Look at the chart. If you can't think of any reason why Q4 2006 suddenly increased, then I am wasting my time.
Yes, it's way up. I don't live in one of the nicer areas and I can attest to it. I'm not sure where it's coming from...people can throw out Katrina refs, recession folks...whatever it may be, it's here and it's a problem. And to say it's the Katrina folks is NOT racist (they were not all black). People really should not live in such denial or try to be so PC. Sure it is not EVERY refugee, or even the majority of them. But there were the few who were to blame. I live close to where they arrived in Houston and magically neighbors and items began to be burglarized. I don't know what to think of that? Alas, that was five years ago and the problem still exists, so who knows? Not to mention the Chief of Police has stepped down after facing stiff scrutiny was his half-assed efforts. Hopefully, a new Chief and mayor will bring stability within the law enforcement agencies.
I admit that Houston got considerably more crime after Katrina refugees arrived. But what do expect when your city practically grows several hundred thousand people in a week. And those people have no jobs, no homes, lost family, lost money and have no direction and most of those are good people. Then you have the bad apples too and the bad apples are what make it worse. So we need to stop blaming katrina refs like all of them are the cause. the situation is the cause. If all of houston was displaced to NO I bet the N.O. would have a spike in crime.
Ironically, though they do not realize it, beatLA and Mr.Clutch come off as the most racist posters in this thread.
I thought the OP asked about crime 'recently', as in the last month or so. How did this turn into a conversation about the Katrina crime wave?
My friend works at Advanced auto parts and he just called to say that they just got robbed. He was hit on the head with a gun and tied up.
You are delusional. The crime rate began to increase at the beginning of 2006, you know, a few months after Hurricane Katrina. The recession did not begin in earnest until late 2006 or early 2007. Even still, Houston has not really felt the effects of the recession. The unemployment rate in Houston in low compared to many areas of the country. The increase in the crime rate in Houston correlates with the Katrina evacuation in a way that cannot be ignored if you want to have a honest discussion of the crime rate.
All cities have criminals, when you evacuate an entire city of course the criminals are going to end up somewhere too. If they end up in south west Houston, where crime has been a problem for a long time already, it's like an el nino of crime. A crime pressure system around Fondren and Sharpstown gets hit with a crime front from New Orleans and of course you get a crime storm.
That's not how a gun is supposed to be used. Did the thief run out of bullets? Meanwhile, some guy got stabbed in the Galleria by Norstrom's. Apparently, there is no fear any more. Criminals in Houstin are getting bolder. They must not be afraid of witnesses, if they are willing to stab people in the Galleria with post-Christmas shoppers all over the place.
I don't know if I mentioned "recently". I certainly meant since Katrina. Their is no denying crime has gone up since then. The new mayor and police chief better do something.
Well, it all has to do with the lack of male influence. It's too late for this crime wave as they have all grown up. We can work on preventing the next crime wave by marrying single mothers. http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=179369
Very true, and everyone knows it. What the hell do folks expect when a bunch of extra folks relocate? You get the good and bad. I do laugh when folks make statements like "Houston should not have let Katrina refugees come". Um, these folks are US citizens and the last time I checked, as a citizen I can live anywhere that I want in the US.
They went to other cities besides Houston as well...I wonder if their crime went up. Even if it did, it was due to the bad apples as you say.
My house out in Katy area was burglarized while I was out of town on the 23rd. Just some stuff from the garage, but it was a considerable amount of stuff that I did want, and had value.
Well I'd rather get hit than get shot by the gun. My friend said that he wasn't looking at the guy when he got hit so I'm thinking it was done to scare him.
