“Shame on those who attack our residents during this time of crisis.” During a speech to reporters on Thursday, January 9, on the sidelines of the violent fires affecting Los Angeles, Kathryn Barger, a member of the city’s county supervisory board, expressed outrage after several cases of looting.
“In the midst of an emergency, we have all seen people take advantage of vulnerable communities by robbing and looting homes. “This is simply unacceptable,” he said, in comments echoed by NBCNews.
Police say at least 20 people have been arrested for robberies in the Los Angeles area since the first fires broke out on Tuesday.
“I went to get my gun.”
And the testimonies multiply. Nicholas Norman, who managed to save his house himself with buckets of water from the three-metre-high flames, told AFP that he encountered two men at around 3am on Wednesday night.
“They were testing the doors and looking through the windows” of the houses that were saved from the fire, this Altadena resident told AFP. “People are just stupid.”
This literature professor had been warned by a police officer friend that a few hours earlier, a few streets away, some looters had been arrested. He immediately adopted the guise of a neighborhood vigilante.
“I did the classic American thing: I went to get my rifle, I sat outside and I turned on a light so they knew there were people there,” says this frail forty-year-old, hiding behind his mask.
“There is no way”
His case is far from being an isolated case. One of their neighbors, Chris, spent the day blocking off his house with wooden boards to prevent any intrusion.
“It’s quite sad,” sighs this architect, who does not want to give his full name. “We’re setting up neighborhood watch, all because some thugs are taking advantage of victims who have already been subjected to all this madness.”
When he returned Thursday morning to his orange house, which he had just renovated for a year, the lock on the door had been picked. In the coming days he also plans to make his share of the night rounds. With a gun? “No comment,” he smiled.
“It really sucks, I’d rather spend my time helping my neighbors,” he says, pointing to the ruins across the street, where some gas supplies are still burning and pose a risk of the fire resuming.
“There are robberies, but cowardice makes them even worse,” complains Nicholas Norman. “I didn’t save this damn house for some idiot to come and rob me. There’s no way,” adds the man who admits not having that many valuables and never locks his car.
The army as reinforcement.
In the face of opportunists, the authorities promise the greatest severity. National Guard soldiers will be deployed, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Thursday night. “Let us be clear: looting will not be tolerated,” he insisted.
“These acts are despicable and we will prosecute them with the maximum penalty,” said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman. The sheriff also promised to beef up patrols.
But for Chris and his neighbors, the good will of the police is not enough. His simple return home, which forced him to bypass security lines, demonstrates the limits of men in uniform.
“If I manage to get through the checks, professional thieves will have no problem doing so either.”
Source: BFM TV
