News -> INDReporter MON, JUN 27 10:41AM by Walter Pierce

Lafayette’s anti-social meet social media

They don’t call it Facebook for nothing. New to the social media mega site is “Busted in Acadiana,” a page begun recently out of Lafayette devoted to posting the mug shots of the metro area’s miscreants, ne’er-do-wells and scofflaws, with a smattering of the wrongly accused and to-be-exonerated-later thrown in for good measure.

Astonishingly — or not — more than 32,000 people “like” the page, which offers fans an opportunity to rail against the dregs of society and to ridicule their unfortunate quirks of physiology. Take for instance James Lee Abshire Jr., arrested recently for simple burglary and contempt of court, on whose ... let’s call it “acoustical acumen” ... the chattering Facebookers directed their incandescent humor: “sha tee tee.. when good elves go bad,” commented one. “FRODO! :)” chimed another.

Somewhere in the uterus of this thing is a Charles Bronson revenge fantasy with the umbilical chord wrapped around its neck.

The site is kissing cousin to “Drunk in Acadiana,” a Facebook page dedicated to — you guessed it — photos of our less-than-upstanding citizenry in various states of drunkenly undress, questionable consciousness and bearing magic marker graffiti about their faces and midriffs, most within some proximity to a bathroom floor or the asphalt of a parking lot.

Truly, I say unto you, our civilization is in decline.


Walter Pierce
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Comments (40)add
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written by Annie , June 27, 2011 - 04:55 pm
I think you are mistaken. We have the right to see who breaks the law. In the world today I like knowing who is a thief, a liar or a drunk. I remember those faces and know to avoid them. Busted In Acadiana, you are doing a fine job of keeping us informed and I SALUTE YOU!!!
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written by Walter Pierce , June 27, 2011 - 05:05 pm
All well and good, Annie. But let's remember: The people on Busted in Acadiana have merely been arrested, not convicted. Innocent until proven guilty, right?
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written by MeMe , June 27, 2011 - 05:16 pm
I'm not against the posting of mugshots. They are public record. I am, however, against people having the ability to post comments under these unfortunate people's pictures.
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written by Annie , June 27, 2011 - 05:16 pm
Walter, I have faith in the justice system and hope that the people they arrest are not arrested without warrant. And, innocent until proven guilty is a nice thought, but that is not how things work and everyone knows it. They should not put themselves in the postition to be broadcast to the world. These arrests, whether guilty or not, are public record. So, once again I do not think BIA is declining our civilization. They are merely making PUBLIC information more accessible.
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written by Jacob , June 27, 2011 - 05:22 pm
If it takes shaming people to save lives or to deter criminals from committing crimes, than props to Busted:) These citizens are innocent until proven guilty, but again I'll state the obvious, public record my friend:))
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written by Cajun Patriot , June 27, 2011 - 05:22 pm
@ Walter: the page isn't named " Convicted in Acadiana "..it says " BUSTED".

This page and other like pages are good as it helps raise awareness about our failing society...
This is AMERICA people,we should be a better model/example for the rest of the world to follow.
This is just whats needed to help wake people up to what is happening to our society.we have become nothing more than a 3rd world puppet nation now,thanks to a large band on Liberal Progressives.
We need a page like that in every city..maybe then people would shape up and try to better themselves instead of being degenerates.
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written by Soop. , June 27, 2011 - 05:25 pm
Interesting question Walter ... how many people arrested are actually innocent? I don't have an answer, I am just curious what you think. And I mean innocent ... not just are found not guilty because the state couldn't prove the charge or a bad warrant causes evidence to be tossed out ... I mean innocent as in police got the wrong person innocent? I think it is maybe 1%.

There is soooo much crime out there that when the police do show up to arrest, it is usually a slam-dunk. Especially the smaller "petty" crimes.

All the best,

Soop
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written by Its me , June 27, 2011 - 05:39 pm
You are just upset because your mug was up there
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written by Pawn in the game of life , June 27, 2011 - 06:32 pm
Nothing like putting others down for their mistakes. Louisiana has the highest incarcernation rate in the country. Be careful who you make fun of it could be you.
The majority of the offenders are their because of petty drug violations. . The war on drugs has been a complete failure. We need more treatment options not more jais.
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written by TRST , June 27, 2011 - 06:48 pm
The other day BIA solicited information from ppl on Facebook about relatives of a woman the police were looking to interview. "Good & decent citizens" then used the opportunity to post names, phone numbers, and employers of people who were tangentially related the original woman, and who had in no way been charged with any crime or could be called public figures.

This is a lawsuit waiting to happen, and when that time comes and someone sues for libel or incitement to violence I doubt the anonymous individuals behind BIA will take the fall. I imagine that they will try to pass that liability onto the individuals with public identities who made the comments, despite the obviously goading nature of their commentary on the "public record."

Also I love how in these comments everyone makes bones that the site isn't called "Convicted! In Acadiana" but then they digress into a politically-motivated rant about how no one gets arrested who didn't "deserve it".

End of Days, Walter.
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written by Colon Flow , June 27, 2011 - 06:52 pm
I think the City Marshall does or did something like this on AOC. Walter, get your photo ready! You want to look good.
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written by Morals and Scruples , June 27, 2011 - 08:04 pm
Oh but where oh where would the morally superior and intellectually inferior "upstanding citizens" of Lafayette go to judge their fellow man if Busted! was no longer? Sunday mass is just not cutting it in our modern day.........we need MORE. B/c judging is always cool. And healthy.

Nothing but a bunch of self-important idiots attaching their real names to their own mindless drivel. Now that's the real beauty in it if you ask me.


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written by roberta comeaux , June 27, 2011 - 08:40 pm
id like to start off by saying james abshire is a decent person and as u can see he may not perfect but making fun off someone to lower there self-esteam is a cruel and vishious thing to do to anyone.. the point of the matter is to help the people who needs to be helped and teasing them like there in school is one of the reasons people never change it makes them feel lower than low kicking a man when hes down THATS A LOW BLOW!!! james if u do read this we all love u and life will turn for the better just gotta ignore the childish commets and be the person we know u are
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written by Erik , June 27, 2011 - 09:34 pm
I agree with the simple fact that it is condered freedom of speech however the majority of busted fans do not realise that these pictures were taken directly after arrest, not after the due process of court then proven guilt or innocense. Thusly the administrators as well as the fans of the page are bringing back the stockade mentality from the dark ages, throwing rotten food and garbage at the "accused" while passing. Being innocent until proven guilty was supposed to be one of the greatest things about America that seperated it from other lesser countries. But as the less than classy fans of busted prove time and time again it is easy to unleash draconian measures when the majority is uneducated. Furthermore, despite the sites administrators citing freedom of speech as its right to existence, do not feel free to say whatever you want on thier site as they have a strong censorship policy if what you say does not go along with what they believe. For instance, I was barred from making comments by the admin for commenting that 94.5 ksmb did not play good music. Being that the admins apparently have no taste in music, they took offense, and relinqueshed my commenting rights,...UNLIKE!
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written by Compassionate One , June 27, 2011 - 10:35 pm
Public Record. You can go to the sheriff's site and see the same pictures.

What I do find entertaining is the comment sections. Some posts are down right funny! Too much political correctness running around.

I mean afterall, the beauty of the internet, is that you can read a news story and join in the banter afterwards.

More laughter, less sensitivity.
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written by William Morvant , June 28, 2011 - 12:30 am
Arrest reports are published in newspapers. Why is this any different except the photo.
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written by HARDHAT , June 28, 2011 - 03:28 am
This dude does not have to woprry if he should ever need to get a pair of specs........
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written by TRST , June 28, 2011 - 04:58 am
What makes this different is that when arrest reports are published for public record it is ostensibly to prevent the state from quietly abducting people without notice and to provide a record of the actions of agencies of government.

Both BIA and their adherents have made it clear in their public comments that the purpose of BIA is to reduce crime by shaming criminals. Regardless of the sense this makes it is an invalid mission because these people have rarely been found guilty by the justice system before their photos are posted and the masses are invited to critique their appearances and/or offer up personal information about the subjects that are not necessarily matters of public record.

That would be what's different.
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written by Hope , June 28, 2011 - 10:35 am
I don't like BIA FB. I don't like the public humiliation, don't find it entertaining. I don't see it as a politically correct issue, rather an issue of decency and moral character. There is no real benefit in making fun of someone to being down right disgusting, to the arestee or the poster or the reader. The world has enough ugly in it and BIA is just one more ugly. I don't read the arrest records & if I'm interested, I can read the arrest records on the Sheriff's website. I think sex offenders is a different story & even then would be cautious, but wait until the verdict is in; same with DUIs. Busted in Ac just brings out too much ugly.

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written by Bob Royer , June 28, 2011 - 02:31 pm
This story is very one-sided. I don't agree with Busted sites, however, I don't agree with other media outlets such as KATC posting mug shots to it's Facebook sites allowing the same bru-ha-ha bullying and mocking of folks innocent till proven guilty. If you're going to raise attention to one, why not raise attention to all? The only different with Busted is they exclusively deal in mugs.
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written by C.O.P.S. , June 28, 2011 - 03:16 pm
This is the same thing that Acadiana Mugshots did. I follow them on facebook before they shut down. They stated that the local police department contacted them and asked to stop. Something about being worried the LA STATE POLICE would take back the equipment they lent them. As confusing as that is, they did shut down their page. Wonder if these guys will have to do the same?
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written by citizen , June 28, 2011 - 08:59 pm
Can someone PLEASE explain why this can't and has not been changed? Why don't they post the pictured and information of people who have been CONVICTED instead of arrested. Furthermore they never bother to post information about people who have been exonerated.

I'm sorry Soop, but you are just making up numbers, and I'm pretty sure you're guess is wrong. Lots of people are wrongfully arrested. Getting your mugshot posted on the internet for eternity is a punishment. It's very different than having your name in small print in the newspaper.

I wish someone would do something about this because it's really unconstitutional.
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written by ben , June 29, 2011 - 07:04 pm
is this the guy running against Joey Durel?
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written by Chuckywucky , June 30, 2011 - 05:37 pm
Finally, a place they can make the movie...."The Salem Witchhunt"
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written by NeighborPlease , June 30, 2011 - 06:26 pm
Regardless of your take on the "facebook" web site about law breakers it clearly reflects on society at large.

Humans are gawkers. They LIKE to look at those who are down and out.
"Get a job" ring a bell to any of you?

Humans like to kick people when they're down. They like to look at pictures of idiots who get arrested. They slow down to look at wrecks.

Humans just won't admit they like it, but they do.

Betty White nailed it.

"facebookers" are newbies for the most part and all they do is
like, tell us about their, like, day at the, like, mall.

Wake up newbies. Most old school netizens can't stand facebook OR the legions of twits who utilize it.

Your peers think YOU'RE the idiots JUST LIKE the guy in the photo for simply USING facebook.

Think of it as the AOL dumbass barometer.

Again, who cares about the photos in the web site. The bigger issue are all the spoiled brat newbies on facebook.
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written by the original northsidian , June 30, 2011 - 10:45 pm
Who gives a $#!^!!! Worry about something important!!!
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written by Colon Flow , July 06, 2011 - 02:00 am
With those ears (see photo), he should be able to fly.
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written by Unreal , July 11, 2011 - 11:40 pm
I am simply amazed and appalled more that citizens in this area enjoy throwing stones so much at arrested, not convicted, people than I am that these people got arrested in the first place. You people have no idea how deep this rabbit hole goes. The admin of this page posts personal information ( phone numbers, addresses, photos of your family and significant others) about any person that dares say a negative comment about her and her company...yes company.. she makes money off of this. She recently posted that if you want your mug shot taken down you will have to pay a fee. A crime her herself should be arrested AND convicted for- extortion! Then we can post her mugshot and let the stone throwing commence, right?!
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written by &^%$ , July 11, 2011 - 11:44 pm
I have watched the rise and hopefully fall of BIA. I do not comment on their garbage and no I have never been arrested, much less received a speedy ticket. To clarify for the people out there that believe these mug shots are public record, they are. The difference between Lafayette Parish's site and BIA is simple. You can not comment on the L.P.S. site, you can not publicly humiliate someone and ruin any credibility they may or may not have had long before they step in front of a judge. Also, the Lafayette Parish site does not have admins that have created it, create alias facebook names and egg on the public ridicule to create more controversy. BIA allows and provokes slander. There is one thing you will never see BIA do, they will never post a rebuttal once someone is actually proven guilty. Even if they did re-post the mug shot in an album labeled "Innocent" the damage has been done. Fortunately there is a way to get these mug shots removed. If you may be confused that this site was created with good intention, to keep the general public informed of child molesters, drunk drivers or people that urinates in public, you are wrong. For the small fee of $99 you can have your mug shot removed. The BIA admins do not discriminate on the crime committed. It's a disgrace and is ruining what public records were intended for.
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written by I hate BIA , July 13, 2011 - 02:40 pm
There is a page called bullsh**! in acadiana that is all about the wrongdoing of busted. Follow them, help us bring busted down. What they do is wrong. And all you people who said that it's important for you to see the criminals in our area: before this site came about, I'm sure you didn't give two craps about who was arrested. I doubt you went to the sherriffs website to view these photos. Admit it, it's not about the public knowledge. It's the fact that you can degrade these people in their low point in life along side a group of mean-hearted jacka**es just like you with no reprimand from anyone around you or the victims themselves. You people need to get a grip and realize that you're just a bunch of jerks who want to make it okay to be a bunch of jerks.
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written by Kelly , July 13, 2011 - 07:29 pm
How do you feel about the old fashioned bill board that basically does the same thing as both these sites at once?
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written by Ra , July 13, 2011 - 07:44 pm
There was a mugshot of a gentleman who had been arrested for disturbing the peace and some other offense posted on BIA's facebook page. The man was identified as being a "103m" by someone who works in law enforcement. This code indicates that the person was mentally ill and was even called "crazy" by some of the people posting. I later noticed that the comments were removed and no further comments were allowed. This shows that there is some form of restraint and censorship within BIA's operation.
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written by Your boss is a hypocrite , July 13, 2011 - 07:50 pm
I love how the Independent can't take it's own medicine when the Independent's publisher gets busted for DWI. BIA doesn't have her mug yet but it didn't stop one citizen from putting it out there. This is what you get for getting in everyones business and being unprofessional IND.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/281325_186959678031018_155018197891833_495059_336126_n.jpg
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written by why so mad? , July 13, 2011 - 07:58 pm
maybe cause your own cherry may is a drunk

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/281325_186959678031018_155018197891833_495059_336126_n.jpg
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written by Really now? , July 13, 2011 - 08:36 pm
If you are truly concerned about public well being, why not take this matter up with law enforcement? Why are these mugshots and arrest records publicly available to Facebook pages such as Busted in Acadiana?

People were saying these things before this page came along. Now that everyone has a place to say their thoughts collectively, everyone gets upset because they realize that they can't escape public scorn if their time comes.
Does it reflect a decline in our society? Perhaps. In the past, it was a mater of calling our friends on the phone to gossip. Now, it's a matter of people logging on the internet to gossip. Same exact thing, except more convenient.
I know the people who upkeep the page also take part in commenting on pictures of the arrested, but that's their choice. It's also our choice to log on to these websites. By now, we should know that unbridled ideas, thoughts, and comments come with the territory. If you don't like it, the best option I can offer is to stay off the internet.
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written by Jason Bettinger , July 13, 2011 - 08:38 pm
You editor was popped for DWI. I loved the bill board that was put up of the old hag. I'm sure she'll cheat her way out of a charge and the good old DA will make it all go away for the sot.

I've made sure to spread every article and picture of her to all my friends. I think fliers on cars would be a good touch to get the word out on her. Shame Shame everybody knows your name!


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written by james quntin , August 05, 2011 - 02:31 pm
The Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office offers this Internet “inmate/recent arrest/warrant inquiry” feature to the public and law enforcement in the interest of public safety. This information shall not be considered, or used as, a public document, or official document, and no other publication or copying of this information is allowed without the express written consent of the PERSON(S), and the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office. Any unauthorized use of this information is forbidden and subject to criminal prosecution. wonder if they got the person's permission..sees class action lawsuit over this breaking of the law posting mugs without their permission..wonder if bia will give permission to have their mugs posted when charges are filed.
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written by Haley , August 07, 2011 - 11:06 am
I've heard the ppl running the Facebook page will take down a picture and all corresponding information for $40. I basically think the ppl running it are profiting and the ppl "liking" it are the same kind of ppl who watch Jerry Springer or read tabloids. I personally know someone who was put up on the page & now it is one of the first things that comes up when their name is Googled. I don't think it's right. And I'm scared for my personal information & for the way the Internet will be used 20 years from now. If this is how grown adults behave- how perverse will our children be? Not to mention- these ppl are a part of our community! Shouldnt we treat ppl with a little more understanding? Even if only for our own well-being. I'd also like to remind the commenters who think it's perfectly ok- you have skeletons in your closet and someone will exploit them if given the chance!!!
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written by iberian , August 21, 2011 - 05:02 am
It's 2 bozos from a certain radio station morning show that really run the site. Snot 1079. They will have their day in court soon.
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written by Bug , September 04, 2011 - 11:03 pm
My cousin had passed away december of 2010 and his mugshot was posted in May 2011 thats just sickening to me
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