SAN ANTONIO — A new report from the Texas Department of Transportation cites 14 gangs operating out of the Bexar County area, but a former gang member said he believes the report fails to spotlight the five biggest threats on our streets.
In 2017 the San Antonio Police Department, Department of Public Safety and other local agencies teamed up to create a violent crimes task force with a priority of tackling gang activity throughout the state. In the report, DPS officials reveal that during Operation Alamo the task force encountered 14 different gangs—some more dominant than others in the region.
Steve Huerta is a former gang member who now works for the local nonprofit Big Homie Street Ministry, where he helps protect victims of gang violence and assists current members in leaving the lifestyle.
"Saving lives here in San Antonio is a dangerous game and we are very careful in how we do it," Huerta said. "We are professionals. We know our communities and it takes people who used to be in that life to break through."
He said many people avoid wearing colors and cover up their tattoos to avoid being identified as a gang member by police.
"We helped one man actually remove a tattoo. He was just a basketball fan, but because of how it looked he was getting lumped into a group he wasn't a part of," Huerta said.
Huerta believes the recent report fails to reveal what is truly happening in San Antonio and how many of the active gang members do not live in the neighborhoods they are terrorizing.
"Areas like the east side and the west side are being portrayed in the wrong way because of the crimes," Huerta said. "It's not a huge gang presence in San Antonio the way the report is being portrayed, but as I mentioned earlier, I think that is something, part of a package for a budget request."
Huerta said it isn't easy for current members trying to get out of the gang, but he and others in the nonprofit are examples that it is possible.
"Is out really an out? Yes, it can be. There's always hope for a better way of life," Huerta said. "But it also takes community involvement to help stop this gang violence and make a change."