Women In Community Service Inc.

October 2001 Storefront Groundbreaking Ceremony

Dec 04, 2002

On a beautiful Saturday morning in East Houston there would soon be school children dancing and singing on the parking lot of the Garden Ridge Pottery Store. Strange? No, not for residents of the East Houston area that have been working long and hard for the placement of a Houston Police Department East Freeway Storefront.

The storefront soon to be located at 12001-A East Freeway, Houston, Tex 77013 was dedicated in a groundbreaking ceremony at 10:00AM, Saturday the 27th. There were plenty of persons in suits and uniforms there to do the official work of ?‘groundbreaking?’ but what struck me the most was the young people, the children that worked hard to put together a presentation for their community. They seemed to know the importance of the event. They were anxious to meet and speak with the officers in blue. They saw their peers participating in being a part of the community and working together to be a part of the solution instead of just complaining about the problem.

Participants from the community came from First Baptist Church of Greens Bayou, Furr Senior High School, Furr Senior HS R.O.T.C., Garden Ridge Pottery, North Channel Chamber of Commerce, Northeast Positive Interaction Program, Shipley?’s Donuts, HEB Pantry #335 and Kroger?’s I-10 East.

The highschool band led the way for Pastor Robert Dixon to give the Invocation and after the presentation of the Colors we had a wonderful welcome and opening comments from our very own Captain Craig Goralski and Lt. Robert Gonzales of the Northeast Division. Also invited to give comments were representatives from the Mayor?’s Office, John Castillo from District I, Congressman Gene Greens 29th District and Jane Arbuthnot, CFO of Garden Ridge.


Everyone had a good time as we exchanged ideas, information and a lot of smiles as we indulged in the refreshments donated by nearby grocers and shops. I?’m sure that as soon as the building gets built and furnished, residents will begin seeing the results of what increased presence of the Police Department can mean to their community.

It is a fact that increased police presence deters criminal activity, but the one thing that makes the biggest difference is the interaction between the community members and the individual officers. There must be trust and communication going on between both parties in order for there to be effective policing and an enhancing of the standard of living for those who have a stake in the area. It will mean taking steps toward each other and going the extra mile to weed out the undesirable activity that can make life miserable for those law abiding citizens who wish to live in peace and safety.

We congratulate the East Houston Community for their perseverance and wish them the best as they enjoy the fruits of their labors.

For information and locations of Houston Police Department Storefronts, go to http://www.ci.houston.tx.us/hpd/substations.htm

WICS