Westchase and Katrina evacuees (section 8, apartment, neighborhood) - Houston - Texas (TX) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

txstate · 04-23-2009, 12:40 PM

Ok thats what Im saying, like damn Ive met so many good people from the NO who just want to called a Houston resident not

Katrians or Houorleanans.

Quote:

Originally Posted by beanball

It's 2009. Can we still blame Katrina for crime? When are we going to let that go?

jfre81 · 04-23-2009, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beanball

Can we still blame Katrina for crime? When are we going to let that go?

Why should we? It's convenient, and it makes us feel like we have no problems of our own. We can just keep blaming everything on NOLA and Mexico.

TXRyan23 · 04-23-2009, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beanball

It's 2009. Can we still blame Katrina for crime? When are we going to let that go?

TXRyan23 · 04-23-2009, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfre81

Why should we? It's convenient, and it makes us feel like we have no problems of our own. We can just keep blaming everything on NOLA and Mexico.

Good stuff, I'm married to a Katrina evacuee and about two years ago we started thinking about moving to Texas (when I joined City-Data) She was really scared that people down there in Houston were going to give her a rough time because she was black and from new orleans and figured as soon as they found out she was from NOLA and was a Katrina victim that they were going to label her and maybe she's be denied for jobs, housing, ect, ect because of it.

texas7 · 04-23-2009, 06:49 PM

Sorry - I do feel that our crime rate spiked with our new residents and unfortunately a lot of good people from NOLA got lumped into that broad category with all the criminals that NOLA decided to unload on us by not welcoming them back home. Yeah we had crime before - but sorry it wasn't like this. And it's not a racial thing - criminals came in all ethnicities from that city. How convenient of them to empty the jails, not keep track of who they put out there to be moved and then lose the records in the storm. Katrina forever change two cities in both good and bad ways. It was the 2nd largest mass migration of population in history.

However, I have yet to find anyone who gives people from NOLA a rough time or denied them anything because of being from NOLA as long as they are decent, hard-working people who wanted to better themselves and be a part of Houston. I've met plenty of people from NOLA who moved here and re-invented themselves, starting businesses and joining the community strong and are a joy to know.

TXRyan23 · 04-23-2009, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by texas7

However, I have yet to find anyone who gives people from NOLA a rough time or denied them anything because of being from NOLA as long as they are decent, hard-working people who wanted to better themselves and be a part of Houston. I've met plenty of people from NOLA who moved here and re-invented themselves, starting businesses and joining the community strong and are a joy to know.

We had a good friend that moved up here down the street from us that said a few employers told her point blank that she need not apply and needed to go home. Of course, That's hear say but it's just one example of things I've heard not only from people that ended up here but also from some people that returned to NOLA ( we make several trips a year to NOLA ) Most have told us that they noticed people staring them down once they found out they were from NOLA. Again, I wasn't there but those are just things I've heard.

Not to mention the things said on other, non-moderated forums like craigslist.

texas7 · 04-23-2009, 07:36 PM

I would imagine that it is more possible from small, independently owned businesses and employers but most larger companys have federal laws to answer to for that sort of behavior and are held accountable. I am sorry that your wife was afraid she would be treated badly prior to moving here, people griped about NOLA residents in broad, general terms but in reality the majority were referring to the ones who had criminal intent or criminal backgrounds.

If somebody is a freeloader, thug, etc. then yeah I can imagine that someone would treat them bad, but then Houstonians would treat one of their own natives who fit in that category the same way. Houstonians work for what they have so they don't take lightly someone who is here to do the wrong things regardless of hometown.

Unrelated but I had to do business today in one of the ritzy, upper income areas of town and ran into an employee in this small establishment that really shocked me -- I'd never met this person before but yet they felt it was okay to start gabbing about Houston and that it had gotten "too diverse." That was a new comment for me. Then throughout the blabbing had something to say about every ethnicity known to man regardless of what I changed the topic to. As I listened, I could tell it wasn't a "hate" but a general ignorance. Someone pretending to fit in where they didn't and the lack of education and cultural exposure on display for all to see. When I got home I did e-mail the business owner to complain about his employee.

Premont · 04-23-2009, 09:08 PM

A lot of those complexes were pretty bad even before Katrina folks showed up. I would look back to Richmond near Kirkwood. There's a Walmart there and some nice apartments in the area. Up near say Walnut Bend, it's more of a mixed bag. Avoid most of what is south of Richmond.

TXRyan23 · 04-23-2009, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by texas7

people griped about NOLA residents in broad, general terms but in reality the majority were referring to the ones who had criminal intent or criminal backgrounds.

How could you tell who was who ? I would imagine that out of the what ? 300,000 that were evacuated to Texas, maybe what ? 5-10% of them caused trouble ?

Vicman · 04-23-2009, 09:24 PM

If employers really told her that she need not apply just because she's from NOLA, she should find whatever anti-discriminatory statute applies to challenge the employers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TNRyan23

We had a good friend that moved up here down the street from us that said a few employers told her point blank that she need not apply and needed to go home. Of course, That's hear say but it's just one example of things I've heard not only from people that ended up here but also from some people that returned to NOLA ( we make several trips a year to NOLA ) Most have told us that they noticed people staring them down once they found out they were from NOLA. Again, I wasn't there but those are just things I've heard.

Not to mention the things said on other, non-moderated forums like craigslist.