Why police SHOULD be dealing with "looters"...(edited for clarity)

[MercutioATC]

http://www.courant.com/news/nationworld/hc-hosp0901.artsep01,0,83016.story?coll=hc-headlines-nationworld

Of particular significance to me:

"At Tulane University Hospital and Clinic, armed "thugs" gathered in the parking lot and entered the facility, probably in search of drugs, reported John Matessino, head of the Louisiana Hospital Association.

"We've got a bad security situation here," he said. "There's certainly a contingent of people who are addicted and they haven't had a fix in a few days and they look at the hospital as a big pharmacy.""

I know a pediatric cardiologist who's at that hospital right now (my sister's ex-neighbor...great guy). His wife and kids got to Houston on Sunday and have been communicating with my sister. Apparently, the situation at the hospital is BAD. He's scheduled to be moved on Sunday, but there's a lot of hours between then and now.

The police NEED to be defending these sites.


(ON EDIT)

When talking about where police are being detailed, the term "looter" is used for both these people and people taking food from stores.

My point is that the knee-jerk reaction of some here to "police being assigned to deal with looters" is at least partially unwarranted.

[Oreo]

1. All of this is shockingly similar to the looting in Baghdad

scary

I guess they're exercising their freedom

[hnsez]

2. This is a problem but Bush let all this happen with ACOE cuts.

Given the situation, crime is to be expected. So why aren't there military there? You can't expect police with no radios to do anything.

[SmokingJacket]

3. Robbing a hospital at gunpoint isn't the same as stealing an iPod

I have NO GRIPE with police protecting hospitals from gangs of armed thugs.

However, shooting people on sight for stealing a TV is over the top.

I think we can all appreciate the difference.

[MercutioATC]

7. I definitely agree there's a difference.

However, when talking about where police are being detailed, the term "looter" is used for both groups.

My point is that the knee-jerk reaction of some here to "police being assigned to deal with looters" is at least partially unwarranted.

[Roland99]

4. Military in force in the city and shoot anyone spotted with a gun

It needs to be done.

The city needs to be secured to save the innocents who are left.

[bloom]

12. So the military would be shooting the police?

It was police who were looting, also. Who is to say who are the bad guys.

[kenny blankenship]

18. Gimme a fucking break

your post is stupid and offensive to anyone who cares about the people still trapped in that city. Police have been looting gasoline, food, medicine and water right along with the crowds from the start and no one faults them. They've done the same in other destroyed communities in order to preserve life. The N.O. Police don't stop people looting things they need to survive and if they did the situation would flash over into a massacre of civilians and police making everything still worse if that can be imagined for innocent people awaiting evacuation. New Orleans was in dire need of water and food and facing the prospect of still more flooding and under an order to evacuate--intense stresses pushing people over the edge and exposing people to the worst of the criminal element that can be found in any town. It desperately needed the presence of the Guard to keep a semblance of order from Monday onwards until the city is fully evacuated.

WHo is to say who are the bad guys?
Well obviously it would madness to trust someone like you with that job.

[Roland99]

19. Thank you.

[bloom]

25. You must have missed the police carrying out TVs and such.

But go ahead - presume the police and military are all good and others are all bad. I'm sure it makes you feel better.

[nonconformist]

20. I sadly concur. nt

[MrBenchley]

5. Worth noting

that this tragedy is being compounded by the lack of effective gun control in this country. We've got more gun dealers than we do McDonald's hamburger stands...and the hamburger stands are more strictly regulated and inspected than the gun dealers.

At the WalMarts that were looted, the guns were not even stored under lock and key...nor was there any legal requirement for them to be stored in a safe manner. And thanks to the GOP, WalMart cannot even be sued for leaving those guns out in the open.

[ultraist]

17. This not only speaks to the gun control problem but also lack of drug tx

Some types of drug addicts can die from withdrawals. Others become very violent from withdrawals. If they are storming the hospital for drugs, which is the most likely scenerio, we have to stop and ask, why are there so many untreated drug addicts in our society?

bush has cut numerous social programs, including those that offer drug rehab. Our "war on drugs" in this country is a joke. Public rehabs are overcrowded and have long waiting lists. There simply is not enough help and preventative programs.

Why didn't it occur to the authorities, prior to the hurricane that drug addicts having withdrawals could pose a serious problem? They should have offered extra methodone doses, needles, and prescription meds in advance, to all of the locals. Yet again, it's more lack of planning and weak social policies that have exacerbated the problems of this disaster.

[ret5hd]

6. and i think everyone RECOGNIZES the difference between...

"looters" and "armed thugs". So what exactly are we supposed to be discussing?

[MercutioATC]

9. Read Post #7...

[bloom]

8. It makes sense to me

to put the resources in place to protect lives - whether at the hospital or rescuing people. But not to preserve property that is more than likely going to be ruined anyway.

[kenny blankenship]

10. What police?

N.O. police are screwed like everyone else still there. They're far too few of them, they don't have gas except what they can scrounge, their cars weren't made to drive around in water so many have broken down, and the officers themselves don't have food or water either. Police can't make arrests--there's nowhere to detain criminals and suspects and not enough police to guard them out in the open. Some of the looters have their own guns or have looted guns and ammo from stores. Like any American city or town, N.O. is awash in guns and now we're seeing what happens during a breakdown of the normal order. The ubiquity of guns in America means the police are always outnumbered and will be in great danger when and if the shit hits the fan.

The national guard should long since have entered N.O. to keep order during the evacuation, but of course they can't do that so easily from Iraq. Guardsmen are being called up in other states but obviously being from other states it takes more time for them to get there.

New Orleans is the first city --the first American city that is--that has been lost because of Chimp's War. Civilian deaths will run into the thousands.

AND I WANT A MEMORIAL FOR THEM IN D.C. INDICATING THEY DIED IN HIS WAR.

[LeftyElvis]

11. Addicts

need help too. Would it be too much to ask to give these addicts clean needles and methadone if they need it? I'm sure all the methadone clinics are closed.

[MercutioATC]

14. Police shouldn't be reassigned to deal with armed looters, but

we should spare personnel to distribute drugs and needles to addicts???

I think not.

[Usrename]

13. Why are there people still there that need to be defended?

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, am I missing something?

[MercutioATC]

15. The hospitals weren't evacuated.

Hell, they don't even have fuel to keep their generators running.

Ridiculous, I agree. The level of response from authorities has been staggeringly inagequate.

[Usrename]

16. So they blame the victims, am I seeing a pattern here?

The buck stops.....wait a minute, what buck. There's no buck. Let me get on with my life. I need cake.

[FreeStateDemocrat]

21. Too big a job for NOPD they need to have more National Guard support

Anytime there is a breakdown in basic services the criminal element will assert itself, which is why there needs to be an immediate influx of authority to fill any vacuum. The 4000 LA National Guard stationed in Iraq should have on alert in local armories before the storm hit and then deployed as soon as it passed. These aren't just looters but hardened criminals (probably gangs) taking advantage of a vulnerable situation. The cost of the Iraqi War is becoming overbearing in too many facets of American life. It will surely impact the availability of funding for the ongoing massive relief and recovery that needs to be provided for by a financially strapped federal government. I really haven’t seen anyone on DU support any type of criminal activity aimed against other people. The only allowances that were given were for property misappropriation by people acting under extreme duress.

Edited to add message.

[MercutioATC]

22. Agreed. Safe zones need to be established until the city is evacuated.

I can't believe that's not a priority...

[lebkuchen]

23. Bush has looted the national treasury

How do you propose we deal with him?

The reason States are supposed to have NG units is because the NG is trained in emergency situations, to include maintaining law and order. LA is now pitifully short of aide and law and order because of Bush's greed and incompetence.

Bush should be impeached. He was told by FEMA that NO was one of the top three possible disaster scenarios in the country, yet he sent a third or more of LA's NG to Iraq to drive convoys over IEDs.

FEMA should have predicted Bush as the #1 disaster possibility in America.

[lebkuchen]

24. self delete

[LSK]

26. THE WRONG PEOPLE ARE DEFENDING AGAINST LOOTERS

NATIONAL FUCKING GUARD. WHERE THE FUCK ARE THEY?????????????

[progressivebydesign]

27. Wouldn't it be great if those healthy enough to loot helped instead?

I mean, it blows me away how many people are in true need right now in those areas. People are still trapped, injured and elderly need to be transported. Instead of being a positive influence, people are stealing Ipods, jeans, and jewelry. They are strong, able bodied people who could actually use their abilities to help rescue people off overpases, and help to restore life there, or at least help to evacuate those that need to leave. Being poor does not give you license to turn into a criminal at the first opportunity. I understand about the roots of poverty, having been there myself, but I don't understand why the desire to help others around you is not there. People are arriving on the scene from all over to help, yet there are obviously physically able people thinking only of what they can steal. Is this what America has become? Two Americas? Is this what John Edwards was talking about?