Thursday, October 16, 2003|
I fear the jail-house apartment building has become home to a chop-shop. Seems cars are always being towed away from there. Today a door-less, wheel-less, stripped down car was hoisted up and carted out. The only good thing, I guess, is that we live around the corner, so if our car gets pegged (car theft is very popular in NOLA), we'll know where to look. 5:01:05 PM | Speaking of cars, we must lead the nation in carjackings. They seem to happen every day. Unlike most cities where carjackers are young men, usually under 20, here they come in many varieties, from the middle-aged guy on the run from a recent carjacking, to your run-of-the-mill joyride-seeking teenager. A couple of weeks ago, an SUV was abandoned down the block still running. The Garden District security patrol (our neighborhood's own little private police force) hung by the car for hours waiting for the NOPD. S thought they didn't open the door and turn the car off because they were worried about bombs. Not that I blame them. Most of the private security patrol officers around here (and there are MANY) make minimum wage. They do get to carry guns, though, which I'm sure is a perk for some. New Orleans' private police forces guard everything from parking lots to ATMs, 24-hour markets to whole neighborhoods. The only other place I've seen men with guns stuffed down their pants guarding things was in Costa Rica, where we had to pay a guy a couple bucks to watch our car while we ate dinner at a restaurant. I was there for a bare-knuckle karate tournament, which was an experience in itself. The fight promoter gave our group our very own body guard. A body guard for a group of fighters. Watch out Segal, Van Damme! You can search for crimes by neighborhood here in New Orleans using the Times-Picayune's up-to-date crime map of the city on their website. And just a link away, the BourboCam. Somehow it makes sense. 
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Some images from this afternoon, a gorgeous early fall day: 2:59:41 PM |
New Orleans (De)construction
Six Meters in Grass
Is it True Sidewalk Poetry
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Last update: 7/17/05; 10:05:27 AM .
