Posted on 01/19/2006 10:52:12 AM PST by TexasCajun
(1/18/06 - KTRK/HOUSTON)
We're just 18 days into 2006, and Houston's murder rate is skyrocketing. According to Chief Harold Hurtt, 21 homicides were reported in the first 17 days of the year. Last year during the same period, the total stood at 14. That's a 50 percent increase.
Even now, five months after Hurricane Katrina, law enforcement officials in Houston are still trying to identify the criminal element from New Orleans -- more specifically, gang members. It's a segment of the population that Chief Hurtt was warned about early on. The warning came months ago from Louisiana's lieutenant governor.
"When he was here visiting people at the Dome, he stated that gangs would be a problem," recalled Chief Hurtt. "Gangs from New Orleans would be problem in the future here in Houston."
But tracking gangs from New Orleans in Houston hasn't been easy. What information the department does have is limited. Chief Hurtt says many of the records from New Orleans were lost in the wake of Katrina. HPD certainly doesn't need them to know there's a problem.
HPD Captain Dale Brown said, "Are they starting to show up in the crime? Yes."
Captain Brown heads up the new gang murder squad. It's a team of investigators who will handle nothing but gang related murders, whether they involve Katrina evacuees or Houston's local gangs.
"We have to get better at identifying these individuals, identifying these crimes, and linking them together earlier in the process in hopes that we can reduce the amount of crimes they actually commit," said Captain Brown.
In 2005, 47 of the 336 murders in Houston were gang related. Compare that with 2004, where 29 of the 272 murders were gang related. Those statistics are already affecting the way people live.
Resident Ashley Jones said, "We just stay to ourselves and we don't fool with too many people. Don't nobody know us and we don't know nobody."
And in the parts of town where gang violence has increased...
"The new task force will be a great help if they could do something with the crime that's been going up in the area," said resident Narish Rangwani.
From now on, to find out who's committing the crimes and who's being victimized, the Houston Police Department will now identify and track those individuals from New Orleans. They'll compile that information and hope to use it to convince FEMA for reimbursement.
(Copyright © 2006, KTRK-TV)
It's so bad that some citizen group have called up Curtis Sliwa's Gaurdian Angles to help patrol high crime areas.
Here's hoping Houston takes care of the problem. Somehow I don't think the NOPD was a big deterrent.
What's the issue? Houston and its greater metro are suitable new targets for a gang with a broken metro.
What do you expect them to do? Take up knitting?
I want Willie Wonka Nagin to take back The Chocolate City's Ganstas.
Listen to yourself.
"You" want a moron to do what?
Who do you think you are?
Get some kind of sober take on yourself,Pal.
You sit in the cheap seats and you don't count.
You make no sense?
Excuse me for interupting the "mighty" YOU in the process of runnin' your mouth on just about every concievable subject including marital sex by appointment.
Most of the people here tend to believe that posters about current events are sane...want to have some kind of rational discussion about serious issues.
We run into a Mental Patient and we talk to him like he's serious...our mistake.
The gangs from New Orleans are just starting to get themselves assembled again. The drug dealers had to find new sources and new customers , naturally they stepped on the toes of Houston's established gangs. Its just getting started.
He's talking jive to you. The appropriate response is, "Summer say I won't say? Pray to Jay I get the same-o, same-o. Knocka self a pro slick! That gray malaback lop a form us down, I take TC bein' man."
Excuse me, Stewardess? I speak jive.
But I thought everybody in New Orleans was squeaky clean and just out to make a living.
Jive-speak
Translation
Jiveman #1: Sheeeet, man, that honkey mus' be messin' my old lady got to be runnin' col' upsihd down his head! (Golly, that white fellow should stay away from my wife or I will punch him.)
Jiveman #2: Hey Holm, I can dig it! You know he ain't gonna lay no mo' big rap upon you man! (Yes, he is wrong for doing that.)
Jiveman #1: I say hey sky, s'other say I won say I pray to J I get the same ol' same ol. (I knew a man in a similar predicament, and he ended up being sorry.)
Jiveman #2: Knock yourself a pro slick. Gray matter back got perform' us' down I take TCBin, man'. (Don't be naive Arthur. Each of us faces a clear moral choice.)
Jiveman #1: You know wha' they say: See a broad to get that bodiac lay'er down an' smack 'em yack 'em. (Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.)
Together: Col' got to be! Yo! (How true!)
Together: Sh010039et! (Golly!)
Chocolate City Gangstas Causing Big Problems In Houston!"""
SURPRIZE______SURPRIZE!!!!!!!!!! GOLLY GEE!!!!!!
The post is about N.O. Gangstas in Houston and the increase in crime and murder, what don't you get about that?
Take your meds and things will just fine, ok dude.
I'm sure there are about 500 or so cops sitting around NO twiddling their thumbs. They should be paid to go augment the Houston force for the time being.
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