Criminal justice, New Orleans style

Six murders in 24 hours.

It seems like the thugs are running things. They don't fear the police. Even before Katrina, it was hard to successfully prosecute anyone the for murder because nobody will testify. Mostly out of fear of revenge. Also a bit of us-versus-them dislike of the cops.

Now the criminal justice system is broken down. Even the thugs have the right to an attorney. The public defenders office is broke. It's an incredibly stupid system, but the public defenders are paid for mostly by traffic tickets. Anytime anyone pays a fine or pleads guilty to anything or is convicted of a crime, they pay a certain amount to the public defenders office. Which is possibly unconstitutional, because it gives the public defenders a motive for encouraging their clients to plead guilty.

Anyway, the cops are out giving tickets for public drunkenness on Bourbon Street (!) and not using a turn signal. Because they need to get money to the public defenders office, so the system can get rolling again.

In the meantime, while you're getting a ticket for an illegal RIGHT turn, six murders in 24 hours.