District 2 candidates respond to findings detailed in KSAT's 'Crime and Justice' series

2018 Crime Tracker map shows more than 200 reports of aggravated assaults in D2

SAN ANTONIO – With just a few weeks remaining before the city runoff election, the two finalists for the District 2 City Council seat are talking about how they plan to tackle issues that face their would-be constituents.

KSAT's "Crime and Justice" series, which premiered Wednesday night, showed there were more than 200 cases of aggravated assault reported in District 2 last year.

“We can't police it away because the crime is a symptom of larger issues," candidate Keith Toney said. 

Toney believes the key to reducing violent crime in District 2 lies in creating educational and job opportunities for idle minds.

“If they get trained up and they're working a trade and they're redoing buildings, then they are working a shift so that they won’t have time to shift into crime, to shift into aggravated assault,” Toney said.

He wants to challenge big developers that are helping to revitalize District 2 to help.

“I want training opportunities, and they can do that in the trades. Not everyone’s going to college, but one thing that they'll need is workers for the various projects that they're bringing in here," Toney said.

Candidate Jada Andrews-Sullivan offered a different perspective.

“A lot of times when you look at things that are happening in District 2, you really have to go back,” Andrews-Sullivan said.

She believes reducing violence in District 2 begins with improving relationships among residents.

“Truly educate one another, get back to our community policing, which is, 'I know my neighbor. My neighbor knows me,'” Andrews-Sullivan said.

She also wants to locally address what she said are deep-rooted, nationwide tensions between law enforcement and people of color.

“Sitting down with the chief and saying that it's not so much that we need the forcefulness of the Police Department but we truly need the heart of the Police Department. We truly need you to get out of those squad cars and walk up and down the neighborhoods and get to know who lives here,” Andrews-Sullivan said.

The runoff election is June 8. For polling locations, click here


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