Looters leave nothing behind in storms wakePolice officers seen joining in on free-for-allBy Mike Perlstein and Brian Thevenot
Law enforcement efforts to contain the emergency left by Katrina
slipped into chaos in parts of New Orleans Tuesday -- with some
police officers and firefighters even joining looters in picking stores
clean.
At the Wal-Mart on Tchoupitoulas Street, an initial effort to hand out provisions to stranded citizens quickly disintegrated into mass looting.
Authorities at the scene said bedlam erupted after the giveaway was
announced over the radio.
While many people carried out food and essential supplies, others
cleared out jewelry racks and carted out computers, TVs and appliances
on handtrucks.
Some officers joined in taking whatever they could, including one
New Orleans cop who loaded a shopping cart with a compact computer
and a 27-inch flat screen television.
Officers claimed there was nothing they could do to contain the
anarchy, saying their radio communications had broken down and
they had no direction from commanders.
"We don't have enough cops to stop it," an officer said. "A mass
riot would break out if you tried." Inside the store, the scene alternated
between celebration and frightening bedlam. Ashirtless man
straddled a broken jewelry case, yelling, "Free samples, free samples
over here."
Another man rolled a mechanized pallet, stacked six feet high with
cases of vodka and whiskey. Perched atop the stack was a bewildered
toddler.
Throughout the store and parking lot, looters pushed carts and loaded
trucks and vans alongside officers. One man said police directed him
to Wal-Mart from Robert's Grocery, where a similar scene was
taking place.
A crowd in the electronics section said one officer broke the glass
DVD case so people wouldn't cut themselves. "The police got all the best stuff. They're crookeder than us," one man said.
Most officers, though, simply stood by powerless against the tide
of law breakers. One veteran officer said, "It's like this everywhere in the city. This tiny number of cops can't do anything about this. It's wide open."
At least one officer tried futilely to control a looter through shame.
"When they say take what you need, that doesn't mean an f-ing TV," the officer shouted to a looter.
"This is a hurricane, not a free-forall." Sandra Smith of Baton Rouge
walked through the parking lot with a 12-pack of beer under each
arm. "I came down here to get my daughters," she said, "but I can't
find them."
The scene turned so chaotic at times that entrances were blocked
by the press of people, shopping carts and traffic jams that sprouted
on surrounding streets. Some groups organized themselves into assembly lines to more efficiently cart off goods.
Toni Williams, 25, packed her trunk with essential supplies, such
as food and water, but said mass looting disgusted and frightened
her. "I didn't feel safe. Some people are going overboard," she said.
Inside the store, one woman was stocking up on make-up. She said
she took comfort in watching police load up their own carts. "It must be legal," she said. "The police are here taking stuff, too."
http://www.nola.com/hurricane/katrina/pdf/083105/a5.pdf*FW Note:A total breakdown of civil authority. And are the cops and the government on-site maintaining and restoring order or protecting citizens?
Would holding off armed looters and renegade cops qualify as a "sporting purpose"?
:?
