HOUSTON, Texas — A neighborhood is coming together to fight back against rising crime.
Saturday, Mayor Sylvester Turner, along with District J Councilmember Edward Pollard and other members of the community, plan to march from Benavidez Elementary School to Burnett Bayland Park at 10 a.m.
“My goal is always for this community not to be an eyesore in Houston,” said Tammy Rodriguez, president of the Gulfton Citizen's Advisory Council.
“It’s scary, it’s really scary,” said Rodriguez, who expressed concern after advocating for the neighborhood for decades.
Gulfton is no stranger to crime, from shootings to carjackings and violent assaults.
“Right now, it’s our chance to step up and take ownership of our neighborhood," she said.
The march ends at Burnett Bayland Park because it's the only green space in Gulfton. The security situation is so bad that they closed the restrooms and are now using portables.
To fight crime, the councilman for District J, Edward Pollard, recently announced funding for 100 license plate readers. They’ll alert Houston Police if cars are stolen, involved in a crime or a crash.
“We want criminals to know eyes will be on you if you roll through District J, we will be watching and if you commit a crime, we’ll catch you," he said.
Gulfton is a hot spot for crime, Pollard says, because of the densely packed apartment complexes and gang activity.
“We have a lot of people that are from different places, there are culture barriers, there are language barriers and in some areas there’s a lack of opportunity and employment," he said.
Rodriguez hopes that neighbors will see this march as an opportunity.
“There’s a lot of people that would rather stay in their homes, turn their blinders on and keep on for the day and at what cost? If they don’t say anything, it could be them next," she said.