Looting in Haiti

Anderson Cooper strikes again.

There was a store. It had supplies. Young Haitian men broke into the store and were removing boxes of candles. They were either handing them to others or selling them, or both. Remember that Haiti has had no electricity for a week. The owner of the store (an American) showed up with two hired Haitian police officers. The owner ordered the police officers to shoot their weapons into the air. (Oh, that's bright.) The crowd dispersed and the owner then hauled a truck in to take out the candles and the FOODSTUFFS in the store. This in a country where most people haven't received food or water in a week. Why not do a public service and give or, for that matter, sell the stuff to your fellows?

I was embarrassed, both because the shop owner was an American, and because Anderson Cooper presented this as a story of lawless looting--not desperation--and expressed such sympathy for someone who, if the looters were white, would probably be perceived as mean, small, and obnoxious.