The Wheel Of Justice Spins For New Orleans
Posted July 21st, 2008 in Activism, All, Commentary, Inside New Orleans, Legal and TV Moment of the WeakFolks in New Orleans seem to be getting a little fed up with this whole crime thing, and probably not a moment too soon for local law-abiding residents (we do have a few). It’s no secret that the city’s crime rate increased sharply after Katrina; with over half the police force AWOL and gangs from the lower Ninth Ward moving to more fertile grounds, opportunity knocked loudly for anyone willing to break a few laws. As a result crime fighting has become something of a local obsession; crime cameras, once considered far too Orwellian for a city which thumbed its nose at trivialities such as opened-container and gambling laws, are now an accepted part of the city skyline.
But the real story is local ABC affiliate WGNO’s approach to crime-fighting…the Wheel Of Justice. Since the city sports far more criminals than cops, the station features some of the city’s most wanted on a large wheel, which local residents are invited to spin Wheel-of-Fortune-style. Once the wheel lands on a criminal, WGNO and other local media outlets slather the unfortunate do-badder’s face and profile all over the news, billboards, etc. until the offender is found and jailed. The gimmick has been so successful that criminals who find themselves targeted by the Wheel have begun to simply turn themselves in, rather than try to run from an entire city (or “buddies” hoping to cash in on a reward).
It’s just another example of the Big Easy’s outside-of-the-keg brand of problem solving, and a community’s dedication to rebirth after the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. We’re referring of course to Mayor Nagin’s re-election.
