Hurricane Katrina: Is Looting a Question of Skin Color?

[okey]

http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,372365,00.html

If the pain and destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina wasn\'t enough, now the looting has started on the streets of New Orleans. But many people simply need to feed their families and are consequently forced to \"borrow\" food from waterlogged grocery stores. So what makes somebody a looter? And does it have anything to do with the color of their skin?

It didn\'t take long for reports of looting to filter through. No sooner had Hurricane Katrina\'s winds died down, than people emerged onto the streets and began helping themselves to whatever New Orleans\' shopping paradise had to offer.

Now, dear reader, you might say their actions are understandable, if not condonable. If your home had just been washed away, and you hadn\'t eaten a proper meal for 48 hours, the urge to help yourself to a few candy bars or cartons of milk from the local convenience store might be a strong one. But a number of amazing reports have described how local residents also loaded up their vehicles with DVD players and televisions, with the National Guard and police almost powerless to stop them. New Orleans is rapidly turning into a lawless city, with those unable to leave resorting to plunder and mayhem.

But the really interesting angle on all of this comes from those smart folks at Metafilter. They cleverly link to three pictures of apparent \"looters\" featured on Yahoo news. Two men are pictured wading through flood waters with bags of groceries and beer in their arms. They are described as \"looters.\" And, coincidentally they are African-American.

Next comes a picture of a white couple carrying food supplies through the flood waters. According to AFP/Ghetty Images, these fine young people are on their way home after \"finding bread and soda from a local grocery store.\" So the white people don\'t \"loot\", they \"find\". A curious insight into prevalent racism in the US media; just as one man\'s \"terrorist\" is another man\'s \"freedom fighter,\" it seems one man\'s \"looter\", is another man\'s \"finder\". You decide.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/30/AR2005083000848.html
http://news.yahoo.com/photo/050830/480/ladm10208301530

A young man walks through chest deep flood water after looting a grocery store in New Orleans on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005. Flood waters continue to rise in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina did extensive damage when it made landfall on Monday. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

A looter carries a bucket of beer out of a grocery store in New Orleans on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005, as floodwaters continue to rise in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina made landfall on Monday. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

NOW COMPARE THE PICTURES ABOVE TO THE ONE BELOW

Two residents wade through chest-deep water after finding bread and soda from a local grocery store after Hurricane Katrina came through the area in New Orleans, Louisiana.(AFP/Getty Images/Chris Graythen)

[ugbobaby]

this na sensitive issue oooooooo but y d african american people the carry drinks, even beer, that is kinda weird since they were hit by the hurricane. one wud assume that pple fought to find food and water and not soda and beer
off course there is still racism and discrimination in the here in the states but african americans also bring some of these things on themselves.
i can understand why the branded the man a looter (though that was rather harsh)

[uapo4]

this na sensitive issue oooooooo but y d african american people the carry drinks, even beer, that is kinda weird since they were hit by the hurricane. one wud assume that pple fought to find food and water and not soda and beer
off course there is still racism and discrimination in the here in the states but african americans also bring some of these things on themselves.
i can understand why the branded the man a looter (though that was rather harsh)

The beer part really got me laughing even though it\'s not a funny situation :twisted:

[Susia]

This is very funny indeed! . Okey dont get me started...I read this in the paper and I couldn\'t believe it  but anyway I will not say anything, so that I dont get in trouble with .......

[Amaka]

Was it a question of CLASS yes... question of skin color maybe, many people were unable to evacuate because there wasn?t any means like car for their evacuation. It can be question of race because I noticed that nearly every looting and rescued person was African-American. Moreover, 67 percent of New Orleans are blacks and 27.9 percent of New Orleans residents are below the poverty line and so the storm seems to have hurt blacks more directly than whites, but surprisinly the media seems not to mention that part. Some Philly peeps were demonstrating days ago because homes were made available for over 1000 victims of the hurricane while Philly has so many homeless peeps. It?s just a complex issue assuming the mayor of Philly wasn?t black; he would have been labeled racist who doesn\'t care by the homeless blacks.

[KIM]

I\'m happy I saw this picture of a man lugging a bucket of beer over the water.I had wanted to say that the people were looting so they could have something to eat(some actually did for this reason) but the guy with beer,i don\'t know if he thought the hurricane was a joke or if he has a medical condition that stipulates he must abstain from water and drink only beer.One may never know. :?
Racism or not,what happened during Katrina should not be allowed to happen to anyone else(white,black or green).We can only hope the people in charge have learnt some lessons.Being angry,mad or irate won\'t help cos what has happened has happened;lives have been lost,properties destroyed,minds traumatized.It shouldn\'t be allowed to happen again. :!:
Once again,America has shown that it is infact unprepared(contrary to what the media tries to make us believe).