Looters in New Orleans

[AlphaSigOU]

Originally posted by Kevlar281
Local news just reported looting in Houston.

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck... will they ever learn?!?!?

[33girl]

Originally posted by Coramoor
I seem to remember a few charities getting in big trouble for this after 9/11. Particularly the one hosted by all the celebs and by the redcross.

Something like a billion was collected, but next to nothing was actually distributed until it was taken to court or the media let it loose.

I have two friends who have been affected. Any $ or anything I donate will go directly to them. I have no desire to send $50 to the Red Cross only to have them spend $100 trying to get me to donate again. I wish all charities would cease and desist from putting everyone who gives them a damn penny on their mailing lists. I gave $ to the Salvation Army after 9/11 and they haven't left me alone since.

My advice is to give through your church or another organization, so you won't be continually harassed with more requests for funds.

[RACooper]

Originally posted by TheEpitome1920
Why the difference? Did they both not take items that didn't belong to them? A large number of the people who are left in N.O. are Black/poor and have been protrayed like animals in my opinion. In desperate times who knows what you'd do to stay alive...

In my opinion it should be called looting - even if they are taking food and water... looting is looting, stealing is stealing - and it should be described as such. Now does that mean I think those taking food and water are animals? Nope. People looting food and water stocks from stores (not each other) are acting on survival mode... not greed.

As for the other looters taking merchandise, or people setting fire to businesses, or those shooting at hospitals and rescuers, or those raping and killing - they are all animals regardless of skin colour or social background.

Now I have a question: A number of times the news stations (BBC, CNN, CBC) reported that the members of the National Guard have been fired on while conducting rescue and relief operations... isn't the National Guard armed? and if so why did they not neutralize the threat to the operations either through direct or indirect action?

[CanadianTeke]

Originally posted by TheEpitome1920
I'm watching Primetime and they mentioned 2 photos and how they protrayed the looters. One shows and African American male wading through water with a bag and the caption mentions him looting. Another pictures shows a White male and female and says that they "found" food.


Why the difference? Did they both not take items that didn't belong to them? A large number of the people who are left in N.O. are Black/poor and have been protrayed like animals in my opinion. In desperate times who knows what you'd do to stay alive...

Here are photo's that are stirring up all the controversy. Personally i think it probably has to do with the different sources of the photo's more than it has to do with racism. Yahoo says on their site that they take the captions and photos as is from the different wire services and don't edit either, so they are really just the messenger of the photos.

[Honeykiss1974]

Originally posted by TheEpitome1920
I'm watching Primetime and they mentioned 2 photos and how they protrayed the looters. One shows and African American male wading through water with a bag and the caption mentions him looting. Another pictures shows a White male and female and says that they "found" food.


Why the difference? Did they both not take items that didn't belong to them? A large number of the people who are left in N.O. are Black/poor and have been protrayed like animals in my opinion. In desperate times who knows what you'd do to stay alive...

On another message board I frequent, someone said that the black man MUST be looting because he had a garbage bag that seemed to be full of stuff. What the......

So one is still presumed "looting" because he has a garbage bag instead of a nice Jansport backpack? So during a major crisis, it is the type of bag a person has that will make the difference between being labeled a criminal vs a victim? Lord help us all....or me rather because I haven't owned a backpack in years.

I shake my head at people sometimes.

[Rudey]

Originally posted by TheEpitome1920
I'm watching Primetime and they mentioned 2 photos and how they protrayed the looters. One shows and African American male wading through water with a bag and the caption mentions him looting. Another pictures shows a White male and female and says that they "found" food.


Why the difference? Did they both not take items that didn't belong to them? A large number of the people who are left in N.O. are Black/poor and have been protrayed like animals in my opinion. In desperate times who knows what you'd do to stay alive...

Well I think for the most part, people make a distinction between people breaking into a store for food and water and those going around trying to get televisions (do they even work with the water damage?). I think that was one of the problems the police have had to deal with.

-Rudey

[TheEpitome1920]

Originally posted by CanadianTeke
Here are photo's that are stirring up all the controversy. Personally i think it probably has to do with the different sources of the photo's more than it has to do with racism. Yahoo says on their site that they take the captions and photos as is from the different wire services and don't edit either, so they are really just the messenger of the photos.

I honestly disagree. I think this is another case of racial bias in the media. Why is it possible for White folks to "find" yet Black folks "loot" in a situation like this.

[RACooper]

Originally posted by TheEpitome1920
I honestly disagree. I think this is another case of racial bias in the media. Why is it possible for White folks to "find" yet Black folks "loot" in a situation like this.

I'm not going to hop on the "obvious example or racism" bandwagon just yet, for three reasons:

One - two different sources, so two different guidelines for reporting on the disaster.

Two - different post times, were again changes in reporting could have been dictated as the scope of the disaster unfolds.

Three - don't know who the reports are, afterall they could be "black" or "white" or something else... and until this is know, or any of these others are know it won't be possible to place these pictures in context.

[sugar and spice]

Originally posted by RACooper
I'm not going to hop on the "obvious example or racism" bandwagon just yet, for three reasons:

One - two different sources, so two different guidelines for reporting on the disaster.

Two - different post times, were again changes in reporting could have been dictated as the scope of the disaster unfolds.

Three - don't know who the reports are, afterall they could be "black" or "white" or something else... and until this is know, or any of these others are know it won't be possible to place these pictures in context.

The first point you make is true; however, further digging reveals that one of the sources (AFP I think) had other pictures in which the African-American subjects were referred to as "looters" while that one picture of whites said they "found" their supplies. However . . . the photographer came forward and said that in that particular instance, the whites in the photograph had literally found the supplies they were carrying -- they had not looted them. So I don't think we can infer much from that one particular incident.

Still, I think it's pretty obvious that there's been a racial bias in all of this. Somebody in the other Hurricane Katrina thread (lifesaver?) said that he didn't think that it would have taken this long to rescue these people if they had been white. I have to agree. And I think that part of the reason that these people remaining in New Orleans have been portrayed so savagely is so that we can all feel better about the fact that they haven't been rescued yet. I know it's been proven time and time again on GC that I have a rather Marxist view of morality that most of you don't share -- but why aren't more people questioning what kind of poverty you would have to live in that would drive you to the point where you're willing to risk your life to acquire TVs and jewelry when you might not even have a house?

[BetteDavisEyes]

Originally posted by sugar and spice
Well, New Orleans cops aren't exactly known for being pinnacles of morality, so this really isn't that surprising . . . .

In the defense of some of the actual good cops, they too have family & friends that need the supplies (as long as it's food, water, clothes, & baby supplies). Many of them have quit their jobs simply b/c they chose to take care of their families in this time rather than try to help protect the city. I'm not saying it's right but they had a choice to make so they chose their families. It's when I see these morons looting TV's, stereos, & jewelry that really pisses me off. That shit isn't going to get you anything right now b/c it's not needed. Food, water, & medical supplies are what's needed.

[lovelyivy84]

I came back to GC to see how folks were faring in the midst of all this tragedy. From my job at a local College, I have desperately been trying to get in touch with all the people affiliated with the school that I can. I have heard back from 2.

I am so sick over what is happening here.

A major American city just collapsed, and the residents who have managed to escape with their lives all are left with nothing. In a city where something like 30-40% of the population are at or below the poverty level, what does this mean? What is going to happen to America in the wake of this disaster? NOLA is the fourth largest port in the country, and I read that it is actually the 4th largest port int he WORLD by volume. 1.6 million people just lost everything, and insurance in those areas of the country will usually only cover wind damage to houses, leaving the rest to be covered by FEMA.

And THIS IS WHAT PEOPLE CARE ABOUT?

I have seen media pictures just like all of you and the VAST majority of looters were carrying clothes, food, batteries and water. WHO CARES whether we call it looting or finding. Fact is they had to commit theft to get their needs met.

As to reports about stealing stereos, etc, do we have ANY concrete information supporting all of this condemnation? I am not saying it is NOT happening, but I would bet that the percentage of people stealing stereos ESPECIALLY at this point is PRETTY DAMN LOW. Talking about like that's half of the god damn city is sooo beyond ludicrous.

BE mad about the robberies and rapes that are going on down there and preventing people at evacuation centers from even going to the damn bathroom. Be mad at a local and federal government that was COMPLETELY incapable of providing any means for the poorest, the elderly and the sick to EVACUATE the damn city. They told them to leave, but didnt do a damn thing to make sure they did.

Being mad that the media called people looters is BEYOND petty.

ETA: Sorry if this feels like an attack on anyone. I'm just angry about the situation, like a whole lot of people, and sometimes it feels like folks IN GENERAL think it's more important to point fingers then actually help. And pointing fingers at black people, white people, etc just feels like a HUGE avoidance of the real issues. I know that a lot of people are discussing a lot more than this, this just seems *especially* unproductive. At least no one here is blaming the victims for not leaving, when so many of them couldn't.

I hope everyone on this thread has already donated to the Salvation Army and Red Cross.

[sugar and spice]

Originally posted by lovelyivy84


ETA: Sorry if this feels like an attack on anyone. I'm just angry about the situation, like a whole lot of people, and sometimes it feels like folks IN GENERAL think it's more important to point fingers then actually help. And pointing fingers at black people, white people, etc just feels like a HUGE avoidance of the real issues. I know that a lot of people are discussing a lot more than this, this just seems *especially* unproductive. At least no one here is blaming the victims for not leaving, when so many of them couldn't.

I hope everyone on this thread has already donated to the Salvation Army and Red Cross.

There are a couple of threads in Chit Chat that are much bigger than this one discussing the humanitarian side of Hurricane Katrina. This thread was started just to discuss an offshoot of the major issues -- I don't think that this is anyone's primary concern. If you're more interested in the "helping" side of things, there is a discussion going on in the Red Cross thread about that.

[lovelyivy84]

I only came back to read about how people were doing, not to post. This was the first one in recent threads when I logged in and I was pretty upset by it.

Once I saw the other topics in other forums, I edited my post. This will probably be my last post on GC.

Originally posted by sugar and spice
There are a couple of threads in Chit Chat that are much bigger than this one discussing the humanitarian side of Hurricane Katrina. This thread was started just to discuss an offshoot of the major issues -- I don't think that this is anyone's primary concern. If you're more interested in the "helping" side of things, there is a discussion going on in the Red Cross thread about that.

[The Truth]

It is definitely NOT looting. So I wish yall would get over that. If you want to rant and rave about something listen to this http://www.libera.be/files/nagin.mp3
then come back on here fussing about some doggone looting.

AND I HOPE that alllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll your energy is not being put in typing on GC about the "dumb people" looting.

Can't stand it when folks take ONE issue and carrying on about it, but MISSING the REAL ISSUE. Let me tell you what the REAL ISSUE IS: LIFE.

Any questions?

[ZTABullwinkle]

Originally posted by The Truth
It is definitely NOT looting. So I wish yall would get over that. If you want to rant and rave about something listen to this http://www.libera.be/files/nagin.mp3
then come back on here fussing about some doggone looting.

AND I HOPE that alllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll your energy is not being put in typing on GC about the "dumb people" looting.

Can't stand it when folks take ONE issue and carrying on about it, but MISSING the REAL ISSUE. Let me tell you what the REAL ISSUE IS: LIFE.

Any questions?

It is more than obvious that the mayor is frustrated. I can agree with many things he is saying, but not all. There are so many issues within this tragedy. Hopefully his message will not fall on deaf ears.