randyb Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 (edited) This is being posted on behalf of Randy, who is driving back to Georgia and will post more detail this evening. First and foremost, THANK YOU all for the overwhelming support, both in words and donations. The drum corps community certainly has come through for us...donations have reached over the halfway point of our loss. The police have sent the collected evidence to the crime lab, but beyond that, we are not at liberty to say much more as it is an ongoing investigation. Randy will address the concerns that have been brought up in this forum this evening. Once again, we are so very thankful for the many fans and supporters of this activity. Edited July 17, 2008 by randyb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Other Mike Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 That's truly sad. I remember right after Katrina, my husband was part of the relief effort with the TX Air National Guard. It was the only time, within the United States, he was required to carry a sidearm on the plane. Imagine pulling up to a FEMA ice and water location, turning the corner to see 40+ locked and loaded Guardsmen............and as I pull up to the 1st one with my hands up, asking if he wanted me to put the 38 ( on the dash )in the trunk and him saying " no sir, keep in within reach:. For 2 months after Katrina we all still carried sidearms openly. It was the safest I'd ever felt. It was amazing just how polite everyone was to each other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadwick Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 Keep it up folks! Here is the link again for those of you who immediately click to the most recent page of posts... http://www.tealsound.org/news/index.html#theft Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BD 79-82 Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 donated... Best of Luck to all at Teal Sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docachna Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 OK...first off, let me preface this by saying that the most important thing right now is to make sure the kids are taken care of, and that everything needs to be done to ensure that happens!HOWEVER...I find it strange, and somewhat disturbing, that such a large sum of cash was being carried instead of using credit/debit cards. Having petty cash is one thing, a huge sum that would support both food and fuel for two weeks is another. And, that it was in a location that was accessible to strangers within the community at-large raises another red flag. I am also curious as to the circumstances that led to the theft. While I'm willing to join the drum corps world in sending a donation, my confidence is not strong with regards to their choices on how to keep that money safe. While I'm sure that many of the DCP universe are going to flame me for this, it's still a legitimate concern that the folks at Teal are going to have to address. In the meantime, I truly wish the best for those kids and hope/pray that they finish the season strong! You are quite right to express concerns about the circumstances of the theft. Although we have no idea at this point, I certainly hope any "holes" in the system have been patched. If not, shame on corps management. As to donation - challenge to all alumni corps members to match my $20. The kids don't deserve to pay the price for either the criminality of someone out there, or any (arguable) carelessness on the part of their staff. There's plenty of time for recriminations if they're deserved. Help the corps finish the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zajicek1 Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 Done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebandera Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 Welcome to the 3rd world. Being from New Orleans I feel I can speak openly. Even before Katrina things were bad but we managed to house corps in safe areas and provide some great escorts via police and state troopers that once marched corps. Now, things are bad even in the suburbs that had no or little trouble before.I have been openly saying to everyone who contacts me that they should avoid New Orleans. Things are NOT good here and are getting worse. All too often people will say "if you stick to the tourist areas like the Quarter, you'll be ok". This is NOT true. People really don't understand just how bad things are and will continue to be. There are many areas outside of metro New Orleans that are safe but not here. I don't even go to the local district band directors meetings because of the problems and I don't go anywhere without a gun. I realize this could have happened in Lafayette but I also know they were planning a day in New Orleans. Because of the problems here i suggested they don't stay with me. It breaks my heart what is happening here but nothing shocks me anymore. Donating on behalf of : Bleu Raeders & Southern Rebels It's awfully easy to blame anything that goes wrong down here on the storm. I've lived in Baton Rouge for four years and the crime rates now are actually lower than they were before the storm (http://brgov.com/dept/BRPD/csr/default.asp?GetYear=2008) Granted, I heard the show was moved from here to Lafayette because someone was mugged at a show. But that stadium IS in a bad part of town and could have happened regardless of Katrina. I don't think telling the world that New Orleans and surrounding areas are the equivalent of a 3rd world country is accurate or fair to the people that live there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBadMadMan Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 (edited) It's awfully easy to blame anything that goes wrong down here on the storm. I've lived in Baton Rouge for four years and the crime rates now are actually lower than they were before the storm (http://brgov.com/dept/BRPD/csr/default.asp?GetYear=2008)Granted, I heard the show was moved from here to Lafayette because someone was mugged at a show. But that stadium IS in a bad part of town and could have happened regardless of Katrina. I don't think telling the world that New Orleans and surrounding areas are the equivalent of a 3rd world country is accurate or fair to the people that live there. Hate to disagree with you man, but the few times I've been through there since the storm, large parts of New Orleans more resemble Somalia than anything anyone would recognize as American soil. Entire neighborhoods laid to waste...a large very visible amusement park that looks like something out of a Scooby Doo episode...large chunks of the city that are virtual ghost towns. Teal stayed there last summer and we were instructed not to leave the immediate block around the private Christian school where we were staying because of several recent murders in the immediate area. A bunch of us went down to Bourbon St on one of the nights we were there and the cab driver gave us implicit instructions on where to and not to go. He said that even 1 or 2 streets off Bourbon were EXTREMELY dangerous and under no circumstances should we wander if we valued our lives. It's like no place I've ever been before. Unfortunately a large group of what's left are people who couldn't afford to leave and are stuck in virtually sub-3rd world conditions. I'm speaking solely of the New Orleans area. Edited July 17, 2008 by BigBadMadMan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoFanGo Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 Done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Other Mike Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 It's awfully easy to blame anything that goes wrong down here on the storm. I've lived in Baton Rouge for four years and the crime rates now are actually lower than they were before the storm (http://brgov.com/dept/BRPD/csr/default.asp?GetYear=2008)Granted, I heard the show was moved from here to Lafayette because someone was mugged at a show. But that stadium IS in a bad part of town and could have happened regardless of Katrina. I don't think telling the world that New Orleans and surrounding areas are the equivalent of a 3rd world country is accurate or fair to the people that live there. I'm speaking of metro New Orleans only and since I LIVE IN METRO NEW ORLEANS and deal with it everyday I feel I have more of a real life view than most. Baton Rouge is 10,000 times better than NOLA. No offense intended towards Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Houma, Morgan City, New Iberia, Crowley, Alexandria, Pineville, Monroe, Shreveport etc. I was speaking about Metro New Orleans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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