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What You Should Know About Looting

Looting is the act of stealing items from a structure that is unprotected by the owner. Looting can happen in many circumstances. Owners of homes and businesses may be unable to protect their property during and after a natural disaster.

For most people, the priority during a natural disaster is survival. For that reason, many people fail to protect structures and the contents inside those structures. Natural disasters often result in a shortage of supplies that answer basic human needs. In addition to the destruction of homes and other structures that provide shelter, there is also an inability to acquire items such as food, water and medical supplies after a natural disaster.

That need sometimes results in looting because people may feel that they have no other option. Generally, people caught looting in those circumstances face a lesser punishment than those that loot for financial gain. During natural disasters, both types of looting will occur. However, those that loot for profit are subject to a much harsher punishment than those that simply do so to ensure survival.

War also results in looting for both purposes. Wars can drag on, which often results in a shortage of basic supplies. Frequently, people are forced to do things that they would not otherwise consider in order to ensure the survival of loved ones. Neighbors may even turn against each other when trying to find whatever supplies they can. War also results in looting for profit. In fact, history suggests that this happens with great frequency.

For example, World War II resulted in the Nazi plunder. Like many other wars, officials felt free to take whatever they wanted from whomever they wanted. In the aftermath of war, people generally come together to attempt to reunite stolen property with the rightful owners. There are networks that publish lists of stolen items in case any member of the art or archaeological community should come across those items.

Background

Looting has been occurring for centuries. The act of looting is famous at archaeological sites due to the nature of such sites. Many times, archaeological sites are located in areas that are not well-populated, which makes it difficult to protect the property. Frequently, when archaeologists begin excavating a site, they will find that certain areas have been looted. That looting may have occurred hundreds of years ago.

Looting of archaeological sites is not a new phenomenon, but it still occurs with great frequency. Artifacts have always been of value, both historically and financially. In fact, many artifacts are often made out of precious metals and include gemstones in their design. Frequently, items that are looted are lost permanently which also means a personal and historic loss for entire cultures and societies.

There is also looting that takes place during events such as blackouts and riots. That type of looting generally results from a mob mentality and an overall sense of lawlessness. Conversely, there is looting that takes place after wars and natural disasters that results form a sense of desperation. Those individuals often loot only the items that are necessary for survival.

Prosecution

Each jurisdiction will prosecute looting at varying degrees. In the United States, looting for profit is viewed by the law differently than looting for survival. When individuals loot after natural disasters, as was seen after Hurricane Katrina, they are not prosecuted to the same extent as those that looted for profit. In the aftermath of the hurricane, both types of looting took place and individuals would be prosecuted according to their intent.

Law enforcement officials and others in a position of power, faced the harshest of penalties when they were prosecuted for the crime. They were supposed to be offering help to citizens that were struggling to survive and instead were found to be looting. Prosecution for looting will vary according to an individual’s motivation and what type of items were stolen. In addition, some countries do not prosecute looting.

Types

Looting can take on many forms. Individuals can loot from different types of structures and they do so with differing motives. In archaeological looting, the motive is almost always theft for profit. In fact, people cannot claim that the looting of artifacts was done in order to ensure survival. Whereas looting after a natural disaster or war can take on either motive.

Industrial looting often involves a perpetrator that takes advantage of a structure that lays unprotected. Frequently, industrial structures contain expensive equipment that is easy to resell and may be difficult to trace. There is often looting after natural disasters. In that case, people may be stealing in order to get food and water, or they may be taking advantage of the situation in order to make a profit from stolen items.

Archaeological Removals

Looting at archaeological sites is a common problem around the world. The artifacts found at such locations usually have a very high monetary value, especially on the black market. There are many private collectors that have no qualms about buying artifacts looted from archaeological sites.

Many times artifacts are made out of precious metal or contain gemstones, which can substantially add to their value. Unfortunately, those artifacts are sometimes sold in order to be melted down or to utilize the gemstones. Many valuable and historical artifacts have been lost to that process. Also, looters frequently damage artifacts or structures when they remove artifacts from archaeological sites.

Industry

Industrial looting can take on many forms. During wars, many warehouses that store ammunition and bombs have been looted by those that are in opposition to the war. Industrial looting also takes place during peaceful times. Farms and other large buildings are often unprotected due to the nature of certain businesses.

On occasion, people take advantage of the lack of protection and loot those buildings. Although industrial equipment can be large and difficult to transport, looting still takes place. Equipment looted form such sites often has a significant monetary value and is easy to resell.

Famous Cases:

Looting During New York Draft Riots (1863): The looting that took place during the New York Draft Riots in 1863 was violent and destructive. For many, the war was not important and they believed that the poor were being forced to fight a war for the rich. The drafts that resulted from the war were seen as cruel by the men involved in the process.

Men believed that they should not be forced to fight in a war that they did not believe in. In addition, the rich were able to pay a fee to avoid having their names listed in the draft. This added to the unrest in the city. Men began to protest both the draft and the war.

Many people blamed black people for the start of the war and their homes were destroyed based on that belief. Buildings were vandalized, damaged and destroyed. Arson, vandalism and looting were common during the riots. Many homes and businesses were left completely empty by the looters.

Looting During World War II: Nazi Plunder:

The Nazi plunder was an atrocious, but well-organized, effort to steal items of value from families and organizations. The Nazi party systematically stole artwork from rich families that were targeted because they were known to be wealthy or to own coveted items. Several high ranking officials recruited men to take part in the looting in concurrence with fighting the war.
The officials would split the plunder and then distributed items they did not want to other top ranking officials within the government.

There are worldwide efforts to reunite the stolen property with the families of the rightful owners. In some cases, the rightful owners are museums that hope to regain valuable and irreplaceable pieces of artwork. Those efforts continue and have resulted in reuniting families with their ancestor's property that was lost as a direct result of World War II.

Yamashita's Gold:
The treasure is said to have been stolen by high ranking members of the Japanese military. The gold and other valuable items were stolen throughout World War II. The items were said to have been hidden in a vast underground network in the Philippines.

However, no one has ever been able to verify where the items were hidden or where most of them ended up. It is believed that they were shipped back to Japan after the war ended. However, the items never made it there and are said to have been aboard ships that sank during the voyage.

Treasure hunters have searched endlessly for the treasure and none have found any evidence of its existence. Conspiracy theories abound. Some people claim the United States Government intercepted intelligence on the treasure and stole all of it. Whatever the case, the treasure has never been recovered and there is no real evidence to suggest where it may be located.

Looting During New York Blackout (1977):

Looting during the New York Blackout of 1977 was violent and extensive. Although the blackout lasted less than a day, the damage to certain neighborhoods in the city was devastating to residences, business owners and law enforcement. Many residents of the city were shocked to see the mob mentality that resulted from the blackout.

Previously, blackouts had resulted in a strong sense of community as people took to the streets to share stories and supplies. Certain factors combined in the blackout of 1977 that resulted in a different mentality among the crowds that took to the streets when the lights went out.

The economy was in bad shape and so was the sense of safety many residents were accustomed to. The Son of Sam was actively killing people and many New Yorkers felt a sense of unrest. The night was sweltering hot and emotions ran high. Businesses were completely looted because owners were unable to protect their property. The events of the night led to thousands of arrests and millions of dollars in damages.

Looting During Rodney King Riots (1992):

The looting that took place during the Rodney King riots had an undercurrent of civil unrest due to perceived racism among law enforcement. There were several cops that were acquitted of State charges that resulted from the beating of Rodney King while they were attempting to put him in custody. The beating was captured on videotape and the nation was outraged. When the cops were acquitted, the crowds took part in a mob mentality.

Several people died during the riots. The citizens of several cities clashed with law enforcement as riots erupted. The violence erupted in cities around the country and many businesses were unprotected. The resulting riots included extreme vandalism, damage and looting of many businesses. Arson was common and many homes and businesses were destroyed.
The people that were taking part in the riots had a general mistrust for law enforcement after the acquittal. That mistrust resulted in many overreactions to the efforts of individuals that were meant to prevent further violence and disruption. The riots resulted in the loss of many lives and the end of businesses that could not recover from the immeasurable theft and destruction.

Looting During Iraq War:

Looting during the Iraq war was frequent and destructive. Museums, businesses, banks, houses of worship, and personal residences were all looted with the same frequency. There was a systematic looting of many museums so that the perpetrators were able to make away with the most valuable and revered artwork and artifacts.

There have been many people that accused United States forces with taking part in the looting. However, it was simply impossible for the military, or law enforcement, to prevent the widespread looting that took place during the war.

Looting of archaeological sites continues to be a problem across the country. There is still a shortage of manpower to prevent such occurrences. Just as the beginning of the war, many people's efforts are focused on basic survival and the rebuilding of cities that were destroyed before and during the war. Many of the items looted have not been recovered and it will likely be a long time before the government is able to track any of the stolen items.

Hurricane Katrina (2005):

Hurricane Katrina was a devastating natural disaster in which many cities have yet to recover. EvenfFive years later, buildings and businesses remain in ruins. Portions of cities have been left abandoned and looting at some locations continues.

The hurricane was extremely devastating to residents who were not aware of how devastating the storm would be. Many people were unable to acquire the basic necessities of survival before the storm. Even those that did get supplies found that they did not have enough.

There was no prediction that foretold the absolute devastation in the aftermath of the hurricane and nobody realized how long it would take to get help for survivors. Those that were forced to stay in the path of the storm quickly ran out of supplies and many took part in crimes that they would otherwise not have committed. There are even stories of law enforcement taking a part in looting, although some of them were eventually cleared of charges.

Looting became violent and much of the looting eventually resulted in the perpetrators taking part in the crime in order to profit off of businesses owners’ inability to protect their property. For the most part, the crime of looting was perpetrated by individuals that were desperate to provide the basic necessities for their family members that may not have otherwise survived.


Haiti Earthquake (2010):

The earthquake in Haiti was a showcase for the very best in humanity and the very worst. There were many people that reached out to the devastated nation in order to provide supplies to the citizens of a country that was in ruins. The earthquake toppled buildings and wiped out what little supplies were available to many communities before the earthquake even took place. Haiti's citizens felt that aid was not coming quickly enough, even though countries around the world were putting forth efforts to assist.

Unfortunately, many people in Haiti could not wait for the supplies to arrive. Children were starving or dying of thirst. The elderly were dying because they did not have medication or medical care and parents were abandoning their children at orphanages because they could not care for them.

The devastation and horrific reality in the aftermath of the earthquake resulted in extremely high crime rates around the nation. Many of those violent crimes were a result of individuals scouring the area for basic supplies.

There were machete wielding gangs stealing from individuals in dire circumstances. Envoys that were loaded with supplies for the people of Haiti sometimes never reached their destination because of the mass looting. Eventually, much of the order was restored and the world was able to see a cooperative and grateful community of people that had lost everything.

The horrific stories of violent looting and other crimes will forever be overshadowed by the acts of humanity that were meant to ensure the survival of the citizens of Haiti. However, the looting also demonstrates what can happen to law abiding citizens pushed to the brink by a natural disaster.

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