The John Igo Branch library did more than host early voting on Tuesday. Inside the building, at Councilman Manny Pelaez's field office, they're working on something they believe is a long time coming.
"We're about 20 or 30 years late to doing this," Pelaez told KENS 5. "This will be the first time in the history of the City (of) San Antonio that we undertake something like this."
Pelaez is referring to the uptick of alleged domestic violence cases throughout the metro that left 28 people dead in Bexar County last year.
Last week, according to San Antonio Police, officers responded to three deadly shootings in two days, each involving relatives.
That number is why the councilman announced, via an op-ed published in the San Antonio Express-News, a proposal that the city formulate a comprehensive domestic violence plan.
"The most effective way to address a problem is by really going down to root cause and – in an organized, data-driven way – attack each and every one of those deficiencies in the system," he said.
The plan he and Councilwoman Shirley Gonzales plan to partner on will draw from area resource groups and focus on prevention. Pelaez said they have proposed the idea to the council.
"We're going to get unanimous support on the city council level," he added. "We've been visiting with all the different stakeholders who will be involved and every single one of them is hungry for a plan as well."
Patricia Castillo, executive director of the P.E.A.C.E Initiative, is one of those hungry for the plan. Her organization works to prevent and help survivors of domestic violence.
"It's been long overdue," Castillo said. "I’m elated that our community is now rising up and asking the hard questions and is now making the necessary proposals to address this issue."
Castillo said they often seen several domestic violence cases in any given week.
"We need to do better about that," she said. "There is an urgency about that."
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