Wave of violent crime intensifies in N.O.

[Tyler Durden 95]

Hispanics immigrants being targeted...

http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/wwl081607jbcrime.3e36f1e1.html


New statistics show a crime wave is intensifying in a city already beset by the uncertainties of a flagging recovery from Hurricane Katrina.


Despite an infusion of money and manpower into the justice system, the murder rate is growing and armed robbers are preying on Hispanic day laborers flush with cash from rebuilding jobs, the Police Department says.

The city, which led the nation in murders per capita in 2006, is on track to retain its title, according to data presented Thursday for April through June.

The report shows a 14 percent increase in murders and 44 percent leap in armed robberies for the first half of 2007 compared to the same period in 2006.

"It's obviously not good," said police Superintendent Warren Riley.

Crime has gotten so out of hand that Louisiana National Guard troops continue to patrol city streets and the U.S. Justice Department has taken on a bigger role in fighting street crime that had largely been left to the city before Katrina.

Riley said the increase of armed robberies correlates to a spate of muggings of Hispanic workers, many of them undocumented, in the city's devastated eastern section. Much of the area, flooded by Katrina on Aug. 29, 2005, remains a wasteland and is difficult to patrol. Riley said the workers are easy prey because they often don't have bank accounts and carry large amounts of cash. A team of officers has been working on catching the robbers, Riley said.

Katrina's damage to jails, court buildings, police facilities and a shortage of police officers have been blamed in the past as catalysts for the rise in crime. In January, a march on City Hall by as many as 5,000 people demanded action to stem a new-year murder wave. Police responded by putting more officers on the street and setting up checkpoints at high-crime hours.

But Peter Scharf, a criminologist with the University of New Orleans, said Katrina-based arguments are harder to make now that the city has had so much time to repair damage and received so much support.

"The hurricane theories, morphing of drug groups, or that the NOPD is in a trailer, really don't make sense," Scharf said. "You look at the leadership in this city to the leadership in cities that have been reasonably successful, and it's night and day."

Recently, Mayor Ray Nagin reignited complaints about his leadership when he said news of the killing of two brothers, while sad, "keeps the New Orleans brand out there." The mayor later said the comment was aimed at keeping the city's plight before the nation, but it drew complaints from business and civic groups.

[tyovan]

My girlfriend is talking of applying to do a medical fellowship in New Orleans - she argues that its good because its very easy to get accepted there. I keep trying to get it through to her that its very easy to get accepted there because nobody in their right mind would want to go there!

[PanzerMaster]

Reading here (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=332153&page=13), I am wondering... why not put the poor segment of the population to do the working instead, I assume, to let them jobless and resorting to crime because one is hiring foreign nationals?

Disclaimers:
1) Very probably, I am wrong assuming that who commit crime are N.O. natives, maybe also they are foreign nationals that came with the regular workers.
2) I assumed that N.O. citizens are/were available for hiring and that were not choosen maybe for economic reason (a Mexican works cheaper?)

EDIT: I am trying to explaining some concepts of mine here but I suspect that my english grammar above is awful, if something is not clear I will try to write it better after work, Apologize :(

[Hilbert]

I live in Metairie, which is right next to New Orleans, and I can say from experience that the crime rate has gone up like a rocket, just like the article suggsts. To compound the problem the NOPD doesn't have the amount of officer's it needs; a freind of mine in the NOPD told me their even considering speeding up the training process just to get more officers on the streets. And, as you might've guessed, it's also spiked an increase in the number of people applying for Concealed Carry, people want protection; with the current police situation, response time ranges from a half hour to several hours depending on the area your.

Although it's still reasonably safe as long as you play it smart by avoid certain crime-infested areas, and don't go out late at night.

It's also true that National Guardsman patrol the streets, unfortunately due to law they cannot make arrests, they can only detain a person until the Police Dept. arrives. Also, none of them wear body armor (if so their wearing the lighter concealable type underneath their BDUs) or carry their rifles; just their sidearms, usually in drop thigh holsters.

- Hildebert

[PanzerMaster]

Update: If you go on reading the link I posted, on page 15 (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=332153&page=15) there are other important news:
1) Criminals are mostly N.O. citizens (and previous criminals) that returned after the hurrican, and that most of the murders are between them.
2) In an article about casino in the zone, they says that local workers earn a lot more than before hurricane, that seems to me something like full employment effect (were wages go up).

Basically my theory of unemployed disgruntled New Orleaneses goes down the drain, the killer are always the same improductive criminals swath of society.

[seraosha]

... why not put the poor segment of the population to do the working instead, I assume, to let them jobless and resorting to crime because one is hiring foreign nationals?

Well from the perspective of someone that married into a Cajun family, with close ties to N.O., the general impression is that the jobs are available to everyone, but are only being worked by a few residents and illegal immigrants (ie Mexicans, central/south Americans). again, this is just perception...but the vast majority of crime, and the exported crime to cities like Houston, are being perpetrated by those that won't work "legitimate jobs" and would rather be criminals...now that the FEMA checks are gone.

I know from my father-in-law, that the construction jobs that he supplies equipment for have a policy to hire native Louisiana folks first, and N.O. Folks especially...but the work crews and construction jobs are not being taken. There is the theory that the folks refusing to work are third generation welfare recipients and don't actually know how to work, but I can't believe that someone would refuse to work on rebuilding their own city, and would rather resort to crime...call me an idealist, but I would like to have a higher opinion of people.

[joe mama]

...but I can't believe that someone would refuse to work on rebuilding their own city, and would rather resort to crime...call me an idealist, but I would like to have a higher opinion of people.

Did you also not believe that people who were perfectly capable of walking/swimming/floating their way out of the city and helping their neighbors do the same would refuse to do that and would instead wait for the government to save them?

Give me an f'ing break. Want to know the real tragedy of Katrina? More dead beat criminal scum didn't get washed out to sea, and far too many good people, especially ones that needed a hand from their dead beat criminal neighbors and didn't get it, did die.

[seraosha]

Hey man, I said I'd "like to have a higher opinion", not that I actually do.

[PsychoMantis]

...but the vast majority of crime, and the exported crime to cities like Houston, are being perpetrated by those that won't work "legitimate jobs" and would rather be criminals...now that the FEMA checks are gone.

Let me tell ya,as a resident of Houston,I havent met a single Houstonian that is still willing to cooperate with Katrina Victims. When the hurricane hit N.O. last year one of my neighbors open up her home to a couple and their kids that needed a place to stay. She even introduced them to her church and her church gave a substanial amount of money from offerings to the family. You know what the family did with that money? The father bought a grill and drugs and the rest of the family kept it for themselves. It was a month later and the father STILL didnt find a job,the mother STILL stayed home and did nothing but watch TV and talk on the phone,and the Kids STILL havent applied for school. And you know the worse part of it was? When she decided that she had enough,she kicked them out only to have them accuse her of being "racist" and they stole her TV,DVD player,Jewlery,and a couple of her clothes. These are same people that Houston let in to help and rebuild their lives but they do nothing but spit on our faces. Next time around I hope they better learn how to swim because we`re tired of the complaints,we`re tired of the spike in crime rate,and we`re tired of the tension.

[PanzerMaster]

To searoasha and PsychoMantis,

I am saddened by the truth of your comments that spawns from direct knowledge.

I am sure that the better people of N.O. now have found a way out of the disaster and, why not, will enjoy a mini economic boom while the city rebirth.

But, I have a question: how social welfare works in the US? Here in Italy one can be eligible for a unemployed pay for some months (with various levels of benefits: best if you are an employee of a large firms... nothing if you are one of the new working slave that new employment laws created time ago). If *elderly and without a matured pension* or *disable*, one can have a life long welfare check (social pension, disability pension).

If you are able and young but don't work.. well... healthcare is free and there are some place were one can have a hot meal, but not money as far as I know.

How possible in the US that relatively young and healthy people, live years (generations) on welfare as you said?

[PsychoMantis]

To searoasha and PsychoMantis,

I am saddened by the truth of your comments that spawns from direct knowledge.

I am sure that the better people of N.O. now have found a way out of the disaster and, why not, will enjoy a mini economic boom while the city rebirth.

But, I have a question: how social welfare works in the US? Here in Italy one can be eligible for a unemployed pay for some months (with various levels of benefits: best if you are an employee of a large firms... nothing if you are one of the new working slave that new employment laws created time ago). If *elderly and without a matured pension* or *disable*, one can have a life long welfare check (social pension, disability pension).

If you are able and young but don't work.. well... healthcare is free and there are some place were one can have a hot meal, but not money as far as I know.

How possible in the US that relatively young and healthy people, live years (generations) on welfare as you said?
Its pretty complicated but as far I know only people with Disability and single parents raising 2 or more kids can apply. Beilive me,People take full advantage of the situation that Welfare is not closely moderated.

[Horizon]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/51/106993932_a79349c03a_o.jpg

[PsychoMantis]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/51/106993932_a79349c03a_o.jpg
Lmao. Isent the internet just great?

[helomech]

Recently, Mayor Ray Nagin reignited complaints about his leadership when he said news of the killing of two brothers, while sad, "keeps the New Orleans brand out there." The mayor later said the comment was aimed at keeping the city's plight before the nation, but it drew complaints from business and civic groups.


I still can't fvcking believe the citizens of New Orleans re-elected this bag of sh1t to office;does he not see the problems the city still endures?I'm of the mindset that public safety would be paramount,but then again I'm just Joe Sh1t the Ragman,what do I know?

[Sand Man]

I have to ask it here: How is New Orleans today?

Have the water been totally drained out from the streets? And how about the crimes?

I ask because I watched a segment on NatGeo last night about the tragedy and I tried to look for updated pics of the City a while ago and all I found were pics of it still underwater.

[Hilbert]

The NOPD is in terrible shape, it's horribly short of personnel, and that's complicating the problem because their often inable to provide adequate security. And, since a big part of New Orleans' income revolves around tourism, people hear about the situation and word of mouth spreads (these stupid shows like K-Ville aren't helping either, it's bad but it isn't a war zone) people often blow the situation out of proportion and tourism lacks.

Long story short, we're recovering but its going to be a while before this city ever comes back to what it was like before Katrina.

EDIT:

As far as Ray Nagin, we know he's messed up, but the other choices weren't much better. He was a little bit better before the storms but since then he's just gone wacko.

[Mastermind]

The NO cops can not provide proper civilian security...but they have all kinds of time to go out and grab fire arms from law abiding folks.....well, they did right after the Hurricane, anyway.

Regardless, I don't see the problem...I mean, it looks to me like Mayor Ray Nagan has gotten his "Chocolate City" now. Isn't this what normally happens in Chocolate Cities...I refer to Detroit, East St. Louis, Louisville, etc....?