Wy sisten-in-law lives in orlando, FL. According to her, the local newspapers have runs stories suggesting that an upsurge in local street crime coincided with the entry of thousands of people displaced from NOLA (by the hurricane).
Similar reports have come in fom Houston, texas.
my question; is there any proff 9from accepted police statistics0 that an upsurge in street crimes (in Houston and Orlando) happened when people from NOLA came to those cities?
As I said, the stuff she has been reading seems to be totally anecdotal-with no hard facts to back them up.
Anybody know more?
A social worker friend told me that the Katrina refugees that ended up in Detroit were often victimized by their new “neighbors”. Seems they went from a bad area where they knew the ropes to being the newbie victums in an even rougher area.
I’ve heard the same thing here in Jacksonville, FL. Even if there is a tick up in the crime rate, who is to say that it is because of Katrina evacuees and not the fact that gas has been on the rise since about that time and that the economy in general is going down the toilet? Many of the cities that were used (Orlando, Atlanta, Houston, Jacksonville,etc) were cities that were booming and are now feeling the biggest hit from the housing bubble…I’d imagine that there has been some increase due to the fact that you are relocating lower income people basically against their will, but I’d bet it’s only a part of the reason for any crime increase in those cities.
The Mayor of Houston apparently claimed back in December of 2005 that Katrina relocatees were responsible for a crime wave:
http://alexandertheaverage.blogspot.com/2005/12/houstons-katrina-crimewave.html
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1690617/posts
These sites doubt it:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3720/is_200703/ai_n19198038
More anecdotal evidence here, from Austin. One theory I heard: it may not have been refugees perpetrating the increase in crime, but maybe the refugees strained resources, making it harder on those already living on the margin locally.
Of the crimes with caught and reported perpetrators, it didn’t seem like the perps were predominantly refugees; the common denominator was drug-users and homeless/mentally ill folks.
By default the people bussed out of NO were incapable of taking care of themselves. For the most part they were unmotivated, poorly trained people entering job markets that had no use for them.
:dubious:
I’m sorry, Magiver.
Obviously, America’s quality grade of refugees aren’t up to your standards.
Next time, only PhDs get to be homeless, got that people? :rolleyes:
It increased crime here the first year. The worst incident was the poacher that was killing everything they could sight the gun on. The town got some new permanent professional moochers too. I wouldn’t say the crime rate at this time is elevated from the influx.
I think the crime wave was mostly a territorial issue. The population of New Orleans has a criminal element. The population of Houston (to use one prominent example) has a criminal element. The native criminal element in both cities was established and fairly quiet. But when a large number of people from New Orleans, including criminals, was moved into Houston in a group, there was competition between the native Houston criminals and the incoming New Orleans criminals. They were fighting to establish a new balance of power.
I can’t cite any statistical proof for this but it seems likely to me. And I have a lot of practical experience in how large groups of criminals behave.
I wasn’t passing judgement, I was pointing out the obvious. I’ll see your :rolleyes: and raise you :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
I agree with Bosda. Your characterization of Katrina refugees as being “incapable of taking care of themselves” is unjust. These people had most of everything they owned destroyed by a major natural disaster - it’s not something most people have made preparations for. Do you have a second home on standby in a neighbouring state in case your current home is destroyed?
There’s nothing just or unjust in what I said. It was a simple observation that related to the topic of this thread. The people who were bussed out of NO represented those who could not take care of themselves. If they could, they would have left when told to evacuate. I’m not sure where the confusion in this statement is.
Since this is General Questions, not IMHO, you really should have stopped with your first sentence and not posted the following opinion (or, at least, the “unmotivated” claim in it), that you have utterly failed to support with facts:
You would also have been better off not disingenuously claiming that you had made no moral observations when you clearly have.
Now, everyone needs to drop this train of discussion in this thread. If needed, open a separate thread in IMHO, GD, or the BBQ Pit.
Given the premise of the thread: **“Anecdotal or true: KATRINA Refugees provoked Crime Wave?” ** I posted a simple observation regarding those who were bussed from the area. (in large part) a group of people who could not take care of themselves. There is no moral charge againt recognizing that such people exist nor is is logical to think cities with similarly affected groups can asborb them.
If you think the subject matter needs to move to IMHO thats fine. There was nothing in the form of a moral judgment regarding that statement. It was a simple logical observation. Those who didn’t leave would have represented the disaffected. You are the one to move it but I responded to a question that sought opinion. Opinon is what I gave. A general question would be more like “why does my computer screen flicker”? If you want this particular line of discussion to end that’s fine but I’m not going to look up to someone on a high horse without responding.
Any large influx of low income under educated people into a city is going to increase crime.
It wasn’t the affluent and educated that lost their homes in the 9th ward forever.