hurricane katrina
The social disorganization theory can be used to explain looting in New Orleans because all of the details of the theory play a part in some communities in New Orleans. A lot of those communities are near the central business district. Just like in Chicago, this zone was not a desirable location for residents and homes, but was close to work so the less fortunate lived their because of lack of transportation and jobs where easier to get being so close. As Shaw and Mckay stated in chapter 4, this was a zone of transition. The community changed a lot because people moved in and out constantly. When they were fortunate to be able to move to better areas, more of the less fortunate moved in. This began to trigger social conflict between the residences. With social conflict came a lot of other behaviors and with this process happening over and over a pattern starts. Cultural transmission theory comes in to play here. Adolescents grow up in and environment where drugs, violence, poverty, and broken homes are all they see. They are more likely to fall victim to the environment they live in because that is all they know. After this happens for decades and decades, perception sets in and we don’t view them as individuals but as a certain type of person. During hurricane Katrina all the people that lived in those areas of poverty had no means of transportation to leave. They stayed hoping and praying they could survive the storm. When it came they were flooded, trapped on the roofs of houses and buildings for days with no water or shelter and no signs that help was coming soon. They soon started to do what was already happening in their community. It was almost like instinct set in. For years and years they saw their peers commit crimes to survive. So they started to loot, taking the things they need to survive. They were also taking things they didn’t need like weapons. These weapons were used to protect themselves from each other and corrupt police officers. It