The community: Issues faced, gang activity

West Side gang territories: A sketch of a “gang map” showing approximate territories in the mid 1960’s. Within a three-square-mile radius, there were some twenty known gangs.

Note: No gangs in area of PHY.

Source: Montejano, David, and David Montejano. Quixote’s Soldiers: A Local History of the Chicano Movement, 1966-1981. 1st ed. Jack and Doris Smothers Series in Texas History, Life, and Culture, no. 26. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2010. ~ Creator: Adam Nerio ~ Date: Circa 1966

Lucky Charms Don’t Work: Juvenile delinquency in the West Side was prevalent. 

Source: San Antonio Express News ~ Creator: Adam Nerio ~ Date: March 25, 1966

Throughout the 1960’s, “outbreaks” of gang violence occurred in the West Side of San Antonio. Aside from the impact the PHY had on individuals, it is important also to assess the broader impact. It is interesting to observe the stark absence of gang activity in the PHY neighborhood. A map presented in, Quixote’s Soldiers: A Local History of the Chicano Movement, 1966 – 1981 (pg. 35), highlights the West Side San Antonio neighborhoods overrun by various gangs with names such as Ghost Town, La India, Detroit, Chicago, and Los Apaches. Yet, no gangs operated in the PHY area. One can deduce this could easily have been a result of the active involvement of youth level aged players in organized sports resulting from the presence of the PHY.

Quixote’s Soldiers mentions during the 1959-1972 period, “Latin” delinquency accounted for about 60 percent of all delinquency, where the greatest number of arrests stemmed from shoplifting, burglary, and vapor sniffing. In an article by the San Antonio Express News, published on March 25, 1966, a case of shoplifting committed by a 10-year-old boy is summarized, that makes mention of my grandfather in his role with the San Antonio Police Department.