Less of One, Twice the Other
Of these murders, few are obvious drug crimes, what was allegedly fueling the rise in crime here. Some are personal disputes fueled by any number of factors, many the same post-Katrina as pre-Katrina. The numbers break down as:
During the four weeks before the federal troops and State Police arrived, there were 230 felony arrests, 90 misdemeanor arrests and 156 narcotics arrests in the two districts, according to statistics provided by New Orleans police. From June 18 to July 19, there were 359 felony arrests, 248 misdemeanor arrests and 199 narcotics arrests in the same districts.A huge rise in misdemeanor arrests sounds like the police up to their usual--harassing and dragging away anyone who "looks" like a criminal, especially having dark skin, being male, wearing a big white t-shirt and/or baggy pants, standing on or near a corner, especially in Central City. (Like I said, Jack Strain is not the only racial profiler around.) But as Rafael Goyeneche, president of the Metropolitan Crime Commission, said, "Historically in New Orleans, only a fraction of the people arrested by the Police Department were convicted. Police should strive to make quality cases."
One Month After Reinforcements Arrive: N.O. Murders Fall and Arrests Climb, July 20
Many of the murders in the illustration (the Times-Pic is excelling with visuals like this lately) seem based in the same problems we had pre-Katrina--too many guns in private hands, people desperate and angry and thwarted reaching for those guns or other lethal force before anything else. The most common arrest in town seems to still be petty drug possession, especially of marijuana, cases that are a waste of district attorneys' time. Before the hurricane, NO was steeped in violence and murderers ran the most dangerous parts of town, including (yes) housing projects. In a system in which witnesses are too scared to testify, murder charges are often dropped, leaving the murderer free to kill again and more easily intimidate his way back onto the street next time. We still have no indigent defense system to speak of, the courts recently re-opened and are overwhelmed and the district attorney's office has some problems of its own unrelated to making felony cases stick. A weakness before the storm now looks like embarrassingly deep incompetence.
G Bitch at 6:15 PM
3 Comments:
If I were a scruffy-looking white guy in predominantly white neighborhood hanging out on a street corner in a high-crime area in the middle of the night, I'd should expect to get questioned by the police too.
My guess is that black police as much as white police are checking those guys out in Central City. Is that racial profiling?
If you want to look like a gangsta, I don't see why you shouldn't expect to be treated like a gangsta. I've had more than my fair share of punks -- white and black -- who want to look the look, and act the act. As far as I'm concerned, give 'em what they're asking for.
In neither case would it be right. That said, even a scruffy white guy gets the benefit of the doubt--depending on the wealth of the white neighborhood. The gangsta look is a style like the hippie look or the headbanger look or goth or whatever the hell it is they wear. They're trying to fit in as much as anyone else. Good? No. Right? No. Bust them for it? No. Give them something else to fucking do? Yeah. Put them in jail so they'll learn how to be real/better/more effective criminals? Why the fuck would you do that?
As someone who is often mistaken for a 16-year-old welfare mother, I am aware how superficial and misleading and manipulated and manipulable appearance can be.
Like I say to Mister at times, Nice to be white, huh?
Well said! I still don't like trash messing with me or threatening my life -- or the lives of people I love, and I'll still cross the street if I see a punk coming toward me -- white or black. I'd still rather have the professionals (respectfully) do their jobs rather than leave the chips to fall where they may.
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