Sometimes an article makes one lament that there is no way to round up some members of a community and "vote them off the island".

This is one such case.

Amid the overwhelmingly compassionate response to hurricane evacuees in Houston, a less-welcoming undercurrent is developing among people worried about the impact of thousands of needy, desperate people.

E-mails, blogs and callers to the Chronicle wonder why refugees draw such immediate assistance while Houston's poor continue to suffer. Others fear an increase of crime.

Some are blunt. "Yes, let's rush to bring over the looters and destroyers of public and private property," wrote a blogger.

Some are thoughtful. "I have grave concerns about a city that can't help the people here now that are going hungry and cannot pay the high cost of utilities," e-mailed a Houston woman.

Others feel a burden has been foisted on Houstonians. "I am not a Christian, but I am charitable. That being said, there's a difference between me making a personal choice to give $50 to the Red Cross and my elected officials inviting 25,000 homeless into the middle of my city," a resident wrote the Chronicle's SciGuy blog.

Laurence Simon, a tech support employee for a local company, has mixed feelings.

"I'm glad that we're putting out a welcome mat. These people have to go somewhere. But I don't know if officials are appreciating the extent of what it's going to take," said Simon.

"You can hold the door open on the elevator for more and more people but, at some point, the elevator gets too full and the cable snaps."

About two-thirds of the population of New Orleans and many of the evacuees are black. Some of the e-mails and calls have a racist bent.

But the unease cuts across racial lines. Michelle Louring, an African-American resident of the Greenspoint area, said her neighborhood already has experienced an increase in petty crimes and nuisances she blames on refugees.

Those to object to public and private efforts to provide relief to people effected by Hurricane Katrina would do well to shut up and help o improve the Houston area -- by finding somewhere else tolive. Your sort are not welcome in this town..

Posted by: Greg at 11:22 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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