SAN ANTONIO – An east San Antonio neighborhood waiting for a crime prevention plan continues to see violence.
If you were to drive down Corliss Avenue, you'd see an active community. However, San Antonio Police Department officials and city leaders say it's a constant battle to keep crime out of the area.
Police say someone in a car fired shots at a home in the 500 block of Corliss Avenue Saturday night. A man inside was shot once in the neck and taken to a local hospital.
Saturday's shooting is the latest of four drive-by's reported in the neighborhood since November. That has one community activist asking people to speak up about what's happening.
"We've got to get rid of that ridiculous no-snitch rule, because that no-snitch rule has torn apart so many families and denied justice to so many," Taj Matthews said.
Matthews is the executive director for the Claude Black Leadership Foundation, an organization that helps at-risk youth.
"It's very good for organizations like the NAACP, like some of these other organizations to meet. We do a lot of meeting. Now it's time for us to come up with plans and actually go out into the street with those plans," Matthews said.
Matthews wants to see people take responsibility for the drug-related and violent crimes on the city's East Side. He remembers a time when neighbors were always on the lookout for each other. While he believes no one has all the answers, he thinks engaging teens in community service projects and extracurricular activities may help keep them out of trouble.
In close proximity to Corliss Avenue is the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio East Side location at 3503 MLK Drive. When KSAT-12 contacted CEO Angie Mock for comment on this story, she provided the following information:
- In study after study, it is clear that the peak hours for juvenile experimentation with drugs, sex, alcohol and tobacco is between the hours of 3-7 p.m. Further, kids are 40 percent more likely to be a victim of violent crime during the after school hours than on weekends.
- Not only does Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio provide a safe place for kids to be after school and in the summer, the organization turns the most dangerous time of day into an opportunity for kids to develop the skills they need for a great future by focusing on three things: academic success, good character and citizenship and healthy lifestyles.
- Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio has a strong partnership with SAPD at the Eastside Branch. SAPD officers participate in the organization's SMART Moves programs throughout the year. The programs teach youth to avoid risky behaviors and make good choices.
SAPD said no vehicle or suspect information was given about Saturday's shooting on Corliss Avenue. Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers at 210-224-STOP (7867).