Anarchy in 'Nawlins - PhillyBlog

eldondre · #1 (**permalink**) 08-31-2005, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Officials Helpless Against Looters

By KEVIN McGILL, Associated Press Writer 46 minutes ago

With law officers and National Guardsmen focused on saving lives, looters around the city spent another day brazenly ransacking stores for food, clothing, appliances — and guns.

Thieves commandeered a forklift and used it to push up the storm shutters and break the glass of a pharmacy. The crowd stormed the store, carrying out so much ice, water and food that it dropped from their arms as they ran. The street was littered with packages of ramen noodles and other items.

Looters also chased down a state police truck full of food. The New Orleans police chief ran off looters while city officials themselves were commandeering equipment from a looted Office Depot. During a state of emergency, authorities have broad powers to take private supplies and buildings for their use.

Officials tried to balance security needs with saving lives.

"We're multitasking right now," said New Orleans Police Capt. Marlon Defillo. "Rescue, recovery, stabilization of looting, we're trying to feed the hungry."

Gov. Kathleen Blanco said she has asked the White House to send more people to help with evacuations and rescues, thereby freeing up National Guardsmen to stop looters.

"We need to free up the National Guard to do security in the city," Blanco said.

New Orleans' homeland security chief, Terry Ebbert, said looters were breaking into stores all over town and stealing guns. He said there are gangs of armed men moving around the city. At one point, officers stranded on the roof of a hotel were fired at by criminals on the street.

The Times-Picayune newspaper reported that the gun section at a new Wal-Mart had been cleaned out by looters.

Authorities said an officer was shot in the head and a looter was wounded in a shootout. The officer was expected to survive.

Authorities planned to send more than 70 additional officers and an armed personnel carrier into the city.

In the meantime, city authorities were putting a higher priority on rescuing victims and repairing a levee breach that was spilling water into the streets.

"One of our fears is if we don't stop the breach, that we will put good people's lives in jeopardy," the governor said. "We are concerned about essentials. We are asking for more military presence in the city to control the situation better.

On New Orleans' Canal Street, dozens of looters ripped open the steel gates on clothing and jewelry stores and grabbed merchandise. In Biloxi, Miss., people picked through casino slot machines for coins and ransacked other businesses. In some cases, the looting was in full view of police and National Guardsmen.

The historic French Quarter appeared to have been spared the worst flooding, but its stores were getting the worst of human nature.

"The looting is out of control. The French Quarter has been attacked," Councilwoman Jackie Clarkson said. "We're using exhausted, scarce police to control looting when they should be used for search and rescue while we still have people on rooftops."

Sen. Mary Landrieu (news, bio, voting record)'s helicopter was taking off Tuesday for a flyover of the devastation and she watched as a group of people smashed a window at a gas-station convenience store and jumped in.

At a drug store in the French Quarter, people were running out with grocery baskets and coolers full of soft drinks, chips and diapers. Other looters were seen leaving a store with armfuls of tennis shoes and football jerseys.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050831/...HE0BHNlYwN0bWE-

Ezra · #2 (**permalink**) 08-31-2005, 05:18 PM

Looting by Cops and Firemen

While some did indeed carry away food and essentials, others "cleared
out jewelry racks and carted out computers, TVs and appliances on
handtrucks. Some officers joined in taking whatever they could,
including one New Orleans cop who loaded a shopping cart with a
compact computer and a 27-inch flat screen television.

"Throughout the store and parking lot, looters pushed carts and loaded
trucks and vans alongside officers. One man said police directed him
to Wal-Mart from Robert's Grocery, where a similar scene was taking
place. A crowd in the electronics section said one officer broke the
glass DVD case so people wouldn't cut themselves.

"The police got all the best stuff. They're crookeder than us," one man said.

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/ea..._id=1001051261

Professor Dave · #3 (**permalink**) 08-31-2005, 05:29 PM

Ethics and morals are taking a beating today!

Illiniwek · #4 (**permalink**) 08-31-2005, 07:29 PM

NOPD is so bad it actually has its own FBI agents assigned to it permanently. They collect police complaints without requiring citizens to go to police HQ.

zur · #5 (**permalink**) 08-31-2005, 10:05 PM

Just a question...but why isn't there a massive National Guard presence there right now?

seand · #6 (**permalink**) 08-31-2005, 11:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zur

Just a question...but why isn't there a massive National Guard presence there right now?

Actually there was some news about this. Partially its because roads are impassable but partially its also because so many of the Louisiana National Guard are over in Iraq. Texas is sending over more of its National Guard to fill in.

Talon1125 · #7 (**permalink**) 09-01-2005, 09:28 AM

You know I cna't help but fume when the show a man walking out of a store carrying a TV and his only quote is "I Have to take care of my family". Nothing like water logged electronics being a necessity in a city with no prospect of power for the next 2 months. This is goign to be human nature at its best and worst side by side.

eldondre · #8 (**permalink**) 09-01-2005, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Talon1125

You know I cna't help but fume when the show a man walking out of a store carrying a TV and his only quote is "I Have to take care of my family". Nothing like water logged electronics being a necessity in a city with no prospect of power for the next 2 months. This is goign to be human nature at its best and worst side by side.

I guess education isn't any better down there.

SurfDog · #9 (**permalink**) 09-01-2005, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seand

Quote:

Originally Posted by zur

Just a question...but why isn't there a massive National Guard presence there right now?

Actually there was some news about this. Partially its because roads are impassable but partially its also because so many of the Louisiana National Guard are over in Iraq. Texas is sending over more of its National Guard to fill in.

It angers me that this is all happening. None of this should have been a surprise.

The inability of the pumps to work.
The looting
The emergency evacuation
The health emergency

Most of this tragedy is not from the actual sotrm, but from the poor planning that caused people to allow themselves to be placed in harm's way, and the poor planning for emergency response.

pennengineer · #10 (**permalink**) 09-01-2005, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Talon1125

You know I cna't help but fume when the show a man walking out of a store carrying a TV and his only quote is "I Have to take care of my family".

Hmm...maybe we should trade T.O. to the Saints; I'll bet he'd fit right in.