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Subscribe to RSSNEW YORK -- Faced with the prospect of days without power and swaths of the city plunged into darkness at night, police brought in banks of lights and boosted patrols to reassure victims of a monster storm that they won't be victims of crime.
Some prominent galleries in Chelsea hired private security and apartment building superintendents suddenly became guards. In Coney Island, where more than a dozen people were arrested for looting overnight, police officers stood on corners or cruised in cars to guard a strip of vandalized stores and a damaged bank, to the relief of shaken residents.
"We're feeling OK, but at first we felt worried," 12-year-old Oleg Kharitmov said Tuesday as he walked his dog with his parents by the bank. "I'm pretty happy that the cops are here."
The precautions came on a second powerless night after the city was battered by Sandy on Monday night and residents grappled with how long it would take to get back to normal — or at least New York's version of normal.
As night fell, nerves frayed.
Yvique Bastien waited outside an apartment complex with her two sons, her daughter, 4-month old grandchild and a pushcart full of supplies, hoping to get a ride to a relative's home from a member of her church. With the power out, it wasn't safe to stay, she said.
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"We don't know what can happen to us," she said.
In Chelsea, residents strolled down darkening streets with no lights, while traffic police tried to manage major intersections.
Roberto Pineta stood in front of the apartment building where he works as superintendent, saying he took it upon himself to keep residents safe by sitting in a chair inside the front entrance, day and night, sleeping only a few hours at a time. Candles lit the entrance to a nearby apartment building where another superintendent and his staff were putting in extra hours while power is out.
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"It's a little disconcerting to be in the dark, but I feel safe — these guys are great," Stacey Vuolo said as she headed to her brother-in-law's nearby apartment, which at least had cold water for a shower.
On West 24th Street, generators lit up the Andrea Rosen gallery, which had hired private security.
Down the street, artist Arlene Rush said she didn't require extra security in her third-floor studio, because it required several keys to access from the street.
"I don't really need the cops," added neighbor Guy Kloppenburg, a teacher. "We knock on each other's door to make sure everyone is OK."
Bloomberg promised "a very heavy police presence" in the darkened neighborhoods, which include much of Manhattan south of the Empire State Building, from the East River to the Hudson River. Even outside the blackout areas, police deployed vans and patrol cars with their roof lights on, along with officers on the streets in a robust show of force.
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My son in NYC (safe and with power & water!) saw some dopes trying to break into a store on Monday night--they got caught real fast - no traffic, so the cops could make it there quickly! Nice to hear that people in NYC are taking care of each other, wish the solidarity would last!
Ah, yes ... the scum won't let this opportunity pass 'em by. I bet the same would not happen to the same degree if it were Japan.
They need to just adopt the policy that many other countries use where looters are simply shot on sight. Looters are total scum and deserve whatever they get. As a minimum it should be legal for a property owner or store manager to simply shoot looters. Looters do not deserve any consideration or protection, they are the lowest of the low to try and profit from some else's misfortune.
Yeah JS in SD -- that's a great idea! Nevermind that some of those suspected looters are storeowners getting items out of their own shop, or homeowners retrieving items from their damaged house. Let's just shoot everyone we suspect of committing a crime without even talking to them. What false positive rate can we be comfortable with? Say, 1 innocent person killed for every 49 real looters killed? Is that acceptable to you? Or maybe we should be more conservative with 1 innocent for every 99 real looters. The problem with shooting on sight is that you don't have all the facts. And let's not forget that most people are really horrible shots and have a greater chance of hitting an unintended target than the actual target, including innocents in the background. And of course what happens when a storeowner is popping off rounds at unarmed looters and someone else ventures on the scene and interprets the storeowner as an aggressor? Now the storeowner is getting shot at by a poorly-informed but very well-meaning person. But, hey, what's a few innocent deaths in the grand scheme of things? After all -- we're talking about flatscreens and XBox 360's here!! So, let the bullets fly! Yee-haw!
It maybe time to put troops in the streets. The power won't be up for sometime and people will get more desperate. There's is line between breaking in a store and grabbing a flat screen and grabbing some batteries or a flashlight. So far the massive theft that occured in NOLA has not started.
Sorry JS but I don't agree with this policy. I think there are far too many dangers that come with people encouraged to practice vigilante-ism in such as fashion. (ie. Accidental shootings) I like my stuff, but I wouldn't kill a man over it. Things worth killing over, are not kept in the house.
But I don't know. I, for one, wouldn't feel comfortable walking around or living in a devastated area knowing somebody could shoot at me if they mistook me for a looter. I have encountered very trigger happy people too.
Sure hope people got their anti-looter tools handy...
12 Gauge, AR, AK, pistol....etc
JS in SD's comment is just further proof as to why I used the ignore feature months ago on his/her sorry ass. Yes, let's add to the already insurmountable heartache and devastation by letting jacked up citizens run loose shooting anyone that looks like they might be a looter. Come on.
Those crazy yeshiva students no doubt! (For those not in the know, I'm being very, very sarcastic) :)
I seem to remember someone walking off with $400,000+ cash in Japan, after a bank safe box washed up ashore after the earthquake/tsunami. I don't remember reading where anyone voluntary return the banks' money. While I certainly do not condone looting, people in other countries are not all so "honest" either.
JS
You are precisely the kind of moron who should be denied the right to bear arms. Any person who would kill another individual over a property crime is an absolute bonehead and deserves to have his Second Amendment rights revoked.
And you are wrong ..... people like you who are far too eager to kill another human being are the real "lowest of the low."
Lot of people on here looking to protect the looters!
Just wondering Don, where exactly do you rate these criminals who take advantage of the victims of a catastrophe?
Probley Obama supporters,he has the hand out vote for sure,mabe he should go talk to his supporters about how it's not nice to take what's not yours. . . . Oh wait that's what Obama their leader and King does,to us rich folk that work hard for our money. . .so NVM
How dare anybody threaten looters. They have had a hard life. It must be very hard to be a thief and moocher in today's world. They face great dangers every time they steal from others because they never know who will protect their property. But I can see that there are some people that will help the looters any chance they can get. Maybe they need to post where they live so they can help them out.
steel toed
There is a great deal of space between "protecting the looters" and killing the looters. Looters should be brought to justice and prosecuted, not killed by vigilante boneheads.
Those who kill for reasons other than protecting lives do not deserve the privilege of gun ownership.
take your meds
Perpetuating the myth that lights keep people safe from crime is main reason why we cannot see many stars at night in most places anymore. The article mentions many instances of people being vigilant, which should be all the time and not just during a storm or crisis). This is what keeps people safe from crime, NOT lights. An irrational fear of the darkness leads to excessive lighting and environmental damage. There's a good documentary film on this topic called "The City Dark."
It's one of the reasons I live in the country. You can even see the Milky Way at night, although Denver still blights the horizon a little and it's 70 miles away on the other side of some mountains!
Growing up near St Paul, the area was no where near as developed as it is now. I could lay out in the back yard and look at lots of stars. Now, it's pathetic. I really miss that. I only get to see the Milky Way while camping up north a few times a year.
@ pj-965429 - Minneapolis/Saint Paul is becoming a crime-infested armpit which is like another Milwaukee.
But even beyond that, is a good view of the Milky Way worth it to a society which calls itself the "State Of Hockey" yet hasn't been able to win even one Stanley Cup in more than 50 years, and which sports "the greatest pro football franchise to never win the Super Bowl", i.e. the hapless Minnesota Vikings? And the never-can-do-it Minnesota Timberwolves, a team named after an animal that is fair game in its own home state?
Wow, Sees Thru Gloss, I guess it is a good thing tht I could give a rats azz about who won what in a sports competition (beyond the 1991 Twins, of course, since they did make Baseball look exciting.) The Twin Cities are not a "crime infested armpit" yet. Minnesota is doing O.K. compared to much of this country. We have plenty of room to do better, but at least our unemployment rate is under 8% (5.6%, I believe).
Looters should be immediately executed!!!
john
Morons with a vigilante mentality should be denied gun ownership. Your brand of justice is more suitable to Yemen than to America. Obviously, we should prosecute looters and punish them. Your idea is moronic.
go back to hell.
Bloomberg needs to put the cities private army monitoring the city for looting, he has at least half million armed officers in this private army. He has enough to put one armed private army officer on each street corner in NY. I don't think he will use them because it would expose the size of the private army he has been able to acquire. He will ask for national guard to police the million dollar property of the of the well-to-do leaving the size of his private army private and the property of the elderly and poor to the looters.
Earth to Gary the meds are on the table and your tin foil hat is at your feet.
Gary - only one word to describe you perfectly IDIOT!!
as long as they dont drink anything bigger than a 16oz soda they will be ok
Sorry, but, lighting properly installed is not a blight on the night sky and DOES help prevent crime in any area urban or rural.
OOOps, sorry misread your post...keep moving, nothing to see here.
Then, Don, you have never been too far away from the city. There is a world of difference.
City police? Where's the Guard?
Good thing Bloomberg has banned guns in NYC as I am sure that none of the looters will have a deadly weapon.
JS in SD I certainly agree that looters are scum bags but I would have to put them above child molesters, they are the lowest of the low. I'm good with shooting either or on site!!!!
Bytor
Wonderful. Another vigilante who believes stealing property should be punished by death without due process. Your anti-civilization attitude is disturbing, but I am sure you will defend your hateful and irrational attitude.
Wondering if the media was going to cover this. Its been all over Chinese television, and in European papers about some of the looting and a spark in violence. Of course the media here will not talk about it. Of course when the infrastructure is damaged and the first responders are overwhelmed, the trash at the bottom of the human chain will try and take advantage.
I was wondering why they were showing all the damaged regions on the east coast and then some random f*cking slide on a tree that fell over in Canada!??!!? Really??!?? WTF!!!!
RFFN!!!
Looters absolutely deserve to be shot on sight.
It is amazing, yet predictable, the bleeding heart types immediately protest and come up with all kinds of silly reasons to give every benenfit of the doubt to looters.
If the legal authorities institute a curfew to combat looters, and anybody who for any reason decides to break the curfew and go rummaging around in the curfew area, then they should be shot dead on the spot.
When looters realize they will be immediately killed, if caught looting, they will think twice before deciding to steal property from some poor soul who has been impacted by the storm.
My heart goes out to the people who were devasted by the storm, but I spit on those looter types.
Hey buddy, how you been? Oh, I concur with you post. Have a great Halloween!!!
RFFN!!!
I am disturbed by the fools who believe in shooting on sight for property crimes. It's people like you who lack the judgement to be trusted with Second Amendment rights.
Don - Suck it!
RFFN!!!
Devil's advocate here - You just cant go around randomly shooting looters, unarmed burglars, folks picking up trash inside your store, etc...This is America where we take our laws seriously and if you are caught breaking them, then the men and women who protect and serve our communities will be coming to haul you away. Good citizens report crimes and do not fight crime. Be proactive and contact your local emergency number. Leave the law enforcement to law enforcement. Life is too precious to snuff out or get snuffed out.
IMHO, f*ck'em and let's have some Smith and Wesson street justice. Looters be aware, hard working folks dont like it when assh*les like you think it's free picking day! Dont do it! Dont do it!!
RFFN!!!!!
@ Death Rider RFFN
Greetings to you also!
I stand by my comment that looters should absolutely be shot on sight.
Personally, I'd be in favor of having a contest to see who could shoot the most looters. Can't help but think that would put a dent in any looters plan to steal other people's stuff. LOL
I hope that anyone shooting a looter is prosecuted and sent to jail for a very long time. I hope that any looter is also prosecuted and sent to jail for less time, since their crime was not against a person.
I remember sitting on the roof of my Uncle's small business during the 69 riots! The fact that there were three well armed men on that roof resulted in no damage to the business or rioters being shot! Having said that, we all know too well the mentality of the mob! Look at what happened after the Rodney King incident. True, that wasn't a hurricane, but, same folks, same mentality! "Man, I'm gonna get me a big screen TV and some new furniture from these honkies!" Right? Right!
Wayne
Thanks for interjecting race into the conversation. Wrong? Wrong!
For those of you that think shooting anyone on sight that you suspect of being looters, that's why I live in the middle of nowhere, i.e. in the country. That way I'm away from all those of you with tin foil hats covering their empty heads. Complete idiots you are.
Incidentally, if you pulled a gun on me of any kind, handgun, rifle, shotgun whatever, I'd take it away from you and blow your sorry ass away from the middle of your ass up.
Jackieboy,
If you did something that convinced me of the necessity to pull a firearm on you, you would be long dead before you even thought about taking it away from me.
Wow, another paper target cowboy.
Wonderful. More tough talk from the gun guys. Talk just like they did in grade school playing with their plastic guns. Some people never grow up.
you watch a lot of tv dont you?
Maybe NYC shouldn't pride itself on being such a 24-hour joke.
I love the "my stuff doesn't mean that much to me" people.
How about your address? We'll send someone around to relieve you of those burdens.
All you need to do is look at the looters in the aftermath of Katrina and you can tell the mentality of people that will take advantage of a situation to get their free stuff -- because they haven't been made to earn the freebies they automatically get they go get some more at the consumers expense. That's right, it's you and me that pays for theft -- in higher prices and higher insurance premiums. I say arrest them and put them to work on the clean up effort.
Wayne, you must have lived in South Central LA. Or maybe Boyle Heights. Seems to me, and I was living in SoCal at the time, that all the looting during '69 (I was in Vietnam at the time so I felt like I wasn't gonna be living anywhere anymore) and during the RK riots were in their own neighboorhoods. Idiots like you need to stop trolling this site, tighten your tin foil chin strap, and GTF back to Faux News sites.
If someone just stole a TV and he ends up getting jumped and the TV he just stole gets stolen. Is the second theft a crime?
ans is no because TV is useless with out power plus There isn't anything to watch anymore but endless commercials.
if you give mouth to mouth and then they die, when does it become necrophilia?
Real bummer when you live in a state that prohibits you from protecting yourself, your family and your home, then of course they can't protect you either and frankly some first responders may be the biggest thieves themselves.
Been through a number of hurricanes including charley. First thing that goes up in the yard after the storms when there is no power, etc is a big sign "you lootin - we shootin".
Can't believe NYC is going to waste the manpower to run the marathon when so many will be without power and mass transit will probably still be out. Blunderberg should get his priorities in order, a marathon is not a priority nor a necessity. Heat, sewage, electric, and clean water it.
complain complain complain.
dan, you must be a combat veteran. all these p+ussies can to is fantasize about plugging looters. guns make them 'real men' right? no, they are pus+ies.
A gun IS pretty handy after all. Cops cant be everywhere.
you are a dreamer, arent you. make up little kill fantasies. you feel f++ked so you talk big and tough.
Dead looters are no loss to society.
you are a p+ssy
Ahh... what was that Obama said in New Jersey about Americans helping each other? But then that's exactly what you don't get, when disparity is so great, and people with so much are suddenly finding the roles reversed. Suddenly, trust and society become very important, especially when they no longer exist!
Is this the great country we've built, where we have to look to guns to protect us from our neighbors?
Why do Americans always have to learn the hard way?
So far there have been all kinds of stories of people helping one another.No stories of neighbors shooting neighbors. Not even wide spread looting.Give americans a little credit.We tend to rise to the occasion when we need to.
the 'kill looters' talk tough because deep inside they are afraid little kids. its just talk. most are fine with the correct meds.
if you fought combat in Vietnam, you have no need to fantasize about killing looters anymore. You know what killing really is.