SAN ANTONIO- Don't let their age fool you. Some senior citizens are fighting crime in their neighborhood and they say their age is their sharpest tool.
The Los Angeles Heights neighborhood located northwest of downtown has had shootings, assaults and thefts in recent months The neighbors, many of whom are retired, are condemning the crime and getting organized.
“The house that I used to live across from, I used to see a lot of crime, with violence, prostitution, a lot of drug activity,” explained George Jaimes, Vice President of the Los Angeles Heights Neighborhood Association.
Jaimes saw this go on for years, until the newly-created neighborhood association decided to speak up and make it go away. They spoke to police, city leaders, and the city's code compliance department.
“One of them is going to be condemned pretty soon within this month I believe,” said Jaimes.
Richard Acosta, who serves as president of the Los Angeles Heights Association sees the members' life experience as a plus. He said a retired group has more time to contact their city leaders and coordinate events such as a barbeque fundraiser they held Saturday afternoon.
“And this is what makes us so interesting to deal with the seniors and this is the purpose of the Los Angeles Heights neighborhood is, to protect our seniors,” explained Acosta.
Acosta said because the neighborhood and its' residents are older, they have become a target. In the past two months alone, there have been a total of 12 assaults, 12 burglaries, and 18 thefts within Los Angeles Heights. But, the biggest concern has been shootings.
“We have a lot of drug dealings and shootings, two people were killed behind the Exxon station on Hildebrand and IH-10”, said Ed Obanion, member of Los Angeles Heights Association.
Members of the Los Angeles Heights Association said they're making strides to curb crime and raise some money to clean up their neighborhood. They said it's a slow process, but they are seeing results.
