SAN ANTONIO — The faithful who are members of Temple Missionary Baptist Church say they are praying for peace and relief, so that when Easter Sunday dawns, they will be able to celebrate without the threats that have been a part of their life for months.
Pastor Ronald Glover says the people in his dynamic congregation have worked hard to create a beautiful sanctuary, but enjoying it has proved a challenge because the house immediately next door to the church is trapped in a foreclosure dispute that has Bexar County responsible for the structure.
Just last week, conditions were so dire at the 56-year-old dilapidated 624 square foot wood-framed home that the City of San Antonio sent their Dangerous Assessment Response Team to inspect the property. The home is on the 700 block of Morningview, just south of Martin Luther King Drive and adjacent to the Wheatley Heights Sports Complex.
In a statement from the city, the conditions were described as bleak:
“The people found in the house had no authority to be there and the conditions inside the structure and the backyard pose a threat to human and animal life and safety. Animal Care Services took possession of a female dog surrendered by one of the occupants. The City Attorney's Office is exploring legal options to address this dangerous situation to the neighborhood and adjacent church.”
Pastor Glover said he was told eleven people were rousted from the house, which had no water service and is surrounded by piles of broken, cast off personal property and building materials. Glover said after the raid, someone even set fire to a debris pile in the backyard as a move to intimidate church members.
Glover said the church has plenty of video evidence to prove their point that something must be done about the continuing nuisance, where squatters have stolen power and water service from the church and trashed their yard.
Glover said church members have tried outreach to the people in the house, offering them food and services, but they have seen threats of violence in return.
“They have a violent nature,” Glover said, adding “We need them to stop doing what they are doing to us.”
An especially frightening event happened a few weeks ago, Glover said, when a woman died at the home. Glover said EMS tried to resuscitate the woman, but help came to late.
Glover said the home, which he claims has been recommended for demolition, has been deteriorating since it went into foreclosure and was taken over by Bexar County. Tax records indicate the seizure, for back taxes left unpaid, was in November 2022.
Bexar County holds properties in trust when money is owed until they are sold and any delinquent funds can be collected for 22 taxing entities in the county.
Precinct 4 County Commissioner said properties like this are one reason he convened a city – county task force to look for multi-faceted solutions to the challenges presented by vacant structures.
“The county’s policy hasn’t been updated by the County Manager since 1993 / 1994 and our policy used census data from 1990,” Calvert said.
Calvert said if there is a bright spot, it’s that there are statutes which give the county authority to recoup the costs associated with possessing, managing and selling the properties.
With the task force, Calvert said “constables can check on these properties, evict trespassers, clean up eyesores and make sure that county properties do not become an eyesore.”
Rodrequiz Hargett is an Associate Minister at the church. Hargett said he attended the first meeting and called it very positive.
Hargett said what’s especially hard to understand is that the church has offered to help anyone in need.
“Pastor asked them politely ‘please don’t take from the church.’ He said ‘if you need anything, we will gladly offer it to you.’” Hargett said.
But the church says they continued to have trouble with people in the house running extension cords to outdoor outlets and even running up a huge water bill when they attempted to take water from the church and then left the supply line open, only to flood the entire street.
While Hargett was on church grounds Monday, he was approached by a man who identified himself as Frank Herrera.
Herrera said that people have been spreading false information about him and the house and that he has a probate court setting for next month.
Herrera said he will show up with documentation proving that there are legal documents on file with the county showing he has an ownership interest in the place.
Calvert questioned that claim, saying similar claims have been dismissed when courts ruled them unsubstantiated.
Herrera said he will appear in probate court on April 13.
Calvert said he too will press forward for reform to keep property owners safe.