Fight Between La., Houston Students Leads To School Riot
Parents, Students Say Brawl About Respect, Who Controls School
POSTED: 4:22 pm EDT September 13, 2005
UPDATED: 5:25 pm EDT September 13, 2005
HOUSTON -- A fight Tuesday morning led to a riot between Houston students and evacuated students from Louisiana attending a southeast Houston high school, television station KPRC reported.
Officers with the Houston Police Department and the Houston Independent School District said 20 to 25 students were involved in the 8 a.m. fight at Jesse Jones High School.
HISD confirmed the brawl was between Houston students and students evacuated from Louisiana because of Hurricane Katrina who are temporarily attending the school.
"One of the Jones' kids tossed a soft drink can into the group of News Orleans' kids," HISD spokesman Terry Abbot said.
The confrontation about respect and which group of students controlled the school had been brewing for days, according to students and parents.
"We are trying to help them and they are coming over here beating up our children. I don't think it's fair," one parent told KPRC.
When the fight cleared, three students had been injured and transported to a hospital. Five other students were arrested and charged with disruption of school activities, a Class C misdemeanor.
Police were also forced to clear parents from the area.
"They got gangs in Houston. They got gangs in New Orleans. They all coincide right here. I don't want nobody just blaming New Orleans people," another parent told the station.
The Jones High School principal warned all students that violence would not be tolerated on campus.
School officials said the school day had pretty much ended by noon and were asking parents to pick up their children.
KPRC spoke with several parents of students from Louisiana who said they were not sure if they would allow their children to return to class on Wednesday because of safety concerns.
"We have three full-time police officers assigned here from the HISD Police Department. We've also asked for assistance from the Houston Police Department," Abbott said.
HISD officials said more than 3,000 students from Louisiana are attending schools in the district, and that up until this fight, the district had not experienced any trouble with the displaced students.
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That's the school next to my alma mater.
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