New Orleans Gang Wars Move To Houston
The Houston Chronicle reports that the Houston police have “identified 11 Hurricane Katrina evacuees as suspects in a string of homicides, robberies and kidnappings since November.”
Here’s a fascinating –and sad– paragraph:
Authorities attribute the violence to turf battles between residents of different public housing complexes that began in New Orleans and spilled into the Houston area after the Aug. 29 storm displaced hundreds of thousands of residents.
The homicides police attributed to these New Orleans gang tensions began Nov. 20 with a shooting at a pool hall during a publicity event and ended with the death of a 19-year-old in his apartment living room Jan. 2. Much of the crime occurred in southwest Houston, but the homicides include a Dec. 28 shooting involving evacuees staying at an Astrodome-area motel, where two groups of men fought throughout the building.
Perhaps the transported gang wars are not surprising, but as I said, this is quite sad.
Indeed quite pathetic. The violence we all witnessed on TV in the aftermath of Katrina was too real and, to our disgust, something a lot of people excused on the premise these criminals were just trying to survive amid a disaster made worse by so-called government apathy and racism. Now we know the truth. Those criminal gangs ought to be brought to justice promptly, or Houston will become another New Orleans in the making.
Comment by R.G. Lacsamana — 1/28/2006 @ 9:01 am
We in Houston appreciate your concern but it will not become another New Orleans. We can absorb a few knuckleheads and our police are WAY more effective and less corrupt than the Big Queasy’s PD. The greatest irony is that Jesse Jackson is on Lou Dobbs complaining about all the Hispanics in New Orleans.
Comment by Jeff Cook — 1/30/2006 @ 9:51 pm
if houston gangters thought they were hard they now no what real killers are bout
Comment by n. o. scho — 2/12/2006 @ 3:36 pm