New Orleans looting downplayed by media?

Rambix has heard anecdotal tales of New Orleans residents who were able to flee the hurricane to other states being contacted by their home security companies, who advised their homes were being broken into and looted, but there was nothing they could do about it. This story may have some merit. For some unknown reason, there seems to have been a grace period of some sort for the looters. Apparently criminal statutes are void in the event of a disaster.

Rambix understands the need for the authorities to save lives first and foremost, but can't the authorities do both at the same time? The looters should have been hauled off to an ad hoc detention facility until order was restored, and then things could be sorted out in proper fashion.

Here's a Breitbart.com news story that kind of sums up the situation: "Officials Helpless Against Looters". How good is this for the city:

New Orleans' homeland security chief, Terry Ebbert, said looters were breaking into stores all over town and stealing guns. He said there are gangs of armed men moving around the city. At one point, officers stranded on the roof of a hotel were fired at by criminals on the street.

This is what's known as chaos. Alright, let's say you're the forgiving sort and believe the motive of the looters is simple survival. The city still cannot afford to have a breakdown of law. While Rambix suspects that most of the looters are simply criminals and opportunists, the few that might be doing it for survivial need to stopped all the same, and directed to normal channels like everyone else.

On New Orleans' Canal Street, dozens of looters ripped open the steel gates on clothing and jewelry stores and grabbed merchandise. In Biloxi, Miss., people picked through casino slot machines for coins and ransacked other businesses. In some cases, the looting was in full view of police and National Guardsmen.

It's inexplicable how any law enforcement personnel could watch crimes occur right in front of them and not act.

As usual, Malkin is right on top of this angle here.

This is stunning: "Looting on Tchoupitoulas Street"

At about 2 p.m., the officers rushed back to disrupt a second break-in at the sporting goods store. An officer in a squad car tried to chase a Bell South utility truck that fled the scene, but he lost the truck amid fallen trees. Upon surveying the thefts, the officer said the most conspicuous missing items were all the weapons from the store's knife case.Before boarding up again, the officers took some essential supplies for themselves: socks, T-shirts and Power Bars. As officers were pounding the last nails the commander yelled: "Let's roll it, someone's driving around in a mail truck."

Maybe that explains Rambix' comment a few paragraphs up.