Looting in the Big Easy
 

One can hardly blame the people in New Orleans for getting the necessities of life with water and food in short supply.

The amazing thing about the attached news report is that the police officers don't even try to hide their shopping trip from the news camera. Of course, maybe they were getting supplies for those in need.

Walmart

Don't post a direct link to the video. Post a link to the website like this:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/09/01.html#a4725

Haha, that's awesome.

Besides, it's Walmart. Their business practices are unethical and are causing lots of headache in this country, so it's not all that bad. They can suffer a loss here and there.

As one that believes stealing is never right, I'd have a hard time taking something that didn't belong to me. At the same time, I'd have a hard time watching my child go without water or food for days. I'm understanding of those that took essentials for life, since the stores weren't open to sell and the aid couldn't get there in a timely fashion. Those that took electronics and other playthings, I'll not shed a single tear if they wind up drowned or shot. There's NO excuse or reason for that kind of behavior.

So they should die because they took some stuff? I hardly think thats a voice of reason.

I saw that clip on MSNBC last night and thought that the cops were too funny. Anyway, these people need food, water, and clothing. They have lost everything and have no way to get it except to loot. The stores are closed and relief is not getting down their quickly enough. I would definitely be taking what I needed to survive. Note that I said 'to survive'. I think that the people taking 10 pairs of tennis shoes and electronics have gone too far and aren't too smart. Where are they going to plug in the tv with no electricity or house?
I feel so sorry for these people and hope that they get the federal aid they need. However, until that time comes, looting is their only way of survival.

AOL news has a photo of a police officer with dvd's.. there's no excuse and I hope he loses his job at least.
While I agree that stealing is wrong, I am not so sure I would not get what I needed to keep my kids fed. They don't even have drinking water and aid is not making a dent yet. But yes, taking tv's, cd's, jewelry....insane and useless, but they know they can. New Orleans was never known as the model of societal decorum and they know they have nothing to lose.....doesn't surprise me at all, nor does the lack of authority in controlling it. Like they said, they have more pressing issues to deal with.

I would be the first one to throw the chair through the window.

On a side note, I've heard reports of people SHOOTING at rescue choppers, trying to get them to help them. In the mean time all it serves to do it cause the choppers to fly away from them and then NOT got back up. People aren't gonna risk their crews getting shot up by the people they're trying to save so some choppers aren't flying anymore. Way to go morons!

Yeah, what about the people taking the Power Wheels toy car, maybe they are gonna ride that outta town?

Sorry, but some of this is just "Chance: lets rob walmart."

We have no food and water, my baby needs this PS2.

Anyway, I am sure walmart can afford it.

Is anyone else watching footage of this and listening to the reports and thinking Lord of the Flies come to fruition in real life?

I'm watching the complete collapse of civilization in a confined space and am realizing that this is what will cause the human race to become extinct. We've become so accustomed to modern technology that the absence of electricity is now considered life-threatening.

While I am sympathetic to those who are searching for necessitites for survival, I can't help but think that it's the very technology that's made our lives easier that has made us unable to survive without them.

I also see the looting and the utter anarchy that seems to be reigning in New Orleans as quite a statment on our culture of consumerism.

Extinct? No, but the herd will be thinned a hell of a lot.

My thoughts exactly. I'm chuckling to myself as this chaos unfolds because it's just raw payback to the very system that created it.

Sucks for everyone else that's not being a douchebag, but still.. kinda ironic and satisfying in that "we told you so" type of way :)

Although I don't agree with him, I must clarify his statement. He didn't say it should be punishable by death, simply that he has lost all compassion for thieves. He may well believe that looters should be killed, but that's not what he said. :)

In those circumstances I'd take as much as I could carry, anything small and valuable.

I'd grab food and drink, clothing, and portable wealth. Whoever gets out of New Orlean is only going to have what they stand up in, and they're not going to have jobs or community to help them for long.

The handouts dry up very soon.

If you have a suitcase full of iPods and Rolexes you will do better than someone that was "virtuous".

The question becomes how many of your personal principles are you going to violate in order to survive?

It's very easy for me to sit here in my dry, comfortable, well-lit apartment and condemn those in New Orleans for stealing. But over in the Big Easy things just took a turn for the worst and people are doing what they feel is necessary to survive. It's hard to look at it as profiteering given how much has been lost there. With billions of dollars in property damage and four digit casualty counts, these people have all lost much more than they're going to steal from a Walmart.

I don't know if that makes it right. I don't think it's up to me to make that sort of decision. I can't even say whether or not I'd be right in there with them; your view on life changes when everything you know goes down the shitter.

the looting i understand, the shooting and the rape, riots in the superdome leave me to wonder what it is about a disaster that leads people to think they can behave as savages, it' survival of the fittest, where 'fit' can be described as heavily armed or least sympathetic to human life

I agree - stealing a loaf of bread or diapers is understandable. Stealing a DVD player? Drown.

The amount of violence is quite a shock to me. shoot a rescue chopper? attack medical transports? I though those things happen in 3rd world countries.

shows that people are the same world over, our facade of civilization is only a couple of meals thick

Just curious, but what do you care?

How does someone taking that DVD player affect YOU?

I mean, you're sayin 'drown' as if doing something trivial like stealing a DVD player actually matters.

I don't see it as all that trivial. It means that duning a great tragedy (probably the greatest these people will face) that someone is focused on material comfort rather than ensuring their (and possibly their loved ones) survival. Also, they are using a great tragedy to enrich theirself.

I agree with this completely... I just don't see the need to wish them dead. I am sure if they continue in this direction (focused on material comfort rather than ensuring their survival) they will find their own end in due time.

No need to wish it upon them.

After the insurance company has paid up, all of the goods will be crushed and dumped in a landfill site.

^ Exactly. End result - no big deal for walmart, no big deal for anyone else. *Maybe* they'll hurt themselves if they put that higher on the list than water & food, but I'm sure they'll be okay. So will everyone else.

As for material comfort... it's the result of the backwards culture we live in. Doesn't matter WHERE this happened, the results will be the same.

Don't blame them, blame the world in which they grew up in.

Maybe they have water & food. In any case, someone taking a few minutes out to grab a DVD from an already destroyed walmart doesn't really matter much.

Actually the insurance companies will not just load them into a pit and cover them up... They will sell of auction them off at a reduced rate to offset the cost of the Insurance paid out.

My Mom works for State Farm Insurance and they have these sales all the time.

"My memory is muddy
What's this river that I'm in?
New Orleans is sinking, man
And I don't wanna swim"

Every act that furthers the disorder, that takes resources away from restoring some semblance of normalcy, that acts in a profiteering way, is abhorent in the current situation. It is savage and criminal. And having been in a similar natural disaster situation - lacking heat, power and food and the elements doing their best to try and kill me - I probably know more about this than many people.

If some guy boosting laptops or jacking the price of gas to $10 a gallon happens to drown, I won't shed any tears. These people are hurting those around them.

You know, radio stations have stopped playing that tune here...

Think of it this way... you could pocket small things, like PSP, digital cams, etc.

Then take a bike ... ride 50+ miles north to where things are okay.

Sell your goods, get food, shelter, etc.

So it's not all bad.

I would have taken anything portable and valuable, including technology and diamonds, were I there. In fact, if I had a way to get there in time I would have gone to loot.

"Savage" is a term used by people who are comfortable enough to condemn the actions and persons of those who are less fortunate. I don't believe in evil or sin, one man's profit is generally another man's loss no matter how it is aquired.

well justified to yourself YKK, so your are an opportunist on the look out - thats a great idea go to the disaster area and loot, don't give a thought to help people there just satisfy your own self centred need to increase your material possession quota, the term savage was used appropriately in my opinion

Last I heard the state is housing people for free in Houston amongst other areas. While the more people who can stay in hotels or with relatives or friends is good, somehow I don't think reducing the burden on the rest of the nation is why Joe Schmo is taking that TV.

I did mention I've been in a similar natural disaster situation, didn't I? Was cut off for over a week from electricity and clean water and fresh food. For some reason, I didn't steal any TVs, or DVD players, or laptops. I didn't rape anyone in the shelter, and I didn't fire off a few rounds at choppers (well, I didn't see any choppers, they couldn't fly in all the ice, but I don't think I would've fired off any rounds). We did milk the neighbour's cow, however.

So, I guess I can use the term "savage" if anyone can - but honestly, you don't have to have gone through a disaster to know right from wrong, good from bad.

d*d:

I'm not going to justify myself or my actions to you, myself or others. Yes I am an opportunist. I think about other people but not in the sympathetic way you are implying, I think. Furthering myself and the people I surround myself with is an ideal I intent to uphold, no matter how ironic it gets.

Morals were made by people and are irrelevant in anything other than human society, which I try to seperate myself from.

edit: this post seems a bit bitchy, it wasn't intended to have that kind of tone.

If you ask me..What's going on down there is a pretty good "In the Face" at what the human race can turn into when deprieved of water & food...Now, I'm not saying every human would be like this. But alot of us would.

I hope we never have a black out again for more than a few days.

God help the people in these areas and please do so quickly!

Every other one of you please send money to the Red Cross in support of the relief effort.

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2005/US/09/02...rt.warning.jpg

fair enough, I personally think a moral code is important and is the cornerstone of every succesfull civilization.

Yep.

I'm sure most of us affected by the 2003 power outage saw all the people flippin the fuck out, which actually caused more headache than necessary.

There was absolutely NO reason for it - the power goes out, suddenly people clog the gas stations, buy out all the batteries and water, etc, creating a mess for the rest of us that realize it's not really a big deal and have enough sense and stability to live without power for long periods of time.

Imagine not only being without power, but water, police, etc. Every single zone you saw people piling into to get supplies during the power outage WILL be complete and utter anarchy in the event something major happened. Guranteed.

It only took three days for shoot-to-order kills to be issued: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117...-23109,00.html

I really like how there were some people who thought stuff like this couldn't happen in a "civilized nation," that something like Iraq's insurgency was unique to that culture. Shit like this can happen anytime anywhere given the right conditions. Humans are only human.