NOPD Take Down One of the Most Heinous Criminals!

[oleheat]

I probably wouldn't have shot this possum either, but the absurdity of it all is staggering. We used to buy live hogs from an old market on Bienville Street in Mid City, bring them home, and shoot them in my backyard in Lakeview for weekend barbeques in the '80's. Had neighbors that didn't care. However, once; the NOPD showed up. Two cops (one white, one black), tell us they got a complaint about a live hog running around, we told them what we were doing and how we were going to dispatch the animal. The white cop actually tried to give us tips on where to place the shot. Little did he know, this was a 5th BBQ.

Nonetheless, it shows the discretion versus the ridiculous. BTW: it was illegal to discharge firearms then too.

The influx of yuppies after Katrina has ruined that area. And they will, like roaches, continue to degrade that laid back lifestyle with their ideological hatred of traditional America of old. I'd bet my last dollar, the complainer is not a native Louisianan.

You're probably right. The same ilk has ruined places like Oregon and Colorado- and even certain parts of Montana. We aren't immune from their nonsense, either....

 

[Emperor]

You're probably right. The same ilk has ruined places like Oregon and Colorado- and even certain parts of Montana. We aren't immune from their nonsense, either....

I was in my old stomping ground (Lakeview), several years back for a wedding and I didn't recognize the people. Of course there is still a very large native New Orleans population there, but there are far more out-of-staters than there was before Katrina; and a lot of them were yuppie douche types from California. And Lakeview seems to be a magnet for them.

They already are infecting the culture I knew there. A few months ago I drove down Magazine Street from Downtown to Audubon Park, and i was thinking to myself, "Wow, this place is nothing like I remember!"

I don't know the possum killer, but I bet he is old school New Orleans. Probably didn't think twice about shooting that possum.

 

[JadeRaven]

The influx of yuppies after Katrina has ruined that area. And they will, like roaches, continue to degrade that laid back lifestyle with their ideological hatred of traditional America of old. I'd bet my last dollar, the complainer is not a native Louisianan.

Yeah. For what it's worth, they are gentrifying many parts that ordinarily were uninhabitable. So they're not, by and large, displacing law-abiding, tax-paying citizens.

But yeah I am afraid they are attempting to transform laissez faire NOLA into some sort of chicago, san francisco, etc.

 

[XD-GEM]

Somewhere on this site, you will find a rant of mine about how hard it is to LEGALLY get rid of a possum on your property in New Orleans.

I think I might just have to go eat at Lakeview Harbor to support the guy.

BTW there's a push to visit restaurants that have been robbery victims lately. Maybe we can start something similar for restaurants terrorized by opossums.

 

[machinedrummer]

We've been having a big coon problem on the Northshore. Hogs too.

 

[Saintsfan6]

Fact is, he shouldn't have discharged a firearm where he was. He could have contacted animal control (probably wouldn't have helped) or trapped it himself and turned it over to animal control. I do not know all the facts, but if he didn't hit it in the head/brainstem the first shot then he committed animal cruelty IMO. There is a right and wrong way to get rid of an animal in city limits, and he did it the wrong way. I do not think it is animal cruelty to kill an animal for humane purposes, hunting, or to expel of pests but there are better ways than others to do so. Shooting an opossum in the abdomen and letting it bleed out (don't know if this is the case in this particular incident) is not a humane way to get rid of a pest IMO.

 

[Brawny]

I don't think anyone is saying he should have murdered the cute critter. The incredulity is aimed at the resources used to bring this man to justice. In the hierarchy of offenses perpetrated by new orleanians daily this one probably could have been pushed near the bottom of the totem pole.

 

[Saintsfan6]

I don't think anyone is saying he should have murdered the cute critter. The incredulity is aimed at the resources used to bring this man to justice. In the hierarchy of offenses perpetrated by new orleanians daily this one probably could have been pushed near the bottom of the totem pole.

Agreed

 

[Saw]

"I don't think anyone is saying he should have murdered the cute critter. The incredulity is aimed at the resources used to bring this man to justice. In the hierarchy of offenses perpetrated by new orleanians daily this one probably could have been pushed near the bottom of the totem pole. "

ding, ding, ding. Winner.

 

[Saw]

I don't think anyone is saying he should have murdered the cute critter. The incredulity is aimed at the resources used to bring this man to justice. In the hierarchy of offenses perpetrated by new orleanians daily this one probably could have been pushed near the bottom of the totem pole.

I probably wouldn't have shot this possum either, but the absurdity of it all is staggering. We used to buy live hogs from an old market on Bienville Street in Mid City, bring them home, and shoot them in my backyard in Lakeview for weekend barbeques in the '80's. Had neighbors that didn't care. However, once; the NOPD showed up. Two cops (one white, one black), tell us they got a complaint about a live hog running around, we told them what we were doing and how we were going to dispatch the animal. The white cop actually tried to give us tips on where to place the shot. Little did he know, this was a 5th BBQ.

Nonetheless, it shows the discretion versus the ridiculous. BTW: it was illegal to discharge firearms then too.

The influx of yuppies after Katrina has ruined that area. And they will, like roaches, continue to degrade that laid back lifestyle with their ideological hatred of traditional America of old. I'd bet my last dollar, the complainer is not a native Louisianan.

Some of us non-natives in the area would have given him hearty "well done" and bought him a box of ammo!

 

[geauxbubba]

Possum lives matter

 

[Whitebread]

The problem is our society is full of people who are suffering from brain eating amibea.

 

[Whitebread]

Some of us non-natives in the area would have given him hearty "well done" and bought him a box of ammo!

Yeah I would be one of those non-natives. I'm a yank born and raised in Jackson, MS. But I don't live in the city either. I just dont see how killing a rodent is animal cruelty. On that moronic line of thought anyone who eats beef is an accessory after the fact to bovine homoside.

 

[mikacct]

regarding the post above i am a willing to eat meat, especially red meat, but i would never personally hurt a cow. i might if i was hungry enough. :-)

 

[XD-GEM]

Fact is, he shouldn't have discharged a firearm where he was. He could have contacted animal control (probably wouldn't have helped) or trapped it himself and turned it over to animal control. I do not know all the facts, but if he didn't hit it in the head/brainstem the first shot then he committed animal cruelty IMO. There is a right and wrong way to get rid of an animal in city limits, and he did it the wrong way. I do not think it is animal cruelty to kill an animal for humane purposes, hunting, or to expel of pests but there are better ways than others to do so. Shooting an opossum in the abdomen and letting it bleed out (don't know if this is the case in this particular incident) is not a humane way to get rid of a pest IMO.

If we were talking about any other city in the state, you would be absolutely correct.

However, this is New Orleans; and so you are absolutely wrong on almost every point.

Let me explain. (If anyone remembers my opossum rant from before, this will be a repeat, although not nearly so angry).

The State of Louisiana classifies opossums as "nuisance animals." This means that one may "take" (i.e. kill) them at any time of year, in any manner without license from the state, and one may then dispose of them at will in proper sanitary form. Up to this point, Saintsfan6's recommendations would all prove true, were we not speaking of New Orleans (more on this in a moment).

However, if one traps them live, by state regulation, one can only release them on land that they own or on land on which they have written permission from the landowner to release them. One may NOT release them on public lands (including in wildlife preserves, levees, parks, etc.) Because these are wild animals, one may not have them in their possession for more than 12 hours, nor may one transport the animal anywhere unless they have in their possession the written paper designating their permission to release the animal. This makes it difficult, but not impossible, to live-capture an opossum and remove it from one's property.

Now back to killing one of these varmints in the city of New Orleans.

Although the State says that one may kill them at any time, it must be done within the laws of the local political entity. That means that one can only kill an opossum in New Orleans in accordance with the laws of the City. If you shoot it, it is considered"hunting" which is illegal in the city (it is also illegal to discharge a firearm for any reason - that's right, any reason, which is what got the restaurateur in trouble initially). Shooting it would also be considered animal cruelty. You may not kill it by stabbing, clubbing, gassing, starving, drowning, or nearly any other method which you can think of - because all of those are considered animal cruelty.

There is simply no legal way for an individual citizen to legally kill an opossum within the limits of the City of New Orleans.

So what about calling Animal Control?

A reasonable thought, except that in the City of New Orleans, there is no Animal Control - at least not in the way that it exists in most of the rest of the state.

In New Orleans, animal control duties are contracted out to the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals - the SPCA, for short. Before Hurricane Katrina, one could call the SPCA and report a nuisance animal problem, and the SPCA would send over someone to trap and remove the offending animal. After Katrina, the SPCA claimed that it could no longer afford to provide this service (although they DID manage to build two very large and expensive buildings, but I digress). Immediately after Katrina, if one called the SPCA to report a nuisance animal, they would tell you to trap it yourself and bring it to them; but within a few years, they changed their tune.

The SPCA now officially says that they are NOT a wild animal control service and will only accept ONE wild animal per year from any individual citizen - provided that the citizen registers with the SPCA and pays a $25 dollar fee.

So forget about calling Animal Control.

The only legal thing one can do is call a pest control company that has been granted a state nuisance animal license or call the state Wildlife and Fisheries office for a list of licensed nuisance animal trappers in your area. Then you can pay them whatever fee they charge to remove the animal from your property.

So I can see why this man decided to take the law into his own hands. The sheer frustration of trying to get the job done legally drove him temporarily insane, and I hope the judge is wise enough to see it that way.

 

[Whitebread]

regarding the post above i am a willing to eat meat, especially red meat, but i would never personally hurt a cow. i might if i was hungry enough. :-)

Never missed a meal?

I was raised with guns in my hands. I used to shoot crows off my grandparents garden. As i got older I started hunting. Skinned a quartered just a few deer in my life. Skinned and felleted more fish than i could count. I've never killed or butchered a cow or a chicken since I have never owned either as living animals.

What it all boils down to is; some animals where put here for eating others for companionship. And others to serve as beast of burden. And others are just nasty varmets. Killing an animal for food is and should be as natural as breathing.

Killing a varmet (like a opossom which carry deseases including rabies) to protect your personal poroperty should be just as easy.

One of many reasons that i live in BFE, if some stray or wild animal shows up and makes itself a problem I feed it a very special treat and my neighors appreciate me for protecting their property as well as my own.

 

[Whitebread]

If we were talking about any other city in the state, you would be absolutely correct.

However, this is New Orleans; and so you are absolutely wrong on almost every point.

Let me explain. (If anyone remembers my opossum rant from before, this will be a repeat, although not nearly so angry).

The State of Louisiana classifies opossums as "nuisance animals." This means that one may "take" (i.e. kill) them at any time of year, in any manner without license from the state, and one may then dispose of them at will in proper sanitary form. Up to this point, Saintsfan6's recommendations would all prove true, were we not speaking of New Orleans (more on this in a moment).

However, if one traps them live, by state regulation, one can only release them on land that they own or on land on which they have written permission from the landowner to release them. One may NOT release them on public lands (including in wildlife preserves, levees, parks, etc.) Because these are wild animals, one may not have them in their possession for more than 12 hours, nor may one transport the animal anywhere unless they have in their possession the written paper designating their permission to release the animal. This makes it difficult, but not impossible, to live-capture an opossum and remove it from one's property.

Now back to killing one of these varmints in the city of New Orleans.

Although the State says that one may kill them at any time, it must be done within the laws of the local political entity. That means that one can only kill an opossum in New Orleans in accordance with the laws of the City. If you shoot it, it is considered"hunting" which is illegal in the city (it is also illegal to discharge a firearm for any reason - that's right, any reason, which is what got the restaurateur in trouble initially). Shooting it would also be considered animal cruelty. You may not kill it by stabbing, clubbing, gassing, starving, drowning, or nearly any other method which you can think of - because all of those are considered animal cruelty.

There is simply no legal way for an individual citizen to legally kill an opossum within the limits of the City of New Orleans.

So what about calling Animal Control?

A reasonable thought, except that in the City of New Orleans, there is no Animal Control - at least not in the way that it exists in most of the rest of the state.

In New Orleans, animal control duties are contracted out to the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals - the SPCA, for short. Before Hurricane Katrina, one could call the SPCA and report a nuisance animal problem, and the SPCA would send over someone to trap and remove the offending animal. After Katrina, the SPCA claimed that it could no longer afford to provide this service (although they DID manage to build two very large and expensive buildings, but I digress). Immediately after Katrina, if one called the SPCA to report a nuisance animal, they would tell you to trap it yourself and bring it to them; but within a few years, they changed their tune.

The SPCA now officially says that they are NOT a wild animal control service and will only accept ONE wild animal per year from any individual citizen - provided that the citizen registers with the SPCA and pays a $25 dollar fee.

So forget about calling Animal Control.

The only legal thing one can do is call a pest control company that has been granted a state nuisance animal license or call the state Wildlife and Fisheries office for a list of licensed nuisance animal trappers in your area. Then you can pay them whatever fee they charge to remove the animal from your property.

So I can see why this man decided to take the law into his own hands. The sheer frustration of trying to get the job done legally drove him temporarily insane, and I hope the judge is wise enough to see it that way.

Pitiful. Now the only thing I find mildly questionable about the owners actions was his choice in dispatching equipment. He did most likely commit a misdemenor because he discarged his weapon in the city and he was not in fear for his life. Should be easily overlooked by any reasonable person.

 

[Saintsfan6]

One of many reasons that i live in BFE, if some stray or wild animal shows up and makes itself a problem I feed it a very special treat and my neighors appreciate me for protecting their property as well as my own.

You feed it a special treat? Like poison? Any idea what a dose of rat poison does to a living creature? My personal opinion is if you have a rat problem, kill them with a rat traps and don't poison them. Im sure there are several that would disagree with me, but there are several problems with poisoning pests. Accidental ingestion by something other than the targeted pest (a pet or a wild animal that isn't a pest), death of the pest in a location (like your wall or attic space), ingestion of the deceased or dying animal by a predator or carrion bird (which would lead to the death of that animal). Killing an animal through physical means such as gun shot, trap, breaking neck is much more humane and has less unnecessary effects than poisoning. Do what you please, but at least consider using another approach if it is at all possible.

- - - Updated - - -

If we were talking about any other city in the state, you would be absolutely correct.

However, this is New Orleans; and so you are absolutely wrong on almost every point.

Let me explain. (If anyone remembers my opossum rant from before, this will be a repeat, although not nearly so angry).

The State of Louisiana classifies opossums as "nuisance animals." This means that one may "take" (i.e. kill) them at any time of year, in any manner without license from the state, and one may then dispose of them at will in proper sanitary form. Up to this point, Saintsfan6's recommendations would all prove true, were we not speaking of New Orleans (more on this in a moment).

However, if one traps them live, by state regulation, one can only release them on land that they own or on land on which they have written permission from the landowner to release them. One may NOT release them on public lands (including in wildlife preserves, levees, parks, etc.) Because these are wild animals, one may not have them in their possession for more than 12 hours, nor may one transport the animal anywhere unless they have in their possession the written paper designating their permission to release the animal. This makes it difficult, but not impossible, to live-capture an opossum and remove it from one's property.

Now back to killing one of these varmints in the city of New Orleans.

Although the State says that one may kill them at any time, it must be done within the laws of the local political entity. That means that one can only kill an opossum in New Orleans in accordance with the laws of the City. If you shoot it, it is considered"hunting" which is illegal in the city (it is also illegal to discharge a firearm for any reason - that's right, any reason, which is what got the restaurateur in trouble initially). Shooting it would also be considered animal cruelty. You may not kill it by stabbing, clubbing, gassing, starving, drowning, or nearly any other method which you can think of - because all of those are considered animal cruelty.

There is simply no legal way for an individual citizen to legally kill an opossum within the limits of the City of New Orleans.

So what about calling Animal Control?

A reasonable thought, except that in the City of New Orleans, there is no Animal Control - at least not in the way that it exists in most of the rest of the state.

In New Orleans, animal control duties are contracted out to the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals - the SPCA, for short. Before Hurricane Katrina, one could call the SPCA and report a nuisance animal problem, and the SPCA would send over someone to trap and remove the offending animal. After Katrina, the SPCA claimed that it could no longer afford to provide this service (although they DID manage to build two very large and expensive buildings, but I digress). Immediately after Katrina, if one called the SPCA to report a nuisance animal, they would tell you to trap it yourself and bring it to them; but within a few years, they changed their tune.

The SPCA now officially says that they are NOT a wild animal control service and will only accept ONE wild animal per year from any individual citizen - provided that the citizen registers with the SPCA and pays a $25 dollar fee.

So forget about calling Animal Control.

The only legal thing one can do is call a pest control company that has been granted a state nuisance animal license or call the state Wildlife and Fisheries office for a list of licensed nuisance animal trappers in your area. Then you can pay them whatever fee they charge to remove the animal from your property.

So I can see why this man decided to take the law into his own hands. The sheer frustration of trying to get the job done legally drove him temporarily insane, and I hope the judge is wise enough to see it that way.

That is a screwed up situation that i was unaware of. That has got to be corrected, and I understand why someone would consider taking matters into their own hands in this situation.

 

[Whitebread]

You feed it a special treat? Like poison? Any idea what a dose of rat poison does to a living creature? My personal opinion is if you have a rat problem, kill them with a rat traps and don't poison them. Im sure there are several that would disagree with me, but there are several problems with poisoning pests. Accidental ingestion by something other than the targeted pest (a pet or a wild animal that isn't a pest), death of the pest in a location (like your wall or attic space), ingestion of the deceased or dying animal by a predator or carrion bird (which would lead to the death of that animal). Killing an animal through physical means such as gun shot, trap, breaking neck is much more humane and has less unnecessary effects than poisoning. Do what you please, but at least consider using another approach if it is at all possible.

- - - Updated - - -



That is a screwed up situation that i was unaware of. That has got to be corrected, and I understand why someone would consider taking matters into their own hands in this situation.

I do use rat poison in my garage to keep the field mice out but the special little treat usually comes in the hot lead veriaty. I would never knowingly poison anything that wasnt a varmet or insect. I have also been know to use less than leathal force to deture stray dogs and cats that find themselves causing trouble (climbing on cars knocking over trash cans) from becoming frequent offenders. And no I dont go a round looking to shoot someones pet. If the animal is friendly I will help them back to their home.