By JUAN A. LOZANO
Associated Press Writer
HOUSTON- Police said they have made progress in combating a rash of violent crime mostly attributed to New Orleans gang members who fled from Hurricane Katrina.
While Houston had a spike in homicides in November and December, Sgt. Brian Harris said Friday the homicide rate has stabilized and is only slightly up from this time last year.
He credited increased cooperation among law enforcement in cities with large numbers of Katrina evacuees.
However, while there’s a growing confidence among evacuees in Houston police, Harris said they are still wary of helping authorities.
“Their (justice) system was broken long before Katrina,” he said. “If people did come forward, they would see that the people arrested would be released. There was also a lot of intimidation from criminals.”
Capt. Juan Quinton, a spokesman for New Orleans police, said problems with witnesses aren’t unique to his city.
Many evacuees are afraid to come forward because they are afraid of reprisals from criminals and they lack confidence in law enforcement, said Dorothy Stukes, a New Orleans resident living in Houston.
She said that has to change, but local authorities have unfairly portrayed all Katrina refugees in Houston as criminals when they announce gang-related arrests.
“It seems to me that we are getting picked on just because we are from Louisiana,” Stukes said.
Frank Michel, a spokesman for Houston Mayor Bill White, said while the spike in killings the city experienced late last year was related in part to Katrina evacuees, it also was due to Houston gangs.
“The vast majority of (evacuees) who came here are law-abiding citizens,” he said.