Hurricane Katrina has brought out the best and worst in all of us. It was great to see the outpouring of support from people around the world in the days after the disaster. It was not so great to hear an influential person like Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert say that it doesn’t make sense to rebuild New Orleans.
In the wake of the disaster, we all saw the photos and heard the stories coming out of New Orleans concerning looters. Some were stealing bread, water and baby diapers. Others were stealing TVs, jewelry and beer. It was quite obvious to most people sitting at home that the latter group was taking advantage of a bad situation, whereas the former group was simply trying to survive.
What may have not been obvious to Mississippi residents is that a similar crime was taking place in their own neighborhoods. Perpetrators of this crime are not criminals in the traditional sense. Instead, these criminals are simply taking advantage of a bad situation, with local aid centers facilitating these crimes for the most part.
These criminals are the ones going to a shelter in McComb taking food and water that they do not need. They are the ones using the FEMA benefits cards (meant to benefit those directly impacted by the storm and subsequent flooding) to pay for things such as a new Manolo Blahniks and strip club visits. These criminals are the people that are taking these necessities from others that do need it.
In an attempt to assist students whose parents lost their jobs and/or homes due to the storm, aid agencies have been handing out significant amounts of cash to students who present a state-issued form of identification that lists a Gulf Coast address. These are fantastic programs that have undoubtedly helped many students stay out of financial trouble.
However, without a system in place to check out a student’s background it is impossible to weed out imposters, and believe me when I say, “They’re out there.”
If you choose to not believe me, then start listening to the people around you. Many of these thieves are shameless. It won’t take long to distinguish the real victims from the imposters. The real victims will be using their money to buy necessities, whereas the posers will be plunking down the cash for DVDs or a new TV. I have even heard some people claim that the Red Cross has too much money earmarked for the disaster anyway, and the couple justified taking their share of the money, even though they were essentially unaffected by the storm.
Some people might try to defend this behavior, claiming that “These people have been through a lot” or my favorite excuse, “It’s their money.”
That’s the problem. Some of these students have lost nothing and yet they still rush out to get their money. The bottom line is that as long as there are people stationed in Houston living with only the clothes on their backs, these students should not be taking this money.
As long as people on the Mississippi Gulf Coast remain without jobs and without homes, these students should not accept these handouts. As long as fellow students have no means of paying for their college education due to financial hardship as a direct result of this storm, these students should not take this money away from them.
It’s unethical, unacceptable, but perhaps worst of all, virtually unstoppable.