More patrols wanted after recent N. Houston crimes
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Multiple business burglaries, a crossing guard threatened, a storefront shot at, and an intruder at elementary school are just some of the crimes that happened in Houston's northside in the past few days.
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Residents call the situation a "crime wave," and they're begging for more police patrols.
It's all taking place in the same neighborhood where Josue Flores, 11, was murdered in 2016.
READ MORE: Search for justice: A timeline of the Josue Flores murder case
"Why is it easy for this neighborhood to be targeted?" asked Stella Mireles Walters, northside resident and member of Safe Walk Home Northside.
Her organization was founded after Josue's murder to help protect children in the area.
At Ketelsen Elementary Friday, a man broke out a window while some staff members and students were inside, he stole a computer monitor and left, according to HISD.
On Monday, a school crossing guard was threatened by two men, districts representatives said. She managed to get away without being hurt.
"I feel awful for the person because all they're out there to do is protect our children and make sure everyone is safe," Christel Wommack, PhD said.
Womack's family has lived in the area for generations. She and other residents believe an increased police presence would help this worsening situation.
On Saturday, cameras at a check cashing business caught a man shooting at their building. It left a window shattered.
There have also been several burglaries at businesses nearby near Fulton and Boundary St. including at Cricket wireless store, where workers report being burglarized multiple times in just the last few weeks.
After that Cricket store installed security gates over the windows this weekend, thieves went next door the next day and targeted a the Fulton Dental Clinic.
"Now, we have business leaders who are scared to go to work because they are getting shot or their place is being robbed," Wommack said.
Residents said there was a surge of police after Flores' death, but that has dwindled.
It's the memory of what happened to Josue that has so many concerned
"As adults we can take care of ourselves but for the young kids it's pretty hard for them to defend themselves," a resident, who asked not to be identified, said.
Many in the area told Eyewitness News that they often don't call police when there is a crime, because nothing seems to get solved. They called it a waste of time.
Wommack, though, believes residents should be diligent in reporting problems.
"This area has a lot of heart. It feels like a small town in some ways," she said. "[We should] keep an eye out for each other. We need to be calling police and doing alert slips and doing everything we can to draw attention."
Some residents point to drug use in the homeless population as a source of problems- people desperate to get money to feed their habit. Others suggest the METROLine added to Northside allows criminal elements to move freely and target their neighborhood.
"Now they are coming from all sides of Houston and hanging out right here. I wouldn't say get rid of the homeless patrol them more and manage what they're doing out here," one resident said.
