HOUSTON — Residents and business owners fed up with crime in the Third Ward are banding together to express outrage and demand action.
The last straw was late last week when five people were shot at a neighborhood bar. Five men, including the bouncer, were injured in the Feb. 17 shooting outside Spivey’s Famous Bistro in the 3000 block of Blodgett Street.
"We have reached a crisis and critical tipping point in the history of our celebrated, historic neighborhood, which has exemplified excellence," Sharon Evans Brooks with the Riverside Civic Association said at a news conference Monday.
Brooks said there are nearly 10 bars in Riverside alone without parking and very little security. She called them a "cesspool and hotbed of crime.”
Brooks said residents pay too much in taxes to put up with crime.
“Our seniors live in fear of driving down certain streets where bars and clubs prevail,” she said. “We deserve better."
They have similar issues in the MacGregor area where residents are afraid to walk their dogs and push their baby strollers, Tomaro Bell with MacGregor Super Neighborhood said.
"This has to stop. Public safety ain’t political. It has to be deliberate. We should not have to fight for it. You should be guaranteed public safety," Bell said.
The community leaders are demanding action.
"We stand united to ask the city and county leaders to bring immediate and swift action to our communities. The time is now," said Brooks who listed four things they want to see happen.
- The City of Houston should suspend occupancy permits to bars, clubs and convenience stores immediately after a violent offense until an investigation is completed by an investigative authority.
- The City of Houston should deny occupancy permits to bars and clubs that heavily rely upon shared parking, excluding neighborhood street parking to meet city requirements.
- Zero tolerance policy for violations of the city's noise ordinance
- Legislation to ban bars from using the same TABC license as previous bars that were once located at the same address.
And it's not just the crime.
"Trash has been everywhere. We come outside, people are being loud, rude, peeing on the floor, the ground," said Sarah Dickson who lives next to one bar. "We have seen people having sexual intercourse. It's been all sort of things you can think of."
"Anybody that’s out of compliance and not being a good neighbor, we’re gonna do what we need to do as a city to bring them into compliance," promised Houston Police Chief Troy Finner. "Community members should come first."
Mayor Sylvester Turner said city leaders are working to combat crime, but everyone needs to do their part.
“It will take all of us working together in order to make sure we have the safest city we can have,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said.