROPERTY over others lives.

This is SICK.And it means a sickness has creeped over the"haves" class.

[mondo joe]

50. The "haves" class? The working class is hurt by looting.

There are people worried about AND trying to protect their livlihoods and their homes.

[notadmblnd]

13. must save all the ruined goods

corporations are gonna have to have something to show insurance sompanies before they get their big payouts. The lousy theives that are stealing to survive can just drop dead and if they won't drop dead the the powers that be will just have to give them a little help won't they?

Sorry, I'm just in a real cynical angry mood tonight.

[chicagiana]

36. This isn't the issue ...

You are seeing the formation of warlords who are wresting control of the city from civil officials. You can't save people if the gangs are shooting them down. Order has to be restored if ANYTHING productive is going to happen.

[notadmblnd]

55. I guess I'm a little ignorant to the gang mentality

but you're right in the sense that my comments aren't the real issue. The real issue is that the people need to be evacuated now because the number of bad guys is going to grow as people become more desperate.

I know.. some will say.. but they're killing innocent people.. they're starting a turf war over what has now become a large cesspool and we mustn't let them do that. We have to show them that even though the city is totally destroyed there are rules to follow and a price to pay to society for breaking those rules.

But I can't believe that it is better for many more people to die than is necessary because it's more important to go after a few Billy Badasses instead of letting them devour themselves.

Get the people out or they're all going to be dead. Billy Badass ain't going anywhere (unless it's to his maker) anytime soon. Let's limit the number of casualties while we still can. The cops can take Billy out later.


And no I'm not saying for the police not to stop crime when it happens, I'm just saying make saving the innocent our first priority.

[CrispyQ]

14. The report I heard is that the looters

are moving into populated areas now. Many are armed.


A tragic situation all around.

[Anywho6]

15. God, I hope not

For God's sake, the people left there have nothing and their chances of survival are fading by the hour at the current rate of government response. Those store, shop and property owners are fully insured, I'm willing to bet, unlike the poor people left behind.

[joanne]

21. Guest of Aaron Brown's said

Looters were breaking into homes stealing jewelry, etc. Many were armed.

We are not talking about people breaking into the local Krogers for cheese and crackers.

These sound like very dangerous thugs.

As Aaron said... he wouldnt want to be in the major's position to make a decision like this.

I agree.

We arent there.

The major made what he thought was the right decision at the time.

Let's cut him some slack PLEASE.

[chicagiana]

37. They want to keep people OUT of the city ...

So they have to deal with these gangs of robbers. Otherwise, people will rush back into the disaster zone with automatic weapons to defend their houses.

Whats left of New Orleans could quickly devolve into a war zone. Think BOZNIA!!!!

[muwriter]

17. You need choppers for this S&R anyway.

[Cobalt Violet]

18. They must be watching Faux and listening to limpballs.

[dogday]

19. That is what I understood it to mean and I thought

what, who cares about freaking merchandise that is going to get wet anyway. I mean honestly, let him have it, they have earned it. I think it is nuts to call off search and rescue to stop looters.

[JustSayNO 2 Sheeples]

22. Cops

Yes, 1500 officers were re-assigned from rescue to law enforcement. But then most of the NOPD has no rescue capabilities and especially at night. Other rescue agencies are continuing their emergency response.

Yes, law enforcement is needed. Look, the stores are bare by now. The thieves are now attacking doctors and rescuers. And will probably be soon breaking into occupied hospitals.

Can you condone this??? It ain't as simple as "just looting for food and water". It goes way beyond that. People are being murdered over crap.

Any of you who want to cry for the theives and looters, please let me know where you live. I will spend my own money to fill up my truck with $3 fuel and come and get all your posessions and take them to NO and give them away.

edit: typo

[NoBushSpokenHere]

26. OKAY protect the Doctors, Rescuers, Hospitals BUT

don't take people off of search and rescue to stop people from stealing diapers for their babies!

[NoBushSpokenHere]

23. Okay my rants about this......

Okay, I agree - looting should not be happening BUT

EXCUSE ME............ (just have to blow off a bit)

It appears most of the looting has been to find FOOD AND CLOTHES - now where would the looters who are taking other things take them to?? To their apartments that are underwater??? And just how many valuable items can you carry through 5 feet of water???

GIVE ME A BREAK

I have known other floods where groceries had to be destroyed that were on shelves above the flood water........when it floods the general rule is to THROW IT ALL AWAY to prevent disease.

AND FURTHERMORE

Doesn't the store owners receive money for loses from FEMA or their insurance??? Yes, I know FEMA doesn't operate the way WE would like it to.......but still!

IT APPEARS TO BE TOO LATE TO STOP THE LOOTING

as most of the stores, it appears have already been hit hard.

AND........WHAT THE HELL IS MORE IMPORTANT??? SEARCH AND RESCUE OR SAVING remaining items???

[joanne]

24. Because they have GUNS and other WEAPONS

As I stated before... this isnt about people stealing from the local grocery store.

THEY ARE ARMED AND DANGEROUS.

Can we all give the major the benefit of the doubt???

He is in a TERRIBLE situation and having to make awful decisions.

Would you want to be in his place????

[Anywho6]

28. Please, you make it sound like they're all "armed and dangerous"

The media is playing into the whole "Scary Black Men with Guns" bull****. Most of the people just want to eat and drink and put clean diapers on their babies.

[Igel]

33. And the other half are trying to pretend that it's only flocks of

elderly widows who frantically need water and bread.

Most of the looting for survival is over. And has been for a day.

Looting for revenge and profit--including even a lot of the looting for food involved, if the pictures be believed, quantities that those young men surely didn't need for their starving families--began almost at once.

The looting-as-salvage meme should never have been born; people don't tend to loot spoiled meat or trashed tv sets, camcorders oozing sludge, or minks with mildew. Unless you're saying that the looters are somehow mentally deficient. But some of the city that's 'under water' isn't under that much water, and insurance companies would probably want some evidence of damaged merchandise. I know I'd be skittish about approving a settlement claiming a lot of jewelry was ruined by getting wet, or that a half inch of water wiped out the entire inventory of an electronic's store.

Scum are scum. I don't care about their skin or shoe color. In LA, it wasn't confined to people of one particular skin tone or jersey hue. And yet, magically, I was able to call it looting, and say it was wrong.

The result of the looting in LA: lots of people of color lost the shirts on their backs ... they couldn't afford insurance, or having their inventory walk down the street. A lot of people assumed that taxpayer money would reimburse the shopkeepers, sort of a grand wealth redistribution scheme. Yet others that had insurance took the money and *ran*. If you reopened, you'd have to accept that the people that come into your shop broke into it and stole from you.

And breaking into apartments? If they have no transportation, and they're poor, they're probably breaking into their neighbors' apartments, the apartments of other poor people.

The people looting, if they're so virtuous, should be busily looking for sick and elderly who didn't evacuate, helping the search and rescue teams. If they're out after sneakers or monitors, they're just greedy.

[Anywho6]

34. There but for the grace of God go I n/t

[Igel]

41. Agreed.

For that reason, I would hate to ever sit on a jury. But that's because a sentence would depend on it, and with the sentence would come mercy.

The evaluation as to whether an act is just, or merely excusable, I inflict on myself daily, and I don't hold my morality in abeyance when I see others acting.

Else there's no place for mercy, since I'd have to conclude others simply never do anything wrong.

[bpilgrim]

35. "Most of the looting for survival is over" - clueless

in 8 whole paragraphs :eyes:

peace

[Igel]

40. Most of the bread and milk are taken.

Most of what's left is going to be spoilt.

Pop tarts will be in vogue: nice, waterproof packages. But do you think they're still left in the stores?

Most survival looting in food stores is going to be retrieving tasty, yummy shelving, flooring, and ceiling tile. That's what's left.

[NoBushSpokenHere]

30. If the National Guard were here doing WHAT THEY

VOLUNTEERED TO DO instead of protecting oil trucks from a country we invaded FOR NO REASON then NO would have enough people to prevent the thugs from what they are doing! So, yes, it is BUSH's fault yet again!

OUR COUNTRY IS IN A TOTAL MESS RIGHT NOW

And yes, it would be difficult to make those decisions. People and newscasters need to differentiate thugs from looters.

[chicagiana]

38. They will take the goods to ...

... to other peoples houses and apartments that are ABOVE WATER. And then they will hijack the vehicles of rescue workers in order to make off with the loot.

BTW, it's not that difficult to hide jewelry.

The looters are getting to the point where they are a threat to rescue operations and the impending (and far too late) arrival of relief. Think about the warlords in Somalia who were stealing all the aid and using it to enhance their wealth and hold over their feifdoms.

They need to nip this shit in the bud. And if you haven't noticed, the mayor of New Orleans is BLACK. This ain't the man beatin' down poor folk. It's a civil official who realizes that he won't be able to save people if the rescuers are in danger.

[kath]

45. Ummm, the mayor is a REPUG, and apparently a major-league Bush

Bush ass-kisser.

[Sgent]

53. Your kidding right?

The Mayor is a democrat -- the city is 77% Democratic.

[muwriter]

56. Um, no. You're either uninformed or just spweing. Mayor is a black Dem.

He's sick of seeing hospitals shot at, robbed and fires set.

[kath]

61. Read *here at DU* a day or so ago that he is a Pug, and kisses

Bush's ass big-time. Sorry if this is wrong. I googled "New Orleans Mayor Republican" just now and did find out that Nagin endorsed the Rep. candidate for LA governor a year or two ago. Maybe the DU poster was referring to this, or perhaps the guy is a real DINO, Repug-lite type.

[mondo joe]

46. There are armed looters, there are armed residents protecting their

homes. You may not have caught this in the news.

But there is a significant crisis brewing that is likely to end in murders if they don't get things under control.

[qanda]

27. You see what happened in Iraq when looting was not curtailed

I'm not talking about people who are trying to survive. But there shouldn't be anyone allowed on the streets anyway. They should be moving everyone to a staging area to be evacuated.

I am a black woman and it is embarrassing how some of the black people are acting in NO. It makes me angry because I know, like it or not, it becomes a reflection on our entire race.

I'm telling you now that those people are not representative of black people-- those are thugs that more than likely have rapsheets longer than their bodies. And for every black person that I've seen looting in NO, I've seen more than 100 that are not.

If there are national authorities moving in to handle the search and rescue then the local police should definitely be used to deal with crime.

[kestrel91316]

29. Here's my plan:

Let the folks "looting" food/water/necessities continue to do so. They are trying to survive and not hurting anybody.

Shoot the "marauders" on sight (those who terrorize others or interfere with the rescue effort).

[VADem11]

60. Not every rescue mission is cancelled

They need to deal with the really armed and violent ones and not the ones who are just trying to survive.