![]() ![]() Rush, who has been a pastor at the North Port Avenue church for almost 25 years, said the event was meant to "remind the city we exist." Rush, 67, has served as the head interim pastor at the worship center since the death of Rev. "I would submit that the issue of a viable neighborhood is a challenge," he said then. Last month, citing the state of Hillcrest, Zanoni told the Caller-Times that the neighborhood's future was unclear. The event was, in part, a response to recent comments to the media by City Manager Peter Zanoni about the state of the neighborhood, said Claudia Rush, interim pastor at the Brooks AME Worship Center. ![]() Last month, both the city and port said their respective entities had not yet considered eminent domain for the Northside neighborhoods. Some attendees discussed their concern that local governmental entities could cite the neighborhood's smaller numbers as a rationale to remove residents with eminent domain, a legal process by which the government could take private property for public use. The port-run relocation program and other efforts have left approximately 100 households - down from 500 in 2015 - in the area, according to a city estimate last year. The event comes as the Hillcrest and Washington-Coles neighborhoods have been largely hollowed out by a voluntary relocation program meant to lessen the effects of the nearby Harbor Bridge replacement project. ![]() View Gallery: Hillcrest Neighborhood Association’s Neighborhood Awakening eventÄuring the event, Taylor discussed the latest with Port of Corpus Christi-backed legislation working its way through the Texas Legislature, the city's proposed water treatment facility near the northwestern corner of the neighborhood and recently unveiled proposals for promised park developments as part of the new Harbor Bridge construction. Though the air was hot and stuffy, an occasional breeze carried the scent of freshly grilled hotdogs and hamburgers through the crowd of more than 30 people, including Hillcrest residents, environmental advocates and two freshman Corpus Christi councilmembers. The "neighborhood awakening" event was held to inform residents of a number of projects - both ongoing and proposed - that stand to affect the majority Black neighborhoods. "There are people that live in Hillcrest, and we all have wants, dreams and aspirations just like everybody else in the city of Corpus Christi." We're still here," said Lamont Taylor, 70, a founding member of the Hillcrest Residents Association, which hosted the event. Northside residents and advocates gathered in the Brooks AME Worship Center parking lot on Saturday with two goals: to spread the word about recent developments in the waning Hillcrest and Washington-Coles neighborhoods and to send a message to local officials. Here's what it's like for those left behind. ![]()
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