Finding VS. Looting

[jackie]

This is unbelievable!!! White people "find", Black people "loot".
Please look at the caption next to the photos.

finding

looting

[Soledad]

This really doesn't surprise me, sadly.

[Twisterdog]

I don't think you have enough information to judge, based on these two still pictures and captions alone.

Perhaps the photographer saw the person in the second picture actually enter a grocery store and take the items off the shelves ... the definition of looting.

And perhaps the photographer saw the people in the first picture actually find a loaf of bread floating in the water beside them while they were walking nowhere near the grocery store.

You don't know ... neither do I. But without knowing the background behind these two photos, it's premature to be shouting "Racism!". I personally would never have noticed the races of the people in the pictures had you not pointed it out. I don't know that many people would, frankly.

[Kfamr]

It's not surprising, unfortunately.
On CNN.com the caption for the "looting" photo is:

A young man drags groceries through chest-deep water in New Orleans on Tuesday.

[RICHARD]

Here's another view.

I saw clips this morning of people at Walmart....One gentleman had about 25 fishing rods over his shoulder.

Another man had a 12 pack of Coors beer in his possession.

Another looter had a cart full of tennis shoes.

What color were they?

It don't friggin matter.

Food is Food. Fishing rods and Coors beer ain't gonna keep you alive or do you much good.

20 pairs of tennis shoes from the shoe section still won't fill your stomach.


So food I'll give them a pass on....

All the other crap.....shoot first and then ask questions.

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As in the L.A. riots, the same people who are looking the local areas will complain about the stores who will not return to those areas becuase of the losses they incurred.

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[KYS]

The conditions are deplorable no matter what
religion or race you are.
The looting is rampant!
Everybody needs to come together and
help each-other.
Not make victims suffer more because of the
opportunity is their to steal/take advantage.

I can certainly understand someone taking
food and water.

I can not understand taking, T.V., microwaves
jewelery, guns. etc. etc. etc.

[elizabethann]

I saw one woman on t.v. taking diapers - that I can understand. But then I saw a guy running away from the cameras with a giant t.v. on his shoulder! All I could think of was....where the h-e-l-l was he going to plug that in?

[sasvermont]

I suppose one must be there to truly understand the fear and upset concerning having your home and personal items washed out from underneath you.

I don't think the businesses would do anything with the products except dump them in the trash anyway. It is a write off for the businesses. They have insurance. Many of the poor folks don't have a dime to begin with. Is it ok to take the products? Well, under the circumstances, I would have to say, let them be taken, stolen, appropriated, whatever. I am not approving of the stealing - just saying that under the circumstances, let it be the way it is. Most of the items taken will be write offs anyway.

I did not address the black white issue, simply because I don't think it is what the looting is all about. It is about poor people, trying to get something that will be thrown away anyway.

I feel so, so sorry for the people in the hurricane stricken area. They will suffer more than we will ever know.

So sorry.

For me, it is a people issue, not a color issue!

[moosmom]

Sasvermont is right. You have to be there to truly understand the whole situation and how the residents are coping with such a disaster.

[PJ's Mom]

Originally posted by sasvermont
It is about poor people, trying to get something that will be thrown away anyway.

I've been poor and I didn't steal to support my kids. This doesn't excuse their behavior.

[Lady's Human]

There was a quote from one of the looters on Fox, I forget the exact words, but it was something to the effect of this is our way of getting back at society that was holding us down.

That's not stealing for survival, that's stealing for revenge, and it's pointless at best.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,168001,00.html

When you have to pull 1500 officers off of search and rescue to control looting, it makes me think shoot first ask questions later. This looting is pointless, abhorrent disgusting behavior. Stealing car radios and batteries is not about survival, it's about destruction.

The best way to cope with disaster is listen to instructions, help your neighbor, and help the authorities, not hinder their efforts by making them try and control a war zone while they're trying to do search and rescue.

[sasvermont]

Please understand that I do not condone stealing but I do however, know that under normal circumstances, things would be different and not excusable. These circumstances are so unknown to us that we need to think about deeper issues - and realize we are not in their shoes/circumstances. How can we sit in judgement of their behavior when it is not happening to us?

Would I steal items under those circumstances, well, I would probably. Think about having nothing....not even a home or a job.

Yikes, the amount of confusion and heart ache must be immense. Unbelievable.

In my heart, the looters are forgiven, no matter what they have taken. I think it boils down to their survival.

[Lady's Human]

Survival= getting food and shelter in any way possible.

reprehensible behavior= stealing for the sake of stealing.

There are some things that are just inexcusable. Remember, the looters are diverting assets away from search and rescue operations by their actions, are shooting at rescue workers, and stealing from AMBULANCES AND HOSPITALS. That's lower than whale excrement.

[jackie]

sasvermont, sorry I don not agree with you.

Like the other people said, going in to take food and what you need to survive is one thing, climbing through windows or electronic store etc is something COMPLETELY different.

And while I am sorry this horrible thing happened, I am finding it a bit hard to feel sorry for these people.

One more thing I would like to know, id why didn't more people get out? They had at least 4 or 5 days advanced warning, and yet most of them chose to stay. I will never undertand why they didn't get out before it hit. Is it because they wanted to protect their homes? Nothing in the world is more valuable to me then the lives of my family.

[PJ's Mom]

Originally posted by sasvermont
Think about having nothing....not even a home or a job.

Been there, done that. Slept in the car with 4 small children and a husband who wouldn't work. No food, no diapers, no baby formula. I never stole to support my kids.

Nothing excuses this type of behavior. NOTHING.