The music was loud, but it could not silence the sound of screaming. These screams were oddly familiar as those living in a small apartment complex tried to figure out just was happening. The screams signaled real problems at a backyard problem that would soon see a massive amount of blood shed. Although the horrible sounds were easily confused with a child in pain, they were coming from a sheep being slaughtered in front of party goers. This was a celebration that was out of place for a rural apartment complex in California. The almost ritualistic slaughter of the sheep was something the refugees at the party were accustomed to, but this was not anything their neighbors were prepared.

Horrible scenes like this, where cultures clash is repeated all over small towns and communities across the United States. Fresno, California has become overwhelmed by the change in their demographics as refugees follow the promise of cheap housing to the area. Fresno is not the landing spot for most of these refugees as they are moved to the United States, so they, for the most part, are not prepared for the needs of these groups.

According to a recent report about the sudden influx of refugees in Fresno:

“Since late 2016, more than 200 Syrian refugees originally settled elsewhere in the United States have made a fresh start in Fresno, the largest city in California’s agricultural belt. They have been drawn there mainly by cheap housing.

But behind the low rent is a city struggling with high poverty and unemployment, making it more difficult for the refugees to secure jobs. And Fresno has no federally funded agency to help them find work, learn basics like bus routes and understand United States culture and rules, like with the practice of animal slaughter.

Syrian children turned up unexpectedly at Ahwahnee Middle School, needing vaccinations, trauma counseling, English-language instruction and academic support as a result of interrupted schooling. “It was a shock at first,” said Jose Guzman, the principal. “We never had to teach students who speak Arabic.”

While cities like Boise, Idaho receive federal money and lots of programs’ support to help refugees move into the area, as the refugees move into other cities they can overtax local social service agencies. This is exactly what has happened in Fresno. As word traveled about cheap housing, scores of refugees left areas with support programs to move to the area.

Those initially coming to California had not set their focus on Fresno from the start, there was a rumor that the city of Turlock was the place to settle. This is about 80 miles north of Fresno, and according to word of mouth within the Syrian community, the area had affordable housing, decent employment and a mayor that was welcoming. Turlock quickly became overwhelmed by the demands, and they turned to the Muslim community in Fresno for help.

As one report explained:

“Last fall, a few members of Fresno’s 15,000-strong Muslim community — Pakistanis, Yemenis, Iranians and Palestinians, among others — offered to help. Soon, they were welcoming four Syrian families to apartments that they had found for them.

Word traveled fast to Turlock and elsewhere that rent in Fresno was a relative bargain — about $450 a month for a two-bedroom unit in some places — and that there were people ready to supply furniture, food, clothing and more.

In a blue-collar neighborhood once dubbed “Sin City,” more than a dozen Syrian families with up to nine members apiece are crammed into two-bedroom units in two apartment blocks on East San Ramon Avenue, where the goat roast occurred in February.”

A small apartment complex became ground zero for the refugee crisis in Fresno. While they were helped into apartments in the area by the Muslim community, they were then left to fend for themselves. This left the traumatized children walking into local schools, confused immigrants slaughtering farm animals in backyards and unvaccinated masses threatening public health. While Fresno might have been a dream for them as they found cheap housing, their presence has become a nightmare for residents of Fresno.