Finding VS. Looting

[sasvermont]

I agree that it is fine to not agree!

If you have ever been in a poor area of any city, you would find people not having the accomodations in life that we have. Many of them have no cars, no money, live on welfare or little income. Some are old, not very smart, but the biggest factor is poor. We are talking dirt poor.

There are people living in Vermont, where I live, who have no electricity, running water and still have dirt floors. Yes, no wood, just dirt as their floor.

The south is famous for it's poor people. Dirt poor, as I refer to it. They have no place to go because most if not all of their family is poor! They don't have a Passat wagon to load all their possessions in and drive inland to their cottage. They don't have insurance - they have nothing.

I agree that we do not agree. That is what is so nice about Pet talk and our lives. Now put yourself in their shoes for a minute. Up to your neck in water.
Ugh. I could not survive.

[elizabethann]

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?

Most of the people who didn't leave the area couldn't. If they had cars, they couldn't afford the gas to get out of town. Some of them were indigent and didn't have the means to get out. Some were sick and some were old. Even some hospitals didn't evacuate because they couldn't move the little infants. They moved the babies to a lower floor in case the roof blew off or leaked. But they couldn't move them because they needed to be incubated and needed medicine and care 24/7. And of course, I'm sure there were some people who chose to "ride it out".

[jackie]

^From what I heard on the news they were operating free coaches out of the city for people. But maybe I was mistaken

[Cataholic]

Disclaimer: I am NOT making a comparison to what the sufferers of the hurricane are experiencing, and what happened in Cincinnati in 2001.

When the riots struck our city in 2001, with cries of 'civil unrest', racism, the man keeping them down, etc., looting was RAMPANT.

It was not a matter of survival for them. They looted because they could.


I agree with the others- food? Water? Sustenance? I look the other way. TVs, tennis shoes, outfits? Shoot first, take names later.


PJs Mom- you are to be commended. You did what you did in a very desperate time.

Those that didn't leave the city probably had NO alternative.

[elizabethann]

FYI

Bush Jr, Bush Sr and Bill Clinton will be making a speech this afternoon re: the unrest down south and what we can all do to help.

[JenBKR]

I have to agree with those saying looting is wrong. Police forces are taken off of the search and rescue to deal with people stealing tvs and other electronics - and all the GUNS were stolen from Wal-Mart!! Scary!

Yes, stores like Wal-Mart can consider some of these as write-offs, but there are many mom-and-pop stores owned and run by everyday people that are being looted as well. How is that fair to them?

I also heard that there was a plane that was supposed to land that had supplies for hospital patients, but could not land because of looters with guns on the runway. Anyone else hear about that?

edit: I want to add that stealing essentials is different - food, water, clothing, other necessities. I don't think that people have a choice in that matter.

[popcornbird]

Looting is never justified, EVER, BUT, in this situation, if these people are stealing food, water, clothes...it is different, because this situation is different. If we put ourselves in their shoes...if we had no food, no water...our children were dying before our eyes, of course we would take any food we could, because we'd have no other choice. I mean IF it was a choice between life and death. That being said, when they are stealing MATERIAL things that will NOT assist in their survival, in any way...........there's a huge problem. That is looting because they want to. I did watch a video on MSNBC though, where some citizens were crying and saying they were stealing food, not because they wanted to, but because their children were dying and they HAD to. I can understand it in that situation, and don't consider that looting, but looting and shooting as some people are doing? That is a SHAME. I can't understand how anyone could do things that could make the situation worse than it already is.

[Twisterdog]

Originally posted by PJ's Mom
I've been poor and I didn't steal to support my kids. This doesn't excuse their behavior.

I agree with you 100%.

Would I take food or water? Probably, if the alternative was death. But would I take anything else? Never.

[RICHARD]

Originally posted by 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 was a prevalent thought after the riots here in El Lay..

Here's the dynamic.

The color of the people don't matter in this story, it just shows how stupid people are when they spew this kinda attitiude.


The reason that the looters were targeting the small mom an pop stores owned by this other group is that, "They came into our neighborhood, took over the stores and started to rip us off...."

The store owners, took up station on the roofs of their businesses and were prepared to shoot looters-they did pop caps over the rioters heads and to this day they was never any reports of shop owners being charged with any crimes.

And all this was done with the "blessing" of the LAPD, who had their hands full with people who could not defend themselves their businesses and homes.

-----------------------------------

Having been in thru about 5 pretty big earthquakes here in CA, I can honestly say that I don't remember seeing any real looting after that. Some people lost everything, but we did not lose our minds or our pride.

[KYS]

Richard I remember those riots very well.
I could not watch the news with out crying.
I could not understand how other humans could
treat others like that.

And before someone says, I have to be in their shoes
don't bother.

PJ's Mom, I applaud you.

I also want to add, My greatest respect
and appreciation for
all the people who have become heroes
by helping their fellow neighbors in this crises.

_____________

[jackie]

Kanye West Says "George Bush does not care about black people."

[MOXY]

Bush is an easy target for your name calling, he's just one man and whatever his feelings are about race or class wouldn't have any impact on a response from Americans to start helping PEOPLE affected by the flood. He's not gonna rescue anyone, that's not his job, he's a pencil pusher and hand shaker.

This is the point. PEOPLE would help, many want to. No one needs to steal or loot anything. Other countries are even helping. To see Americans justify looting and stealing is a troubling revelation and looks greedy and selfish especially when you see what is/was taken.

We all need to learn a lesson from this and we have. You won't see buracratic red tape slow the reaction time of rescuers again in the near future. And if a President has to apologize for a rescue response to an act of god, it probably won't be in our generation.

[Lobodeb]

Back to the original point of this thread, however, I do see the difference in the labeling of the photos.

Black people are seen as looting, white people are finding! I just saw this thread, clicked on the links in Jackie's post, and low and behold, the photos have been removed. Why?

And I have to agree with those who would take food and water, etc. for SURVIVAL. I'm sorry, but a 27' TV isn't going to do be a darn bit of good. It sounds like people are trying to take care of a tragic situation. Write off or not.

[jackie]

I didn't remove the links, they must have been delete. They were drawing a lot of heat and critism all over the world.

[jackie]

Bush is an easy target for your name calling

I wasn't call anyone names.