U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp signed an emergency order allowing the seizure of private guns, ammunition, explosives and property the National Guard may need to respond to Hurricane Irma.
Mapp signed the order Monday in preparation for Hurricane Irma. The order allows the Adjutant General of the Virgin Islands to seize private property they believe necessary to protect the islands, subject to approval by the territory’s Justice Department.The National Guard lacks enough guns and ammo? Please explain that to me.
Now I see, he's afraid looters will get shot. 10/31/89 Washington Post:
For many islanders, however, looting compounded the tragedy. "The economic impact . . . will be felt for years," said one recent letter to the Virgin Islands Daily News. "But more important, we have disgraced ourselves in the eyes of the world."
Although the history of racial friction on the island, where 85 percent of the population is black, inevitably intruded into the debate, officials and residents generally concurred that most of the looting was motivated by greed.
"I lay it to complete, rampant, hysterical materialism," real estate agent Bruce Wilson said of the looting.
The plunder started on the day after the Sunday night storm, as panicky islanders sought to stock up on food. It quickly degenerated into a free-for-all grab of all sorts of consumer goods that some witnesses likened to a "feeding frenzy." With no police or National Guard members attempting to restore order, many looters stole merchandise and trashed stores.
Although personal violence was rare, some occurred. An American dentist was struck on the head with a 2-by-4 while trying to photograph looting, and one alleged looter was fatally shot by a store owner in Frederiksted. The best-organized merchants proved to be Palestinian immigrants who took up arms and manned rooftops and barricades to defend their stores.
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