Rape & Murder in NO: I need help understanding this

[shelby_36]

I think some of this is happening but you really have to watch the media. Some stuff they play up. They'll show or talk about the same story different ways and 2 rapes turn into rampant rapes in an hour.
I also heard the story about a man being murdered after raping a young girl. I think we are all talking about the same story but we all have different ages...the media is hard to figure out.

 

[mickeyfan2]

I can't help you understand this, but I did hear that a man tried to rape a 13 year old and somebody stopped him by shooting him in the head. Yes he is dead.

 

[Saffron]

I think it's all been very exaggerated. I'm not saying that some of the things happening haven't happened, but it's not like the city is going crazy and armed gunmen are everywhere and civilization is falling apart. There are 10 of thousands of people in NO right now, some dying, some living. I believe maybe 2 or 3 of the stories. If it was as horrific as the media has made it out to be, their own reporters wouldn't be standing in the streets, going to the convention center, talking to the people etc. They themselves would be holed up for safety reasons. How many gunshots has anyone heard while a reporter is reporting, I haven't heard any. How many have been robbed of their food or water, I haven't heard of any. How many have been robbed of their clothing, I haven't heard of any. Unfortunately, we will have to wait until this is over to know exactly went went on, and good GOD it can't be over soon enough. One rape is way too many, one rape of a child is just unthinkable, absolutely unthinkable.

 

[RitaZ.]

Tiggersmom, I saw that too on Fox News. It was Arthel Neville telling of her cousin's account when she was at Superdome. It's sickening! One child raped and killed is one too many.

 

[tiggersmom2]

It's sickening! One child raped and killed is one too many.

I so agree! Death isn't good enough for those animals that did the raping. I am so upset just thinking about it......how will these women and children ever get over something that traumatic?!! The hurricane was traumatic enough.....but being RAPED on top of that........

 

[mbaker1277]

I too am shocked senseless at what is goimg on. Unfortunately, what makes it worse is that my husband is a police officer who is the commander of an elite group kind of like a SWAT team, and they arrived in Louisiana at 6a.m. this morning. His job is to stop the looters and the lawlesness. In the 15 years we have been maried i have never once been scared until now. Unfortunately our 7 yr. old daughter has heard of stories on the news, and she is terrified for her fathers life. I can't imagine what the family members of our troops feel like if it is this bad for us already. We just pray that people will come to their senses, that all their needs will be met, and we can begin to rebuild and maybe make a change to our society.

 

[tiggersmom2]

I too am shocked senseless at what is goimg on. Unfortunately, what makes it worse is that my husband is a police officer who is the commander of an elite group kind of like a SWAT team, and they arrived in Louisiana at 6a.m. this morning. His job is to stop the looters and the lawlesness. In the 15 years we have been maried i have never once been scared until now. Unfortunately our 7 yr. old daughter has heard of stories on the news, and she is terrified for her fathers life. I can't imagine what the family members of our troops feel like if it is this bad for us already. We just pray that people will come to their senses, that all their needs will be met, and we can begin to rebuild and maybe make a change to our society.

God Bless your hubby!!! I just said a prayer for him and your family.

 

[ktink]

I too am shocked senseless at what is goimg on. Unfortunately, what makes it worse is that my husband is a police officer who is the commander of an elite group kind of like a SWAT team, and they arrived in Louisiana at 6a.m. this morning. His job is to stop the looters and the lawlesness. In the 15 years we have been maried i have never once been scared until now. Unfortunately our 7 yr. old daughter has heard of stories on the news, and she is terrified for her fathers life. I can't imagine what the family members of our troops feel like if it is this bad for us already. We just pray that people will come to their senses, that all their needs will be met, and we can begin to rebuild and maybe make a change to our society.

I will keep your dh and your family in my prayers for his safe return.

I can't understand this either, I'm assuming that the people who are doing the rapings and beatings are also survivors. I can't imagine leaving through something like that and to be so cruel to others after surviving. I know I can't even begin to imagine what the situation is like at all but it seems like tragedy normally brings out the good in people. This week I have been so depressed and I couldn't figure out why, well it has got to be watching this continuous coverage over Katrina. My heart truly breaks for these people and I can't bear to watch it anymore. I can't imagine having to live through it! And the people who have devoted their time in the relief and rescue efforts, my hat goes off to them. I admire these people and give all thanks to them.

 

[Divamomto3]

I think it's all been very exaggerated. I'm not saying that some of the things happening haven't happened, but it's not like the city is going crazy and armed gunmen are everywhere and civilization is falling apart. There are 10 of thousands of people in NO right now, some dying, some living. I believe maybe 2 or 3 of the stories. If it was as horrific as the media has made it out to be, their own reporters wouldn't be standing in the streets, going to the convention center, talking to the people etc. They themselves would be holed up for safety reasons. How many gunshots has anyone heard while a reporter is reporting, I haven't heard any. How many have been robbed of their food or water, I haven't heard of any. How many have been robbed of their clothing, I haven't heard of any. Unfortunately, we will have to wait until this is over to know exactly went went on, and good GOD it can't be over soon enough. One rape is way too many, one rape of a child is just unthinkable, absolutely unthinkable.

While I agree some stories may be slightly exaggerated and over-reported, I can't tell you how many anchors and reporters I have seen literally break down and CRY during all of this or have a serious tantrum. These are not things you normally see from any news reporters, no matter what the situation. I have seen Geraldo, Anderson Cooper, Miles O'Brien, Shepard Smith, Jeanne Meserve, an unidentified blonde local reporter, and one of the CNN anchors I really like...her name is escaping me now...Carol something....totally break down and cry or have a yelling fit. I don't think they're acting...that doesn't get them any journalistic awards.

I really don't think we could comprehend the actual depths of despair and destruction down there even from watching it on TV. You have to smell it, touch it, see it, hear it, and experience it to really get it.

 

[goin2disneyagain]

While I agree some stories may be slightly exaggerated and over-reported, I can't tell you how many anchors and reporters I have seen literally break down and CRY during all of this or have a serious tantrum. These are not things you normally see from any news reporters, no matter what the situation. I have seen Geraldo, Anderson Cooper, Miles O'Brien, Shepard Smith, Jeanne Meserve, an unidentified blonde local reporter, and one of the CNN anchors I really like...her name is escaping me now...Carol something....totally break down and cry. I don't think they're acting...that doesn't get them any journalistic awards.

I really don't think we could comprehend the actual depths of despair and destruction down there even from watching it on TV. You have to smell it, touch it, see it, hear it, and experience it to really get it.

This is so true!! Shepard Smith was trying to explain this to Bill O'Reilly the other night. He said you really can't see it all on TV.

 

[pixieprincessmom]

One of the Aaron Neville's sisters was on TV tonight and said a relative who was there reported the rape of a seven year old girl. She said other men there beat the guy to dead. I hope and pray this detered other rapists.

 

[C.Ann]

Surely there has been some exaggeration and rumors, however, there was a doctor interviewed on television tonight who is treating patients in the Astrodome in Texas.. He has verified that women and children had in fact been raped and talked about the services they are currently receiving..

If you would like to get some insight as to "why" people would act like this, read the thread I started in regards to mental illness.. The information came first hand from a mental health professional that was among a group of friends we were conversing with last night..

 

[WebmasterAlex]

I don't find it shocking at all. There are plenty of streets in any large city where a woman alone walking down the street at night would almost certainly be raped or killed. Take the same people and put them in a dome, why would you think it would be any different?

 

[magicmouse2]

What I cant understand is how that sicko got to the young girl. Was no one looking after her ? are people not grouping together for safety ?

 

[jgmklmhem]

I don't find it shocking at all. There are plenty of streets in any large city where a woman alone walking down the street at night would almost certainly be raped or killed. Take the same people and put them in a dome, why would you think it would be any different?

This is what I was thinking as well. I don't have the stats but I wonder on a normal night how many truly violent crimes happen in NO. Add to that the dire circumstances and this is what we have. Do I think some of it is rumors....sure but I am sure some of it is truth. Assuming the story is true the only solace I can find in this is at least the one guy who got mobbed after trying to commit or committed rape is now no longer a problem due to his death. At least others haven't become so complacent that they would let it go.

 

[Bunch24]

While it's not nearly the anarchy that some networks are portraying, the stuff they are reporting definitely happened.

There have been numerous murders, numerous rapes, numerous beatings. It's not exaggerated, unfortunately. I've never seen anything like it before and I hope to never see anything like it ever again. The pictures have just been downright depressing.

There are confirmed stories about a 14-year old girl being gang-raped for four hours until she died. Of course, someone mentioned the 7-year old girl, and there was also an 8-year old boy that was raped. Numerous white males were beaten to within an inch of their lives simply because of the color of their skin (that never makes it on CNN though). And that was just the Superdome.

At the Convention Center, there were gang fights breaking out constantly and people being beaten and raped. People were shooting at police officers who stood on the rooftops across from the Convention Center.

But there is good in humans, after all. A group of men banded together and forced the criminal element out of the Convention Center, telling them to go back to their neighborhood and kill each other there. It's good to see the good citizens coming together in a time of crisis. We saw so many images of the opposite, I was starting to lose faith in the human race.

This is a quote from a doctor that was helping out at the Superdome:

"We had three murders last night. We had a total of six rapes last night. We had the day before, I think, there were three or four murders. There were half-a-dozen rapes that night. We had one suicide last night. We had one military policeman shot."

Unfortunately, the good are suffering for the bad. New Orleans is the murder capital of the world per capita. There's not a day that goes by in New Orleans where at least one shooting doesn't take place. And when you combine the criminal element with desperate times, it makes for a very ugly picture.

I love New Orleans, it's quite possibly my favorite city to visit. But it's one of the worst places for crime. And unfortunately, the ugly side of New Orleans came out. I'd imagine a lot of tourists thinking about visiting New Orleans will now think twice.


Links to read about the gruesome events happening:

Anarchy and agony in New Orleans


Doctor's account of Superdome

Rape threat to our women

And I know there are a lot of people talking about racism and the like, here's another interesting read I ran across:

The dark side of black people

 

[muffy0110]

gladly have a discussion with anyone about why such horrible things happen
and why they will continue to happen. Feel free to personally e-mail me
she0110@hotmail.com

 

[cjb71870]

I thought about this the other day. In almost every town or city there are people who would commit crimes that we wouldn't understand, in normal conditions! How would they act under the worst of conditions? They don't care! And, under the worst of conditions, they sure aren't gonna care at all!!!

 

[totalia]

Desperation. Hopelessness. Loss. Pain.

Its amazing what all of those things will do. Disgusting yes. But it shows what we can become when we feel we have nothing left.

 

[mark&sue]

You would have thought that you would have safety in numbers and felt you would have been safe to go to the superbowl or any other shelter the authorities were to provide.

What will happen in the future now when authorities tell people to leave their home and go to shelters? You will be more worried to go to the shelter than stay at home.

I have found this as disturbing as suicide bombers and feel very uncomfortable and scared in the world I live in.



Susan