Human nature can really suck sometimes

[juddling]

Robert King: Evacuees brought bad attitudes, cop says

Sunday, February 12, 2006

 

Houston police officer Robert King, a 29-year veteran, patrols the department's Fondren Division in the southwest part of the city, a rugged section with some of the city's highest crime rates.

 

"I've met three nice people from New Orleans," King said, "out of hundreds."

 

He said the difference between the hometown folks and the evacuees is in their demeanor.

 

"Their attitude is not something we're used to encountering," King said. "Most of them are -- I'm trying to think of a good word -- wiseasses. Yep, wiseasses."

 

Patrolling recently at 2 a.m., King pointed out place after place where violence had ensnarled evacuees, as victims and suspects.

 

"They're under stress. They lost everything, and they have a temporary fix with FEMA money. But after the FEMA money runs out, what then?" King said. "I expect more robbery and more killing."

 

He recounted a recent robbery attempt in which the gunman crept from the bushes, armed with a pistol in each hand. "My FEMA money is running out, so you're going to give me yours," King said the victim reported the robber saying. The gunman eventually was scared off by another resident and fled without getting a cent.

 

Another evacuee, a mentally disabled teenager, made the unfortunate mistake of being in gang territory wearing a blue shirt, the color of a rival gang. "He was beaten up pretty bad," King said.

 

As neighbors helped the bleeding teen to his feet, angry residents began emerging from their homes onto balconies and front porches. Soon, more than a hundred shouting neighbors, old residents and newcomers, had pitted themselves against each other. They gathered outside for what police thought would be a melee.

 

"Everybody is going to have to relax. New Orleans people are not going anywhere. We are going to have to live with each other," King said, quoting from officer Zsache McNeil's impassioned speech to the crowd that night. By the end of the speech, everyone stood applauding. It was a breath of fresh air, King said.

 

King continued his patrol early that morning. Things were slow. The cold kept street activity to a minimum. Besides the arrest of a Houston crack addict, the radio was silent. Cruising through another complex, King said a group of evacuees got into a fight with residents after having eggs thrown at them. Eggs one day, he said, fists and bullets the next.

 

"Crime has gone up tremendously" since the evacuees arrived, officer K. Raven said. "And when you try to approach some of these guys, they act like they just don't respect us. They don't have any respect for the police."

 

"And with rare exception," King added, "if I have to jack somebody up on the street in the middle of the night, they're from New Orleans."

 

 

 

:headshake :headshake :headshake