Looters steal things. They sneak in and cart off worldly goods from homes already humiliated by a tornado's fury. Gawkers rob disaster victims of something they cannot replace, their dignity. They look with dehumanizing gazes at these people and what's left of their houses and their lives. Gawkers view these victims as casual entertainment, exotic beasts in a zoo of horrors, a sight to see from the car window while they're out for a Sunday drive.
Rod is a Hamilton County sheriff's deputy.
Working his third consecutive 12-hour day, he manned a roadblock Sunday afternoon, directing traffic and turning away gawkers. He spoke with me as we straddled the double-yellow line at the intersection of Cornell and Snider roads, not far from the site of some of the tornado's worst destruction. Deputy McGaha waved residents through as they showed him an address on a driver's license or an official pass. Gawkers tried to slip past with a smile. A dark dusty car rolled up.