Criminals/Murderers Caught - Linked to New Orleans/Katrina Evacs. (Atlanta: transplants, crime rate)

[atlantagreg30127]

From time to time a thread comes up about crime in Atlanta (there's one about the murder rate going on now). In the threads, it is noted that Atlanta's crime rate took a jump after Katrina, mostly because along with legit victims, criminals evacuated here, too. Houston, Baton Rouge, and a few other cities that received large numbers of evacuees also reported jumps in crime. Some people agree with the facts, others get offended, some call it a racial matter, others say people are imagining it... etc. So, to clear it up slightly...

This report today directly quotes the Atlanta Police Department's opinion on it, and especially those of the Chief of Police, who also was the Chief in New Orleans several years ago. Note that it does highlight that several of the "worst" type of criminals have been arrested as well.

Link: Atlanta Crime Spree Blamed On Katrina - News Story - WSB Atlanta To the right of the text of the story is also a video.

[Mrs. Garrison]

3 of the 8 arrested are from New Orleans...we can jump to the conclusion that much of the crime in Atlanta is due to criminals from New Orleans, or we can use logic and understand that crime statistics go up and down, year by year - based on nothing but chance.

[atlantagreg30127]

Or.. we can base the logic on hard core organized criminals from New Orleans coming here, then recruiting locals into their "gang". Either way, this isn't the only report that suggests at least part of certain crimes that have increased here were based on N.O. criminals migrating here post-Katrina. The same has been said as mentioned earlier, in Houston (which saw an even greater increase - and oddly or not enough, also had the largest number of evacuees). While there were many legit victims of that disaster, it would be very naive to think that no criminal elements migrated with them to the various cities they went to.

[gt6974a]

....or we can say it's global warming. Although it was nice and dry this summer. Heat does tend to spark more incidents.

[btrfly414]

Originally Posted by gt6974a

....or we can say it's global warming. Although it was nice and dry this summer. Heat does tend to spark more incidents.

Funny



I think we can honestly share the opinion that while there were many Katrina evacuees contributing positively to our fair city, there was also a small percentage that contributed to the lawlessness. Just as well as criminally minded transplants from other high crime cities kicked crime percentages up as well. Heck, there are plenty of born and bred idiots here! Atlanta is one of the fastest growing cities in the country. We are susceptible to increasing crime. Let's just hope it gets better before it gets worse.

[dncngrl1964]

or we can say that maybe these arent criminals but normal people who have lost everything and stealing to get something
I believe poverty can make an honest person go bad

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by dncngrl1964

or we can say that maybe these arent criminals but normal people who have lost everything and stealing to get something
I believe poverty can make an honest person go bad

There's a difference between shoplifting food from a grocery store in order to feed your family, and armed robbery, murder, and home invasions with AK47s.

Evacuees were given debit cards from the various relief agencies who used the millions of dollars donated by citizens for them. Many communities also contributed directly to them via shelters, churches, as well as private agencies who donated food, clothing, furniture, and in some cases housing. FEMA as completely disfunctional as they are, eventually managed to get trailers (many of which were recently returned completely trashed on the inside).

This isn't a third-world country where no help is available to those involved in the disaster. While mentally it's devastating to lose everything you own, and in some cases even family and/or pets, you will STILL have the basics via the relief and private help agencies (food, clothing, etc). There is absolutely no need for anyone to use the excuse that they "had" to resort to crime on any level here, in order to "survive". That might be the case for many tsunami victims not long ago who lived in remote and poor countries - but not here. If we ever suffer a country-wide devistation or nuclear war, THEN you'll see the entire country revert to pretty primitive instincts when 300 million people's survival instincts kick in. But Katrina was not such an event. It was really bad, and covered an entire coastal area, but was not devastating to the entire society in terms of collapsing all basic service. Help is/was available on some level to anyone who sought it out, even if you did have to go through a ton of red tape and B.S. to get it in some cases. Crime never was nor is an answer to it.

[dncngrl1964]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

There's a difference between shoplifting food from a grocery store in order to feed your family, and armed robbery, murder, and home invasions with AK47s.

Evacuees were given debit cards from the various relief agencies who used the millions of dollars donated by citizens for them. Many communities also contributed directly to them via shelters, churches, as well as private agencies who donated food, clothing, furniture, and in some cases housing. FEMA as completely disfunctional as they are, eventually managed to get trailers (many of which were recently returned completely trashed on the inside).

This isn't a third-world country where no help is available to those involved in the disaster. While mentally it's devastating to lose everything you own, and in some cases even family and/or pets, you will STILL have the basics via the relief and private help agencies (food, clothing, etc). There is absolutely no need for anyone to use the excuse that they "had" to resort to crime on any level here, in order to "survive". That might be the case for many tsunami victims not long ago who lived in remote and poor countries - but not here.

yes I understand that
but not all people were helped ..people slip through the cracks

my main point was that desperate times make sane people do insane things

[NorthmeetsSouth]

Originally Posted by dncngrl1964

or we can say that maybe these arent criminals but normal people who have lost everything and stealing to get something
I believe poverty can make an honest person go bad

I would truly hate to be in that position and my heart goes out to many of the victims of Katrina...but... there is a difference between losing EVERYTHING and losing EVERYTHING YOU OWN. If my house washed away tomorrow I would lose my possessions but I would still have my ability to work hard and make a living. It would be very difficult to have to start over, but it is not impossible.
I think that many of the people affected by Katrina relocated and became good citizens in their new communities. But, the ones who are part of the crime statistics here were probably just as bad there and we simply inherited another state's problem.

[normie]

I think it is likely that Katrina refugees are a factor in the rising crime rate. Maybe not the main factor, but a contributing factor. One of the reasons is that small-time hoods are less likely to want to return home. What do they have to return to? It's easier to stay in Atlanta, especially when there are plenty of "fake millionaries" walking around, flashing their bling.

There is also a psychological component, especially with aggressive crimes such as getting into fights. After Katrina, the Washington Post ran an interesting series of articles following the lives of a number of refugees who came to VA. They had all sorts of stories--and among them were several people who had non-criminal, wholesome lives before Katrina. As the months passed, the articles showed what happened to them--the frustrations of dealing with endless red tape, the family problems, the emotional strains, the post-traumatic stress syndrome that seemed to hit everyone sooner or later, the problems of dealing with a strange new city with different customs. Even the nicest, gentlest person in these stories had moments when he got into fights. It's hard for people who have not been through it to imagine the emotional strain of being a refugee.

I'm not drawing a conclusion, just noting an observation. I want to quickly note that there are thousands and thousands of NOLA refugess who did not crack under the strain and are now making a nice contribution to their new communities.

IMO, it will all settle out. The rise in violent crimes seem to be directed at family members, not strangers. If that's being caused by the strain of having been through Katrina, it will cool off. Meanwhile, other factors will contribute to crime. I'm not too worried about the current increase--I've lived in more dangerous places. Just be smart.