Sigh...

[pecunium]

What's wrong with these pictures?





Nothing, right?

Well, if you go and look at them here and here you will see that the couple in the first picture are just grabbing needed food, where the kid in the second has looted a grocery.

The only differences I can see between them are the color of their skin, and the bag of food the kid has (and the guy has a knapsack, so it's possible they have more than a "bottle of milk, a loaf of bread and come home right away." Absent knowledge of what's in the bag, and of how many people the kid might be taking it too; or of when he might be rescued, I'm willing to cut him the same slack the ones in the top picture get.

The food in those groceries is doomed. The perishables will perish and the semi-durable (canned goods) will probably be unsalvageable by the time they get the waters out of the city for not only are the pumps not capable of more than an inch an hour (as I recall reading) but they put the water into Lake Ponchartrain, which would be, until they repair the levee breaches, a Sysiphean task, since it will just run right back into town, charging anyone with looting; for food, is pointless, but the distinctions made here... sigh.

Comments

[sinboy.livejournal.com]

I seriously suggested that anyone caught looting (non foodstuffs or medical supplies) should be given 5 years community service, and forced to wear a big sign that said "looter" on it.

[firinel.livejournal.com]

That's curious wording in your second link; it's almost as if not being able to contain the looting is mentioned as an excuse to their own looting of high ticket, non-essential, items. I suppose it could be an excuse, but I hardly consider it a valid one.

[sinboy.livejournal.com]

It's a possibility

[sinboy.livejournal.com]

It's not a second link, it's the same article with some "..." space to indicate a break.

[lagilman]

I'm not being jovial about anything that's going on down there right now. I draw a line (as I said quite clearly) between taking perishables to survive, and looting. Looting is the lowest form of theft I can imagine, taking advantage of a crisis situation for your own material good -- you'd rather I was a traditionalist and said they should be shot on sight? Just what we need, more bodies.

An ear tag is probably more workable, though.


(no, I'm not serious. Entirely. They'd take away my ACLU card. I can dream though, cant I?)

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Gov't (at least the sorts we prefer here) involve a willing constraint on some liberties, in exchange for a more comfortable life.

I don't really have to worry about someone breaking my doors in because he want's something he thinks I have. I don't have to worry about a dispute with my neighbors turning into a multi-generational fued; to be ended only when both sides are worn out, or one is eliminated. This was a commonplace in the Scottish Highlands until after the Battle of Culloden, and in the Highlands of New Guinea until the 1960s.

Given the number of people who are going to need medications, and the certain destuction of them, I don't have a real problem with the gov't taking it.

Absent a real need (kidney stone, diabetes, habit, etc.) I can't see a likelihood for private persons taking it, other than personal gain and that's not acceptable.

TK

[selinawoman.livejournal.com]

The thing is that it doesn't say that the white couple looted per se.. but it does mention the boy of color looted, and *that's* what I find disgusting.. for the whiteys it says:
Two residents wade through chest-deep water after finding bread and soda from a local grocery store

Is finding the same as looting or no? In any case, bless them both.

"GAR!" Said Steve the Pirate!

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

I can agree with punishing them (a long stint of community service seems a good idea, and perhaps prison, depending on just what they were stealing, and why) but the tattoo? No.

After all, they probably won't get the chance to do it again, and a permanent mark is a terrible thing. Unending obloquy, not on old chap, not on.

TK

[selinawoman.livejournal.com]

Amen!

[conuly]

Fair by my books - but even if you're outfitting a new wardrobe, it's still more justifiable than picking up something like a new string of pearls.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Well, New Orleans doesn't have the best PD, it's better than it was but it did have a cop take a hot out on someone, as payback for some drug-dealing that went wrong; or to prevent her from testifying about it. I forget the details.

And the world turned upside down nature of things is going to lead to stuff like that. The images (toddler on a pallet of booze); chilling.

If you put it in a movie, no one would believe it.

TK

[phoenixw.livejournal.com]

If the journalist is aware of the standards normally applied to accused persons, then he or she will be more careful in their choice of labels. If, on the other hand, the writer is not concerned about being sued for defamation of character, then they might choose a more emotionally charged term, like "looter".

I was reminded of a story that ran on CNN.com a couple of months ago. It featured a photo of a teenage boy, and asserted that the boy had killed some folks, and then himself. I wondered when publishers decided it was ok to print the photo of a minor accused of a crime, and why it was all right to refer to the accused as a killer. Was it because he was dead? Or because he was not white? Very annoying.

[st-crispins.livejournal.com]

charging anyone with looting; for food, is pointless

I just said the very same thing to my husband. These people are trapped and the products will be unsalavageable anyway.

I watched the em arrest a woman with a shopping cart... filled with diapers.

That's just plain stupid.

[underpope.livejournal.com]

Not to be pedantic, but it looks like the two photographs were taken by two different photographers and attached to two different stories. The first was attached to a story about the effects of Katrina (more a bullet-point list of effects), while the second was attached to a story about looting. If the two photographs had been taken by the same photographer and were both attached to the same story, there might be more of a problem, but I think that this case is simply unfortunate rather than racist.

[firinel.livejournal.com]

No, I'd not rather you were traditionalist and say they should be shot on sight, actually. I did understand that you were quite clear about taking perishables to survive being different - that wasn't my issue; I simply find the idea of a permanent mark denoting criminal activity to be abhorent.

How you label/define yourself is entirely your dealing, but I'd have a hard time reconciling being an ACLU member, and even dreaming of permanently marking someone for such a reason.

[firinel.livejournal.com]

Oh, don't get me wrong, I've no problem with people being punished for looting non foodstuffs or medical supplies, or aything reasonably arguable to be necessary (I'm thinking blankets, propane, ect), my issue was more with the idea of permantly marking an indivigual for such a thing.

[phoenixw.livejournal.com]

Err. And as far as consistency goes, this is a Yahoo.com editorial problem. I've worked as a Web content manager, and without good editorial guidelines, different people will manage information differently.

[lintra.livejournal.com]

But here is my thing on the VCRs and jewelry. We have limited resources, and I want them out there rescuing the stranded, not out there arresting or shooting looters. Let them loot it, is what I'm saying. It's illegal, yes, I know, stealing is wrong, but when you've still got an unknown number of people still yelling from rooftops for help, I hope they're not allocating police/guard to arresting looters and protecting shops. That's all I'm saying.

[firinel.livejournal.com]

Ah *sheepish grin* I should have noticed that as I did actually read the link, though I read it originally not from your link here, but from your journal. I went there from a link betnoir made in this post.

Do you see what I mean about the wording though? Does it seem curious to you, or am I just thinkingwith my tinfoil hat on?

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

They don't seem to be, much, and I agree.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

It's been addressed above, in the course of lots of threading.

TK

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Or floating away out the broken grocery-store windows, more likely.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Doesn't the Ritz-Carlton still have a lot of guests stranded in it? It would seem to me that making sure they have what they need to stay alive - as all of that stuff might be - is as reasonable as calling a jug of milk or a loaf of bread "finding."

I'm in agreement with those who say - better looted and used, than left to rot while people die for want of it.

[badgerbag.livejournal.com]

not so sure... I've seen lots of photos of police guarding pharmacies. - police with shotguns, looking very tense.

[madwriter.livejournal.com]

I wonder if, like during a lot of other disasters, police and other folks in different parts of the city are doing different things.