Theresa Rivera, Charlie Mata, Jason Mata, Irene Salinas, Frances Cadena, Rhett Smith and San Antonio Police
Chief of Police William McManus at TA Facility 2008.
The following are articles covering various topics concerning Prospect Hill Neighborhood Association, and were mostly found in the San Antonio Express News.
If there are any corrections or additions you would like to contribute, please contact us by email.
Increasing crime concerns residents of Prospect Hill
Griselda Aguilar said crime isn't the only reason her family plans to move out of the Prospect Hill neighborhood. But as she recalled a story about two prostitutes looking for a place to hide in her front yard, she was firm that it was a problem she is eager to escape.
"Thank God we're going to leave this place, because we're tired of it," Aguilar said.
She was one of many who addressed the topics of drugs, prostitution, homelessness and burglaries at a Jan. 25 meeting at the Sacred Heart Church, co-sponsored by City Council District 5 and the Prospect Hill Neighborhood Association.
But before the meeting was over, Prospect Hill Neighborhood Association Chairman Jason Mata already had scheduled a follow-up meeting for 6 p.m. Tuesday at the church.
Residents' comments ranged from concerns about the overflow of the homeless from the SAMM Shelter east of the neighborhood to slow response times by the police department.
"They needed to be said so that everyone else involved, all the other public officials and the San Antonio Police Department can realize that people around there are fed up and they want action," Mata said.
City officials who attended the meeting included Mayor Ed Garza, District 5 Councilwoman Patti Radle, various SAPD officers and a representative of the Public Works Department.
"We all have to look over our back it seems, more than we would like," said Garza, who stayed for the first half of the meeting.
Prospect Hill wasn't always like this, said Jennifer Garcia, a student at nearby Our Lady of the Lake University who grew up in the neighborhood and still lives there.
But things have changed.
"This is a beautiful neighborhood," said Garcia's father, Ruben Garcia. "That's slowly going down the drain."
Prospect Hill begins just west of the Commerce Street bridge and ends somewhere around General McMullen and 24th Street. Some parts of the neighborhood stretch to Guadalupe Street on the south and Culebra Road on the north.
Audience members watched as small red dots, each representing a neighborhood drug arrest, appeared on a computerized map of their neighborhood, provided by SAPD.
"These are the people that are committing your burglaries; these are the people that are committing your robberies," said SAPD Assistant Chief Jerry J. Pittman.
Pittman said some of the high numbers mean more criminals are being arrested.
But sometimes the numbers also mean the number of crimes have been on the rise.
From 2003 to 2004, the number of documented gang member arrests in Prospect Hill jumped from 191 to 333, a 74.3 percent increase. The number of gang-related arrests and suspects went from 158 to 282, a 78.5 percent increase.
Hot spots for home burglaries centered around Zarzamora Street, just south of Culebra Road, and on Laredo Street west of Zazamora.
Burglaries of buildings, such as detached garages and sheds, were focused around General McMullen and Travis Street.
Prostitution was rampant along the Zarzamora Street corridor, south of Lincoln Courts and south of Guadalupe Street along Hamilton Street.
Pittman reassured audience members that the police department was there for the neighborhood.
To ensure that, Mata made sure no one left the meeting without first learning how to contact Pittman at (210) 207-8205.
vdavila@express-news.net Web Posted: 01/31/2008 2:00 CST
Online extra: Letters to the editor
Handle graffiti problems on case-by-case basis
I totally agree with the City Council's decision to table the issue of an ordinance that would mandate property owners to remove graffiti or be responsible for a $150 fee plus the cost incurred by the city to remove it for them.
The City Council should instead consider a law that would look at each case on an individual basis, especially for residential properties that are tagged. Specifically, the law should exempt elderly and disabled property owners or make an effort to contact their next of kin and mandate that they remove the graffiti.
The case-by-case basis should also be applied to business owners. However, the amount of revenue generated by the business should be the deciding factor. We wouldn't want a mom-and-pop store that's barely making money to have these fees imposed on them either.
Also, the city must form partnerships with neighborhood associations and other nonprofit groups so they can assist in the effort. But by the same standard, the City Council needs to empower neighborhood associations by allocating funds to initiatives and projects already put in place by the associations. And even though the city has the Neighborhood Action Department and graffiti abatement officers, nonprofit groups and their volunteers are always needed.
In a meeting March 29, we organized some business and residential property owners who have been experiencing the graffiti problem so they could be informed of what the San Antonio Police Department's SAFFE unit and the city's Neighborhood Action Department have been doing to address this problem.
Since January, our association has sponsored or cosponsored six events that targeted the graffiti problem in the Prospect Hill Area. The city should direct its efforts at financially assisting neighborhood associations like ours that have taken action in dealing with this problem.
— Jason Mata,
president,
Prospect Hill Neighborhood Association
Online extra: Letters to the editor
Re: "Chief wants to forge partnerships" (Neighbors, Aug. 2):
Sounds good that City Councilman Chip Haass wants the city to hire 100 officers and continue until we catch up with what is needed. The only thing I would recommend is that most of the new officers be assigned to the high crime areas first.
After a similar meeting that Chief William McManus had with District 5 leaders last month, I noticed a significant amount of patrol officers in the area and other police presence, and it deterred crimes and cleaned the hot spots that had been identified to the chief. This is what we had been asking for for quite some time, and many people are grateful to see the improvements that have come from it. This proves that additional patrol and SAFFE officers in our neighborhoods can positively affect our crime rate.
Historically, high crime rates come hand in hand with areas where there is a high percentage of people living below federal poverty levels. I believe this is true for certain areas of District 1 and various areas of District 5.
Many more police officers are needed, but first in the areas needed where they are warranted.
Jason Mata,
Prospect Hill Neighborhood Association
Web Posted: 08/13/2007 2:00 CDT
Just admit the error
Needy folks denied aid
I commend the editorial "Slow down effort to privatize benefits" on House Bill 2292 and the devastating effects it has had on the state's working poor and destitute.
I have been out to several local Health and Human Services benefits offices and have seen and heard the despair that this change in the delivery system has caused the needy people who are there for help and instead get denials and rejections.
I communicate with people who are in need of social services almost on a daily basis. For many years, I have been amazed at how many have experienced barriers keeping them and their children from much-needed services such as food stamps, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. It seems these barriers have discouraged participation statewide.
Merchants such as grocery stores and medical service providers should also feel the disparity, if they haven't already.
We are trying our best to continue to educate the public about how and why these ill effects are continuing to happen. Keeping this issue spotlighted, as the Express-News has done, is gratefully appreciated by me and many others.
Jason Mata, community activist, Prospect Hill area
Web Posted: 11/28/2006 2:00 CST
Transportation hub discussed
The area would be a transportation hub for VIA, Greyhound, Amtrak and multiple rental car agencies and would offer a parking garage and other amenities. VIA — along with the city of San Antonio, Austin-San Antonio Intermunicipal Commuter Rail District, the Texas Department of Transportation, the Metropolitan Planning Organization, the San Antonio Mobility Coalition and the Downtown Alliance — organized the April 4 meeting to get feedback from the community and to display plans.
In previous discussions, designers had proposed removing the existing bridges on Buena Vista and Commerce streets that lead to and from the West Side. The streets then would be tunneled under the street-level railroad tracks. But because it would be too costly to remove the bridges, alternate plans were drafted, associates said.
Talks about the proposed transportation center started in the late 1990s, but the initial study for the project was done in 1999, said Priscilla Ingle, VIA's vice president of public affairs.
"According to the original study done back in 1999, it would have cost an estimated $13.2 million to remove the bridges," Ingle said. "Of course, the cost would be much higher today due to the price increase of steel and concrete."
Three additional plans were developed as possible alternatives. The current plans call for the construction of a site between Buena Vista and Commerce streets and just south on Medina Street, in the Cattleman Square area. The railway system would run beneath the West Side bridges, which would not be removed.
The start date for construction on the project will be determined at future meetings, but VIA's goal for completion is 2012, Ingle said.
Andy Scheidt, VIA's public information coordinator, said funding sources for the project are unknown, pending a feasibility study slated to be released at the next meeting June 6 at VIA Metro Center, 1021 San Pedro Ave.
"We are still looking for partners to contribute to the project," he said.
One resident, who opposed the idea of removing the bridges, stood and expressed his objections during the meeting.
"Is that a promise from you that the bridges won't be taken down?" the man, who did not want to be named, asked the evening's moderator, Andres Andujar, professional engineer and senior vice president of the design firm 3DI.
"That's a promise," Andujar said with a laugh. "We have no funding."
Many of those in attendance said they hope that the plan will be positive for the city. They agreed that the hub not only will help the area around the center, but it also will attract more visitors to San Antonio while freeing up lanes on already congested highways.
"The hope is that it (the multi-modal center) will help this area to grow," said Adrian Lopez, economic development manager for the city of San Antonio's Neighborhood Action Department.
But not everyone was convinced that the hub could revitalize the area.
Jason Mata, president of the Prospect Hill Neighborhood Association, said he is worried about the number of people who will come into the West Side if the proposed terminal is built in that area. He noted that crime in the area is "already bad" and the influx of people could make it worse.
"This is a chaotic situation here," Mata said. "So many more people will be coming through this area if they build this thing, and they are leaving the issue of safety out of the conversation. They are not worried about the neighborhood aspect, but the business aspect."
"We respect everyone's opinion on this matter," Andujar said. "We will take all the recommendations we have received tonight and discuss them at our next meeting."
vlucio@express-news.net
National Night Out observances set for Tuesday
Criminals beware: communities across the nation are rallying their troops against you.
More than 115,000 San Antonio residents are expected to join the millions nationwide who will gather outside to fight crime Tuesday for the 21st annual National Night Out.
Locally, the theme is "Show Us Your F.F.A.N." — families, friends and neighbors — to encourage them to gather in the muggy August air and keep cool using handmade fans.
"We're asking everyone to get out in the heat, so this way you can fan yourself and you can show your involvement in the community by creating the fans," said Lisa Castillo, special projects officer for the San Antonio Police Department in charge of volunteers and policing. "You can show you are part of the fan club to support National Night Out."
From 6 p.m.-10 p.m., residents will turn on their porch lights and spend the evening on porches, lawns, front steps and community areas. Events will range from mega-cookouts with moonwalks and disc jockeys to informal groupings.
The idea is to heighten awareness of crime and drug prevention, generate support for and participation in local anti-crime programs, strengthen neighborhood spirit and police/community relations and send a message to criminals that neighborhoods nationwide are organized and fighting back, officials say.
"There's not enough officers to take care of all the criminal activity in the city," Castillo said. "We need the citizens to look out for themselves and encourage them to get involved."
Last year's event attracted 486 registered community groups for a total of 115,000 people. Because of the high participation, San Antonio was awarded first place in the nation for the 300,000-and-above population category.
San Antonio events include a 1 p.m. proclamation signing at City Council Chambers at City Hall on Thursday, where some hand-held fans will be distributed, and a 10 a.m. National Night Out lighting ceremony on the front steps of City Hall next Tuesday.
This year's event also will include a message sent from the International Space Station through NASA TV to all National Night Out areas. News stations around the nation will broadcast the message.
Eddie Ramirez, special projects officer in charge of Cellular on Patrol in San Antonio, said the key to crime prevention is neighbors working together.
"It's getting to know your next-door neighbor, the people on either side of you or the person across the street," he said. "The nosy neighbor, you have to get that person a real big meal and a big hug because that's the one that protects us."
In the West Side community of Prospect Hill, from about 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m., neighbors can gather at the Advocates Center, 1610 Buena Vista St., or the Sacred Heart Church, 2114 W. Houston St. Food and beverages will be available at both locations.
Activities for kids will be available at the Advocates Center. Kids and adults also can take advantage of free boxing lessons provided by the center. The lessons are available to the community year-round at the center.
"They're here and not out committing crimes. They're here and learning discipline," Jason Mata, co-chairman of the Prospect Hill Neighborhood Association, said of those taking the lessons.
The neighborhood association has partnered with the Bexar County Sheriff's Department to hold a Child ID program session at Sacred Heart Church. Officers will fingerprint children and keep those prints on file.
On the Northwest Side, The Park at Colonnade will celebrate with a moonwalk, food and music played by a disc jockey. The apartment complex also signed up for visits from firefighters, San Antonio Fear Free Environment officers and the Spurs coyote, plus a flyover by the police department's helicopter.
Claudette Torres, complex manager, said National Night Out is the biggest event each year. All the fun is in the name of crime fighting, she said.
"Of course we have police officers, but we have to do our part, too," she said. "I think neighborhoods and communities need to come together. You need to know your neighbors and help each other out.
"The more people that get involved, the better we can fight crime."
Each year, members of the Great Northwest Community Improvement Association have individual block parties to mark National Night Out. Last year there were 28 block parties in the community, which has almost 4,900 homes and about 17,000 people, said Roger Burton, security chief with the Great Northwest security department.
"We have quite a few block parties in this area," he said. "We really try to encourage our block captains to do that."
Ramirez said each party does more to spread awareness about crime.
"We're short of manpower, and they are expanding the city of San Antonio," he said. "With the combination of both, we need the citizens to be the eyes and ears of the department and look out for each other in case the situation gets worse. That's the best preventative."
Registration packets are available at local police substations, online at www.sanantonio.gov/sapd/nno2004.asp or by calling (210) 207-8865.
Suburban activities include:
llaurel@express-news.netWeb Posted: 07/23/2007 2:00 CDT
Press Conference to address Human Services needs for thousands of Needy families in Bexaar County
and South Texas. 2009
Prospect Hill Neighborhood Sweep Community Event:
Assisted Ms. Delgaldo with yard cleaning and brush removal.
Volunteers from left Carlos and Theresa Navarro, ret. Sgt. Ruben Garcia, Ignacio "nacho"
Castellanos, Jason Mata, Ms. Delgaldo, Jackie Cooper, NAD staff - Joe Picazo.