Just a Thought: Crime in San Antonio

By Steve Walker

Like any other city, San Antonio experiences its share of crime. Sometimes it
 is organized and sometimes listed as a category of transnational, national, 
or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals who intend 
to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit.

Sometimes criminal organizations force people to do business with them, such as when a gang extorts money from shopkeepers for "protection". Gangs may 
become disciplined enough to be considered organized. A criminal organization 
or gang can also be referred to as a mafia, mob, ring, or syndicate; the network, subculture and community of criminals may be referred to as the underworld.

European sociologists define the mafia as a type of organized crime group that specializes in the supply of extra-legal protection and quasi law enforcement. Gambetta's classic work on the Sicilian Mafia generates an economic study of the mafia, which exerts great influence on studies of the Russian Mafia, the Chinese Mafia, Hong Kong Triads and the Japanese Yakuza.

The overall crime rate in San Antonio is 108% higher than the national average.       For every 100,000 people, there are 16.19 daily crimes that occur in San Antonio. San Antonio is safer than 6% of the cities in the United States. In San Antonio you have a 1 in 17 chance of becoming a victim of any crime.

San Antonio’s neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You've
got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of 
course, ghettos.It seems as if there’s a neighborhood for everyone in the Alamo 
City.

And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in the 
country thanks in part to a strong economy and tons of entertainment, it’s not 
all rainbows and sunshine in San Antonio. Some neighborhoods aren’t as great as 
others.

So the question arises, which San Antonio neighborhoods are the worst, and 
which are the best? Today, we’ll use science and data to determine which San Antonio hoods need a little tender loving care – the sore thumbs of the San 
Antonio area if you will. 

Realistically, you can’t expect all the neighborhoods to be amazing, although 
Elm Creek ranks way above the rest.We examined 317 of San Antonio’s neighborhoods to find out the worst places to live. These places don’t quite 
measure up to San Antonio’s reputation.

As I always write “Just a Thought.”

Steve Walker is a Vietnam Veteran and former Justice of the Peace and Journalist