HOUSTON – The sound of gunfire recorded on surveillance video rattled this neighborhood near the Museum District and Midtown just hours after a murder last October.
Now there is video of a man walking down Wheeler Street with a can of yellow spraypaint. On video, he could be seen painting a political sign, water meter and a tree.
“You wouldn’t see this anywhere else in Houston. So why our neighborhood?” asked Kristy Bridges. “It’s scary. We can’t walk our dogs because we’re scared for our safety. We have gunshots. We have fires being burned."
Bridges and her neighbors said they want to see the city of Houston do more. Her neighbors called police about the latest vandalism. Police said they quickly took a suspect into custody, then released him. Police said they could not go for charges because neither of the residents who reported the vandalism would agree to prosecute.
On Thursday afternoon, yellow paint still covered spots along the block. That included on a deadbolt lock, on a key lockbox, on a utility pole and on a telephone service box.
The vandalism is just across the street from a homeless camp under Highway 59.
The city passed an ordinance prohibiting these homeless camps, but has not forced people out.
Mayor Sylvester Turner’s office says it and the Houston Police Department monitor the camps and take action, plus work with nonprofit groups to offer shelter to the people who live there.
Turner recently responded to an open letter about the homeless camps.
“I don’t know what the solution is, but this is not working for anybody. This isn’t humane for the residents. This isn’t humane for the transients who are under the bridge. This is not the right solution,” Bridges said.