Crime takes hold of new New Orleans

[Herman Munster]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-11-30-orleans-crime-cover_x.htm

"Oh it's terrible, terrible — simple as that," says Marguerite Oliver, 71, who is retired and lives in the Marigny, adjacent to the French Quarter that did not flood during Hurricane Katrina. It is a neighborhood of pricey homes and trendy bars and restaurants — not the kind of area known for violent crime before Katrina. Now, Oliver says, "The sun goes down, and I go in."

Crime, that old menace of the old New Orleans, is back, and it's bedeviling a city trying to recover from Hurricane Katrina. There have been 147 people killed in New Orleans this year, police say, down from 204 by this time in 2005. But the city's population is about half what it was before Katrina flooded 80% of the city, forcing an almost-complete evacuation.

That means New Orleanians are murdering each other at a rate of 73.5 murders per 100,000 residents. That figure is above that of the nation's most murderous city — Compton, Calif., whose rate was 67 murders per 100,000 people in 2005, according to the latest FBI statistics.

Because many traditionally violent areas flooded and remain nearly empty, crime has moved to upscale, high-traffic areas such as the Marigny, the French Quarter and Uptown, leaving residents with one more reason to question their decision to remain in the city.

"This is a city out of control," says Fine, 78, who stands drinking a beer outside the Spotted Cat as a Billie Holiday song wafts out of the bar's open doors. "Something's changed here."

[NOLADEM]

1. Crime is here in NOLA is definitely bad

But it can easily be avoided. Sadly, it is almost exclusively black man on black man crime, ages 15 to 30, engaged in petty crime and drug dealing/gang shit at 3 AM.

Lesson? Don't do crack, and if you do, don't buy it at 3 AM in a bad part of town.

I am saddened by it, but there seem to be few truly innocent victims in this crime wave right now. A few tragic exceptions certainly have happened, but for the most part, it is like the crack epidemic just started.

There is nothing for a young black man to do right now. No entertainment, until recently schools were closed, their neighborhoods are destroyed, all of their meager possessions destroyed or looted, their support structures shredded, so there is helplessness that can creep in if you aren't careful these days.

Don't let this discourage you from coming. Unless you are looking for trouble, you are very safe visiting the quarter, the garden district, bourbon st, taking a cruise, etc.

[orleans]

2. hummm...did the republicans give the people their guns back after

they confiscated all the guns from residents after katrina??

(did you see this video from abc?)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=385&topic_id=7974&mesg_id=7974

[benEzra]

3. The NRA got an injunction against the city government requiring them

to return the stolen firearms to their lawful owners (guns siezed for criminal activity would of course not be returned), got a second injuction (IIRC) over the city's foot-dragging, and last I heard, some residents were getting their guns back.