This tag was created by Anonymous.
Looting in the courts (50)
The initial charge made against those arrested for looting was burglary, a felony (or if the storeowner was present and threatened, the charge could be robbery). A charge of burglary encompassed all the elements that made up looting: gaining access to a business by breaking windows, going into the store, and taking merchandise. If police could not provide evidence of all three elements, the charge had to be changed, to offenses that carried lesser penalties: if there was evidence an individual broke windows but not that they took merchandise, the charge became disorderly conduct, or unlawful entry if there was evidence they entered a store or put their hands in a store window; if there was evidence an individual did not break windows but did take merchandise, the charge became larceny, the degree determined by the value of the merchandise; if there was evidence an individual had been part of a crowd near looting, but had not broken windows or taken merchandise, the charge could become disorderly conduct or inciting a riot. Prosecutors changed a charge of burglary to a lesser offense in ? cases. (In ? cases the charge became larceny, in ? cases petty larceny, in ? cases [more serious – or is it misdemeanor vs felony]. In ? cases the charge became disorderly conduct. In ? cases the charge became inciting a riot.) Magistrates released (or acquitted?)? individuals arrested for looting [this should be burglary only], determining that there was insufficient evidence to hold them for the grand jury or transfer them for trial in the Court of Special Sessions or convict them (of disorderly conduct, prosecutions for which they had the authority to adjudicate).
As Part of Related Categories:
- Looting of food and drink (?/22)
- Looting of clothing (?/17)
- Looting of miscellaneous consumer goods (?/15)
- Looting unknown location (18/18)
- Black men and women in the courts (48/107?)
- White men in the courts (2/10)
- Women in the courts (3/7)
- In the Magistrates Court (50/1??)
- In the Court of Special Sessions (19/42)
- In the Grand Jury (28/45)
- In the Court of General Sessions (12/15)
- Convicted in the courts (?/70)
- Released in the courts (?/35)
- Outcome unknown in the courts (?/15)