Residents Frustrated Over Evacuees

A year after Houston welcomed more than a quarter million Katrina refugees, more than 100,000 are still here, and Houstonians aren't happy. West Houston residents who gathered Wednesday at Grace Presbyterian Church to talk about the increased violent crime rate in their part of town blamed evacuees for the problem, reports the Chronicle. Police Chief Harold Hurtt came to the church to discuss a new patrol division aimed at bringing the violence to an end, but residents weren't satisfied: they wanted to know when FEMA will cut evacuee assistance, forcing them to move on. Around 3000 Katrina evacuees live in the area, especially in apartment complexes near Westheimer and Beltway 8. Mayor White, who also addressed the angry crowd, was the focus of much of the frustration, but tried to downplay the Katrina-related concerns when he spoke to reporters later.

"In Houston, generally, we are not very tolerant of the small minority of people who came here from the New Orleans area who are able-bodied and haven't found a job yet."
There's a plan in place for those who break the law, and another plan for those evacuees who want to remain in Houston as law-abiding citizens.
"If people want do so something unlawful, then we need to catch them, try them, convict them and lock them up. If they're just trying to get on with their lives, then we ought to respect our fellow Americans, and there's not much of a home to go to."

Some Houstonians aren't so sure: they want evacuees gone.