Seems the National Guard is being called to New Orleans because of the weekends shooting. web page

Does anyone else have a problem with this?

My mother in law lives in New Orleans. She wanted to know why they waited so long. She says looting is rampant. Murder is out of control. Sounds like civil law is not working.

Crime Rising, New Orleans Asks for National Guard

By SUSAN SAULNY
NEW ORLEANS, June 19 � In a blunt admission that the city could no longer control its growing crime problem, Mayor C. Ray Nagin asked the state on Monday to send National Guard troops to help patrol the streets of New Orleans.

Hours later, Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco said 100 troops, joined by 60 state police, would be in place as early as Tuesday morning. More are likely to arrive later in the week.

The mayor's plea for help came after five teenagers were shot to death with semiautomatic weapons in the Central City neighborhood while sitting in a sport-utility vehicle Saturday morning. It was the deadliest single shooting attack in the city in 11 years, raising to 53 the number of homicides this year.

In recent weeks, as crime increased and the Police Department struggled to return to its strength from before Hurricane Katrina, many politicians, editorialists and citizens have asked for outside help, a move Mayor Nagin appeared to acknowledge Monday was necessary as he asked for 300 Guard troops.

"We vow to do whatever it takes in the short and long term to make this a safer city," he said, adding at another point during the day, "This is our line in the sand."

The city's Police Department has seemed ineffective at curbing a rise in drug-related violence and looting � which is isolated, for the most part, to poor neighborhoods and sparsely populated areas � even though there are almost as many officers on the force now as there were before Hurricane Katrina, and the city's population of 220,000 is less than half its former size.

Still, the department has not bounced back from the storm. It has suffered sharp budget cuts, is low on supplies like ammunition and continues to wrestle with its tarnished reputation. The police lost control of the city when the levees broke after Hurricane Katrina, and while many officers managed to perform their duties under extraordinary circumstances, more than 200 simply walked away. Others were accused of participating in the mayhem.

Warren J. Riley, the police chief, said he requested additional law enforcement help months ago in anticipation of a summertime population increase, and said the announcement after a weekend of high crime was simply a coincidence.

Chief Riley insisted during a news conference that his force was capable of controlling crime, and that the request did not undermine him or the Police Department. But his inconsistent remarks during the day reflected the difficulty his department has had in recent months.

"With the appropriate resources we will have this city under control," he said, just moments after stating, "This is not a situation where anything is out of control."

The Guard will focus on patrolling the neighborhoods that were most damaged in the flood and that are still largely uninhabited, Chief Riley said. That move would free as many as 300 police officers, who had been patrolling for looters, to concentrate on crime in the heavily populated areas of the city.

He said there would be no National Guard presence in downtown New Orleans, the French Quarter or any other heavily populated area.

Residents in parts of the city with the heaviest damage, like Lakeview and New Orleans East, where the looting of flooded homes has been especially acute, have been asking city officials for more protection for months.

That desire has also been reflected by talk radio hosts and columnists in the local papers.

"Madame Governor, Mr. Mayor, esteemed Legislature and City Council: Get us some protection and get it now," wrote one of the city's most popular columnists, Chris Rose of The Times-Picayune, in a recent column. "Get us some security. Get us the National Guard."

Residents say they have found it difficult to rebuild because supplies and new appliances are stolen as quickly as they are delivered to unoccupied houses in largely vacant neighborhoods.

"It's past time for the Guard to be here," said Larry Dupont, an electrician who lived in Gentilly before the flood destroyed his neighborhood. "I'm fed up with all that New Orleans is not doing to help its people."

Still, others said they resented the militarization of the city, and did not have fond memories of the National Guard's time here immediately after the hurricane.

"When they were here before, it didn't exactly give me a sense of safety," said Kalli Forster, the manager of a boutique in the Uptown section. "It made me feel like I was in a war zone."

Others said the move had sent a frightening message.

"It's basically saying that the people in charge here aren't in control," said Dawn Larsen, a waitress in Uptown.

The five young men who were killed before dawn on Saturday were ages 16 to 19, and, said Chief Riley, three of the five had criminal backgrounds. The three were involved in a drive-by shooting in another part of the city on May 1, the chief said. They were charged with aggravated assault and the possession of a weapon, but the victim and witnesses refused to cooperate and press charges, so they were freed.

The teenagers were gunned down just outside the Central Business District, in an area well known locally as a haven for drug-related activity.

The police were looking for suspects Monday evening.

I agree something needs to be done. I'm just not comfortable with National Guard troops being used. It sounds a lot like martial law. Not to mention defense counsels ability to use National Guard involvement in any cases against the prosecution.

I think the national guard is an excellent idea, and I hope it helps. Sounds like the gangs are fighting for turf and control of the businesses which is highly dangerous for any citizen. You know, I am a big fan of individual rights and I cringe when they are infringed, but it sounds like New Orleans is primed for city wide cameras -the 'big brother' effect. If no one is talking after violent crimes, then the city should be watching.

that's a serious question. goodness, it sounds like lord of the flies.

It was nice of the thugs to wait until after Nagin got re-elected before they opened season on the citizenry and each other.

And why are we spending millions of $$$ to rebuild that place?

mardi gras, dude.

jazz, cafe du monde, beignets

Rather than pour millions (billions?) of dollars into rebuilding N'Awlins only to have it go under water again, I say we flush the whole thing and give a fraction of that intended money to some casino magnate in Vegas and let him build a faux N'Awlins.

He could transplant all the best restaurants (Commander's Palace, Brennan family joints, etc.), music and jazz festivals (for the Bradley family's enjoyment), and even Mardi Gras straight to the Strip and not miss a beat -- although Mardi Gras might not make as much of an impression on Sin City. But it would be safe from the elements and the street criminals, less humid, and cleaner.

And the golf is better in Vegas.

Do you think a person suspected of DWI in Nawlins, pulled over by 4 soldiers in a Humvee w/a 50 caliber on the roof, packing M-16's, wearing body armor, etc. will be able to get a breath test out of the suspect? (if so, turn 'em loose on I-10)

I don't know about the blood test, but you would think the evading in a vehicle would not be an option.