Posted on 01/01/2007 1:08:34 PM PST by LdSentinal
HOUSTON-- The number of murders last year in Houston hit a 12-year high and increased by 13.5 percent over 2005, figures the mayor attributes in part to evacuees from Hurricane Katrina.
There were 379 homicides in Houston in 2006, according to the Houston Police Department. That's the most since 1994, when police reported 419 murders. There were 334 homicides in 2005.
There were 202 homicides in Houston from January to June, a 28 percent increase over the 158 recorded over the same time period the previous year.
Houston Mayor Bill White pointed to Hurricane Katrina evacuees from New Orleans as one reason for the increase in murders.
"We did have a surge in population from a city where the homicide rate is eight times the national average," White said.
The city's population increased by 148,000 in 2006, many of them Katrina evacuees, according to the city's planning department. The surge helped keep the city's homicide rate relatively static, rising from 16.33 victims per 100,000 residents in 2005 to 17.24 in 2006.
Nationally, the murder rate increased by 1.4 percent last year, according to FBI figures.
Some experts disagree with White's characterization, pointing to national trends indicating rising rates of violent crime.
"It's not as if Houston's unique," said Jim Lynch, a criminology professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. "There are other cities experiencing this."
A social sciences professor at Rice University said the increase has several components.
"A national (crime) trend we can't avoid," Bob Stein said.
"We had a population growth, and any population growth will drive up crime rates. And we had an idiosyncratic, rare event -- the Katrina evacuees."
Houston saw a decrease in other types of violent crime in 2006, police said. Robberies, rapes, aggravated assaults, burglaries, thefts and stolen cars dropped between 2 percent and 9 percent when compared to 2005.
Bill White is right. He also happens to be the guy that invited all those folks to Houston. As they say, no good deed goes unpunished.
Bush's fault.
Tht makes no sense to me. If the crime rate is x/1000, shouldn't it be 2x/2000?
Sweet justice for a guy that wanted to "open his arms" to the sick, the hungry, the needy. Enjoy! Like Celine Dion said..."is it so wrong that these people want to touch nice things"? "All they want is to be a part of society"!
(anybody remember that? I'll never forget that BS)
Math is not the mayor's friend.
They have kept track of whether Katrina evacuees were involved in the murders and crimes as perps and/or victims - they know what percentage it is. It's just not included in this story.
I know I'll not forget that tripe.
I always thought she was ½ way on the ball.
Man, was I wrong on that one....
A bold statement, easily proved or disproved.
I wonder if they kept track of the hurricane assistance money that came with taking them in though.
I have one of Celine Dion's Christmas albums ripped into my music library. I couldn't even listen to it this year or last because of that garbage she spewed. I may just delete the tracks for good and toss the CD. It's too bad - there were some nice versions of some of my favorite Christmas songs there.
"Houston Mayor blames Katrina evacuees for increase in homicides"
Kind of like the nation can thank (blame) illegals for the surge in murders nationally.
Good time to be in the private high school business. HSID must have hired all the NO people at a cut rate and pocketed the rest. They learn from masters like TSA ex-President Slade.
This is an ongoing complaint in Houston. I hollered at the tv and on FR when I first heard they were shipping them all to Texas. But noooo, I got blasted here because we're all supposed to welcome everyone with open arms no matter what.
In other words the public HS's right now are garbage. A distinct change occurred post Katrina. Public servants in NO dancing when they should have been shoveling sandbags. Farkers.
We never got all of it - don't think we have even gotten half.
Oh, man, Priscilla was a real doozy, wasn't she? She made my skin crawl with her fake pasted-on smile, among other things.
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