Palm Heights Neighborhood Association-PHNA

Where's the pride of people living right here in the Palm Heights area?

I always defended the southside even when I moved to the northside. I am back in the southside still defending my neighborhood. But I am starting to think that people are right to put down my community.

When people drive through my community and see all this graffiti on street signs, not to mention on people's garage doors, what are they suppose to think? What is the first thing people think when they see graffiti? Gangs and irresponsible parents.

Drive along our community. Look at all the unkempt yards. Look at all the people who park their cars on their front yards. Tell me, do you think that looks good? NO WAY!

What about the neighbors who have no consideration for their neighbors. They allow their kids to play on their neighbor's yards. They park their cars in front of their neighbor's yards. They allow their trash to blow on their neighbor's yards. Why is that? Are they inconsiderate? Are they mean? Are they just plain ignorant? Perhaps, they think that people on the southside have no pride.

I have pride. My yard always looks nice. I pick up the beer bottles that inconsiderates throw on my yard. I pick up the trash that blows on my yard (that belongs to my neighbors). I AM GETTING TIRED OF IT!

It doesn't take much folks. Borrow your neighbor's lawnmower. Teach your kids chores. Have them keep your lawn looking nice. Don't dump your trash on your neighbor's side of the house. Do your part PLEASE!

!!!!! RETRIEVE YOUR PRIDE!!!!!

WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND IS FOR YOU TO SAY WE HAVE NO PRIDE.WE HAVE WORKED FOR OVER 2 YEARS TO BETTER OUR COMMUNITY.GO TO THE NORTHSIDE AND TELL ME THEY HAVE NO GRAFFITI,TELL ME THEY HAVE NO TRASH BLOWING INTO THEIR YARDS, OR KIDS PLAYING ON OTHER PEOPLES YARDS. DON'T YOU REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE A KID AND YOU WOULD PLAY IN THE STREET AND AT THE NEIGHBORS. DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN ALL THE NEIGHBORS KNEW EACH OTHER AND WOULD HELP EACH OTHER. MAYBE THE PERSON YOU LIVE NEXT TO IS TOO OLD OR IS HANDICAP, HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO THEM AND COME TO AN AGREEMENT ON HOW MAYBE YOU COULD HELP EACH OTHER.YES I TOO GET DISCOURAGED WHEN WE SEE THAT GRAFFITI,BUT I JUST CAN'T SIT AND WATCH. PHNA HAS A GRAFFITI CLEANUP EVERY 2TO3 MONTHS.HAVE YOU COME TO ANY OF THEM?WE HAVE MEETINGS EVERY 3RD TUESDAY OF THE MONTH, HAVE YOU ATTENDED ANY? WE HAVE A NEWSLETTER DELIVERY EVERY MONTH? ARE YOU A CARRIER? WE JUST CAN'T SIT BACK AND COMPLAIN, WE MUST GET INVOLVED AND FIND OUT WHAT WE WANT TO CHANGE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND WORK FOR THOSE GOALS. COME TO THE MEETINGS AND VISIT WITH US AND SEE WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE ARE WORKING FOR.MAYBE WE CAN HELP YOU GET YOUR PRIDE BACK!!!!

By WELCOME BACK

Pride: A Deadly Sin

You bet, our neighborhood needs work. I too have winced and grunted at the overgrown lots and broken down cars that inhabit the neighborhood. The graffiti insults me. It is a way of demeaning my investment. That's right. I chose to invest myself and my dollars in this southside neighborhood. I grew up around and graduated from Lee High School. I'm in my late thirties, so back then that was still the northside. I have a sibling that lives way up on I-35 and I drive out to Schertz and back every day. So, I know exactly waht your talking about. In addition, I once worked as an insurance salesman (paying some heavy duty dues)knocking on doors all over Bexar County. So, I got a pretty good perspective on this city and the people that live in it.
Sure, the northside, most of it, is just a little shinier that just about all of the southside and westside. First of all, it's newer. I've seen a lot of new looking cars that didn't run nearly as good as on old chevy truck my wife made me part with last year. I remember that in my days as a door-to-door salesman the folks on the north side would crack their doors only a bit as if ready to shut it quick on a possible intruder. I was stopped and checked out by rent-a-cop security guards constantly. It seemed to me that people lived in a state of seige. Now, here in my neighborhood, things are a little different.
Once, in a flight of hurry, I left my front door open. I mean wide open. My neighbor noticed my blunder and sat outside most of an afternoon watching to make sure no one entered. The same neighbor would bring in my trash cans if I got home too late on a Monday or Thursday. What a guy! I remember knocking on doors on the west side and southside. People invite you in and pour you a cup of coffee before they take time to asses you. They listen to you and feel bad their too poor to buy your wares. I like that in people and my neighborhood. Yeah, my neighbors kids play in my yard all the time. They come around and shoot baskets when I pick up the leaves. My courts just better. And, I try to pick up the trash that blows into my yard as best I can. I never thought about where it came from. Life has enough worries.
I take great exception to your insults. You used words such as ignorant. Maybe, you should peek out from your fortress of judgement and get to know your neighbors.
I found out that alot of yards are grown over because the occupant is old and has outlived their family and friends. You can condemn. We formed a group that is trying to gather volunteers to help out our neighbors. The graffiti bugs me. I have been painting over graffiti in this neighborhood for two years. I have been helped by probationers, school kids that just wanted to help, high school students that want to make a differnece, school teachers, lawyers, investment brokers, handy men and a few others that I forget. We work with the local police to keep our streets safe. And, I'll have you know that this is a lot safer neighborhood than some in the northside. No, I am not blinded to the shortcomings, but at least I'm doing more than posting anonymous complaints. Already, Palm Heights is a better place to live because of the activisim and involvement of dozens of concerned citizens. they take time to meet and plan and work for a better community. you hould be a part of it. you may learn to have compassion rather than judge and to lend a helping hand rather than point a finger of recrimination. Together, we can make it better.

Rolando R. Rocha
Palm Heights Neighborhood Association

Pride: A Deadly Sin

You bet, our neighborhood needs work. I too have winced and grunted at the overgrown lots and broken down cars that inhabit the neighborhood. The graffiti insults me. It is a way of demeaning my investment. That's right. I chose to invest myself and my dollars in this southside neighborhood. I grew up around and graduated from Lee High School. I'm in my late thirties, so back then that was still the northside. I have a sibling that lives way up on I-35 and I drive out to Schertz and back every day. So, I know exactly waht your talking about. In addition, I once worked as an insurance salesman (paying some heavy duty dues)knocking on doors all over Bexar County. So, I got a pretty good perspective on this city and the people that live in it.
Sure, the northside, most of it, is just a little shinier that just about all of the southside and westside. First of all, it's newer. I've seen a lot of new looking cars that didn't run nearly as good as on old chevy truck my wife made me part with last year. I remember that in my days as a door-to-door salesman the folks on the north side would crack their doors only a bit as if ready to shut it quick on a possible intruder. I was stopped and checked out by rent-a-cop security guards constantly. It seemed to me that people lived in a state of seige. Now, here in my neighborhood, things are a little different.
Once, in a flight of hurry, I left my front door open. I mean wide open. My neighbor noticed my blunder and sat outside most of an afternoon watching to make sure no one entered. The same neighbor would bring in my trash cans if I got home too late on a Monday or Thursday. What a guy! I remember knocking on doors on the west side and southside. People invite you in and pour you a cup of coffee before they take time to asses you. They listen to you and feel bad their too poor to buy your wares. I like that in people and my neighborhood. Yeah, my neighbors kids play in my yard all the time. They come around and shoot baskets when I pick up the leaves. My courts just better. And, I try to pick up the trash that blows into my yard as best I can. I never thought about where it came from. Life has enough worries.
I take great exception to your insults. You used words such as ignorant. Maybe, you should peek out from your fortress of judgement and get to know your neighbors.
I found out that alot of yards are grown over because the occupant is old and has outlived their family and friends. You can condemn. We formed a group that is trying to gather volunteers to help out our neighbors. The graffiti bugs me. I have been painting over graffiti in this neighborhood for two years. I have been helped by probationers, school kids that just wanted to help, high school students that want to make a differnece, school teachers, lawyers, investment brokers, handy men and a few others that I forget. We work with the local police to keep our streets safe. And, I'll have you know that this is a lot safer neighborhood than some in the northside. No, I am not blinded to the shortcomings, but at least I'm doing more than posting anonymous complaints. Already, Palm Heights is a better place to live because of the activisim and involvement of dozens of concerned citizens. they take time to meet and plan and work for a better community. you hould be a part of it. you may learn to have compassion rather than judge and to lend a helping hand rather than point a finger of recrimination. Together, we can make it better.

Rolando R. Rocha
Palm Heights Neighborhood Association