Katrina sends N.O. crime to Houston

[upstate29650 0]

Story

From the article:

Harris is among 11 Katrina evacuees suspected of transferring their New Orleans turf battles to Houston and carrying out homicides, robberies and kidnappings that began after his release from Shreveport. Houston police classify the suspects as extremely violent.

Harris is still at large, and the police and public are pondering how much crime former residents of New Orleans brought to their host city.

A pretty stunning condemnation of N.O.'s ineffectiveness to prosecute criminals.

Honestly, why do the citizens of N.O. (and LA for that matter) put up with such ineptitude?

[NCB 1]

Honestly, why do the citizens of N.O. (and LA for that matter) put up with such ineptitude?

Honestly, you get used to it. If you live in New Orleans for a long amount of time, you adapt to the fact that the city has had serious crime problems over the last 30+ years. I've been held up at gunpoint three different times in the city, and you just hope for the best, other residents could tell you similar things.

Just for informational purposes, the Baton Rouge area, which took in more evacuees than Houston, has seen a decline in crime since Katrina. Houston simply got most of the bad group.

[peaceloveunderstanding 0]

Honestly, you get used to it. If you live in New Orleans for a long amount of time, you adapt to the fact that the city has had serious crime problems over the last 30+ years.

The Death row list in Texas will get likely get a little longer.

[upstate29650 0]

Honestly, you get used to it. If you live in New Orleans for a long amount of time, you adapt to the fact that the city has had serious crime problems over the last 30+ years. I've been held up at gunpoint three different times in the city, and you just hope for the best, other residents could tell you similar things.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not implying that you (or other New Orleanians) tolerate crime...but it seems y'all kinda do, at the same time.

For a city so dependant on tourism, it seems to me that crime erradication would be paramount on N.O's "to do" list (aside from reconstruction, etc.) Maybe it is, I don't know. The results aren't there, though.

[TSmith 0]

I've lived in N.O. for my entire life, with a couple small stinits in other cities. They say that they are trying to keep these people from returning. And, Texas has a much more adequate system to throw these people in jail... where they belong. I had never been the victim of a crime in N.O., but I know people who have. For the most part, you knew the areas of town to avoid. Most of these places that I avoided are now destroyed. It's sad for the good people of those areas, of which there are many. But, if Texas and NOPD can work together, as they are doing, perhaps we can send these people where they belong... to jail.

[NCB 1]

Don't get me wrong. I'm not implying that you (or other New Orleanians) tolerate crime...but it seems y'all kinda do, at the same time.

It's not that we tolerate it, it's that we just deal with it. New Orleanians are aware of their surroundings, know where not to go, where not to be at night, what "tricks" not to fall for, what not to carry on the street, how not to act on the streets,(drunk) etc.

We go on with our lives in the city, but we are very aware of what is happening around us.

[EbonyGardens 0]

Houston has to deal with N.O's crime as well as their own, that's a double whammy for the city.

[NCB 1]

^Well right now the NOPD and the HPD are trying their best to work together. The NOPD isn't just going to leave all of the work to the HPD, and last I heard, they are working together well.

[NCB 1]

HAVEN and HELL

First, they lost everything. Then many New Orleanians seeking refuge landed in Houston's deadliest neighborhoods. Now they live in fear and find themselves scapegoats for a crime wave that was rising even before Katrina

I look at the numbers and info listed in this article, and I thought about how Houston was the first city that offered to help New Orleans with taking care of and housing evacuees, and helped New Orleans with many other things like sending police and rescuers after Katrina passed. Then I thought about how 5 months later, the thanks they got was having to deal with what New Orleans was plaqued with for decades...

[NCB 1]

Some charted info

[UrbaniDesDev 0]

The crime and New Orlean's infamous corruption is what has kept New Orleans lagging far behind the boom of the rest of the sun belt cities. New Orleans population really needs to clean house

[EbonyGardens 0]

I'm glad HPD and NOPD are working together, because it would be lame to leave Houston police to do all the work. I hope Houston doesn't end up with another 340 murder year.

[Southernyank 4]

Some charted info

I wonder if they did a study such as this for any of the other cities that accepted the evacuees.

[NCB 1]

I wonder if they did a study such as this for any of the other cities that accepted the evacuees.

I know they did a similar study for Baton Rouge, and I'm sure similar studies have been conducted for cities like Atlanta, Memphis, and Dallas, which also took in many thousands of evacuees.

[EbonyGardens 0]

I'd like to see if any of those cities suffered the same criminal consequences as Houston due to accepting Hurricane Katrina evacuees.

[NCB 1]

I'd like to see if any of those cities suffered the same criminal consequences as Houston due to accepting Hurricane Katrina evacuees.

Baton Rouge actually had a decrease in overall crime since picking up Katrina evacuees, and I believe Dallas, Atlanta, and Memphis had their crime stay basically the same.

[EbonyGardens 0]

Interesting. I guess the worst of N.O's criminals decided to target Houston moreso than the other 3. Congrats to B.R.

[NCB 1]

Interesting. I guess the worst of N.O's criminals decided to target Houston moreso than the other 3. Congrats to B.R.

It's mostly because of who evacuated and how they evacuated. Most of the evacuees that went to Baton Rouge evacuated on their own free will before or right after the storm. Most of these evacuees were non-criminals in the city as well. Most of the evacuees that Houston took in where those that didn't leave the city and were later shipped out on buses. Many of these evacuees where the ones looting and causing trouble in the city after Katrina, and a very large amount of them were criminals in the first place. As a result, Houston's crime rate goes up, and Baton Rouge's crime rate drops a bit.

[Mith242 69]

I'm glad I haven't heard any of this being an issue here in Arkansas with any of the people we've had move into the state. The ones I've seen here in Fayetteville seem very nice people.

[NCB 1]

^I'm glad you guys haven't had any problems with New Orleanians up there in Fayetteville.

[Mith242 69]

^I'm glad you guys haven't had any problems with New Orleanians up there in Fayetteville.

I was hoping for more to be honest. I think we could use a little more diversity up here and we have such ridiculously low unemployment we actually need more people to help fill jobs. But I guess it's more of a culture shock for people up here and other areas.

[UptownNewOrleans 1]

[NCB 1]

I'm used to murders, beatings, rapes, drug sales and shootouts so it doesn't bother me anymore. You talk about it for 5 minutes and then get back to doing what you normally do.

I didn't grow up in any of the more dangerous neighborhoods in the city, but this attitude seems to be shared by all New Orleanians in some way. Crime is nothing new to those who have grown up and lived in, or are very familiar with the city.

[UptownNewOrleans 1]

For real, you just have to know what not to do, where not to go, etc. Anytime someone asks me about visiting here, I simply tell them you can come here to have fun, but don't go into any of the wards, because a lot of rough stuff goes on in them.

3rd Ward and 9th Ward being the most treacherous of all the N.O. wards.

[912 0]

Houston on pace for highest homicide rate in a decade, and it's attributed to Katrina evacuees.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hurricane/4277375.html

This is sure to bolster the calls by Houstonians to send the evacuees packing!

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hurricane/4153486.html