Texas welcome may be wearing thin for N.O. evacuees

Chron.com :

"'Not everybody is a gang-affiliated, crime-spiker from New Orleans,' Palmer said. 'There was never any real attention paid to the fact that some of us have started our lives over and are making a positive contribution.'

Palmer is one of hundreds of educators who have stepped in to fill vacant classroom slots and help the state handle the 46,000 students from hurricane-ravaged areas who enrolled last fall.

She believes their stories have been lost in the ongoing tale of Hurricane Katrina's aftermath. Her concerns seemed confirmed by a poll released last week in which three-quarters of Harris County residents surveyed by a Rice University sociologist said the influx of Katrina evacuees has put a 'considerable strain' on the community.

Palmer said she thinks the poll results have 'a lot to do with the fact that only the sob stories have been told, not the stories of survival and rebuilding.' She wonders how many of those questioned for the poll have actually met and talked to someone like herself who is having a positive influence on her new community."
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"I get classified with these so-called 'deadbeats,' " she said. "All these generalizations. I fuss at the kids all the time about generalizing and stereotyping."