hindesky Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 I just went by the old midtown station and magically all the vagrants disappeared. I did see several people walking on Harrisburg carrying all their stuff in backpacks and duffel bags, have to assume they were coming from the new station. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 Please sit down to read this shocking news. https://abc13.com/greyhound-houston-transfer-magnolia-park-crime-increase-safety/14282030/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JClark54 Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 (edited) I went to the Greyhound station meeting Saturday. It was a really who's who of local politicos as well as city and regional employees. Just a few, Adrain Garcia, Joaquin Martinez, Christina Morales, Ana Hernandez, sergeants from two constables offices, one HPD assistant chief, METRO police chief, a TDCJ public relations rep, and Carol Alvarado, among many others. Greyhound did not have a rep present for questions. A few takeaways: -Crime in the two-block radius of the new location has increased 2500 percent since it became the new station for intercity service as opposed to the months immediately before, during its role as a transit hub for buses from valley cities. Incident types most on the rise are theft from and burglary of businesses and homes as well as assualt/agg assault. Martinez has requested more HPD resources. -Alvarado stated at least twice that Greyhound alerted Turner's office of the move in advance, and the mayor's office hid the move from then-District I council member Robert Gallegos. A letter was mentioned but not produced. Take this accusation for what it's worth. -An encampment has emerged. Smaller than Midtown's at this time, but growing. HOT outreach teams will be sent to the station regularly, like the Midtown Station. -TDCJ stated an average of eight TDCJ parolees arrive by bus daily. All must have an end-destination (halfway house, family member, friend, etc.), but TDCJ lacks the means or mechanisms to ensure those plans are carried through every time. As a property owner in Midtown, none of the above is surprising. The station outcomes and politico responses to them are identical to what occurred in Midtown. The following from TDCJ rep was new, however. -Parolees are given money, food, and bus passes upon disembarking from their respective locations. TDCJ rep stated as the encampment grew at Midtown, those folks targeted TDCJ parolees. Their TDCJ-emblazon gear made them easy to identify. They'd get jumped, and their money and food would be taken. Thus, with no means to reach their end destination, some integrated into the Midtown encampment population. -To alleviate the above situation, TDCJ tries to have reps at stations to guide parolees out safely. Staffing and funding limitations mean it doesn't happen every time. It's expected that Harrisburg Station will encounter the same phenomenon of folks jumping parolees unless more funding for reps to meet those upon arrival is made available. Edited January 9 by JClark54 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbg.50 Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 Hopefully safety measures will be put in place while a light is being shined on the situation. Shame on Turner if he knew about this in advance. Of course Alvarado campaigned for Whitmire, so who knows. When Greyhound was in Midtown it wasn't much of a neighborhood. To deliberately put a bus depot in the middle of an established neighborhood is ridiculous. I feel bad for the residents there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hindesky Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 Build an HPD substation right next to it. 👮♂️ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JClark54 Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 (edited) The TDCJ public relations rep was surprisingly very open about its parolee transit procedures and figures. Some not necessarily Harrisburg Station-specific tidbits are: -On average, 3000-plus parolees are released in Texas annually. Those released to family, friends or other lodgings like halfway houses out of state are not included in this count. -40 percent of those parolees released in Texas take the Greyhound to designated release site cities. There are 17 of them, and Houston is one. 18 percent of that 40 percent transit to another destination via Greyhound. The remaining 82 percent disembark in Houston. -The reps (called reintegration specialists) responsible for the Houston area are from TDCJ Huntsville, so the drive is long and staffing levels are low. Release addresses (family, friends, halfway houses) are investigated prior to release, but again personnel aren't always there to ensure they reach the end destination. -Tickets are bought beforehand and parolees are shown how to navigate the station in the event a rep isn't there. This is the gap TDCJ can't close without more funding for reps, and provides the window for them to be jumped. Edited January 9 by JClark54 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JClark54 Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 *Sorry, looking back at what I wrote above, I wrote daily rather than per day. The sheet I photos stated an average of 8 released per day, when there are people eligible for parole. They don't release 8 folks daily, as in every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hindesky Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbg.50 Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 Dallas Greyhound station closing... will be interesting to see if it is replaced. Wonder if Houston will get more traffic as a result? DMN reporting... Greyhound is closing its Dallas terminal, leaving low-income travelers in limbo The downtown terminal, a travel hub for more than 40 years, will shutter in October. What’s next is unclear. Twenty Lake Holdings, a subsidiary of investment firm Alden Global Capital, purchased 33 Greyhound stations across the US from UK-based First Group in late 2022 for $140 million. Since then, terminals in major hubs like Philadelphia and Cincinnati have shuttered while their properties have been put on the market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 10 hours ago, steve1363 said: Dallas Greyhound station closing... will be interesting to see if it is replaced. Wonder if Houston will get more traffic as a result? DMN reporting... Greyhound is closing its Dallas terminal, leaving low-income travelers in limbo Of course it wil be replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JClark54 Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 58 minutes ago, Houston19514 said: Of course it wil be replaced. That's not the case as of this date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 (edited) 7 hours ago, JClark54 said: That's not the case as of this date. As of this date, and until October, they are still operating where they are. The chances of Greyhound not having a station in the Dallas are similar to the chances of the nation’s tallest building being built in Oklahoma City. Edited January 28 by Houston19514 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JClark54 Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 (edited) 1 hour ago, Houston19514 said: As of this date, and until October, they are still operating where they are. The chances of Greyhound not having a station in the Dallas are similar to the chances of the nation’s tallest building being built in Oklahoma City. You wrote, "Of course it will be replaced," rather than operating where they are. Greyhound told me this week it has yet to find a new Dallas station location, it is facing barriers doing so in Dallas, and it has yet to determine whether a curbside method would work in Dallas. Did I write it will leave Dallas in perpetuity? No, I must certainly did not. I wrote that's not the case as of this date in response to your of course it will be replaced statement based off Greyhound's statements about the situation in Dallas. I don't care to engage in these online arguments you seem to take enjoyment in. If you have information Greyhound does not, please contact them. I'm sure they would love the insight you provide. Edited January 28 by JClark54 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbg.50 Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 10 hours ago, Houston19514 said: Of course it wil be replaced. I know the DMN article is behind a paywall. This CNN article is not…very interesting (at least to me). All this Greyhound drama is not unique to Houston. You are probably right that the Dallas station will be replaced. It will likely end up in Arlington with much less access than the current station. https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/17/business/greyhound-buses-transportation-cities/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JClark54 Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 (edited) 11 hours ago, steve1363 said: I know the DMN article is behind a paywall. This CNN article is not…very interesting (at least to me). All this Greyhound drama is not unique to Houston. You are probably right that the Dallas station will be replaced. It will likely end up in Arlington with much less access than the current station. https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/17/business/greyhound-buses-transportation-cities/index.html The Greyhound rep stated suburbs or non-central locations aren't feasible for most cities. Take that for what it's worth. Operating costs outweigh the rider drop associated with the move, apparently. While some riders are dropped off by family or friends, most arrive by ride share or public transit. The costs of ride share to the suburbs can be cost prohibitive to those riders, and in some cases public transit to the suburbs is minimally available outside of park and ride hours, they said. Greyhound has committed to another meeting in the future. Since you're interested, I'll let you know when everything is firm. You can ask the Greyhound/FlixBus rep questions in greater detail. Edited January 28 by JClark54 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 (edited) On 1/27/2024 at 9:03 PM, JClark54 said: You wrote, "Of course it will be replaced," rather than operating where they are. Greyhound told me this week it has yet to find a new Dallas station location, it is facing barriers doing so in Dallas, and it has yet to determine whether a curbside method would work in Dallas. Did I write it will leave Dallas in perpetuity? No, I must certainly did not. I wrote that's not the case as of this date in response to your of course it will be replaced statement based off Greyhound's statements about the situation in Dallas. I don't care to engage in these online arguments you seem to take enjoyment in. If you have information Greyhound does not, please contact them. I'm sure they would love the insight you provide. I’ve said Greyhound will replace their Dallas station. You’ve now told us Greyhound is in fact working on replacing the station. Thanks for the confirmation. Edited January 29 by Houston19514 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoustonMidtown Posted October 4 Share Posted October 4 (edited) Nearly a year after Greyhound bus terminal moves to East End, neighbors say they notice uptick in crime https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2024/10/04/nearly-a-year-after-greyhound-bus-terminal-moves-to-east-end-neighbors-say-they-notice-uptick-in-crime/ Edited October 4 by HoustonMidtown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilcal Posted October 4 Share Posted October 4 (edited) Holy shit what a useless article. Couldn't bother to get the crime data. Quote from a neighbor who clearly is unaware that Greyhound had operated at this location for years. No confirmation with data of the ambulances or fire data. The extra traffic slowing down neighborhood revitalization? On a major thoroughfare? It is fine to not like it, but it is not newsworthy to report vibes. Edit: to be clear, I'm not complaining about HoustonMidtown for posting it. I'm glad you did. Edited October 4 by wilcal 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SecondWardDweller Posted October 7 Share Posted October 7 Harrisburg is looking....rough around Magnolia Park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AS_ Posted October 7 Share Posted October 7 There's a bar nearby that I go to on occasion for concerts and went to my first show there post-Greyhound move a couple of weekends ago and, yeah, it was rough indeed. Never felt unsafe previously (and still don't) but it's much worse looking and a lot of folks are sleeping on the sidewalks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted October 8 Share Posted October 8 On 10/4/2024 at 1:44 PM, wilcal said: Holy shit what a useless article. Couldn't bother to get the crime data. Quote from a neighbor who clearly is unaware that Greyhound had operated at this location for years. No confirmation with data of the ambulances or fire data. The extra traffic slowing down neighborhood revitalization? On a major thoroughfare? It is fine to not like it, but it is not newsworthy to report vibes. Edit: to be clear, I'm not complaining about HoustonMidtown for posting it. I'm glad you did. I don't know about crime rates now, but I know at the beginning of the year the rates were up compared to before the midtown station traffic being diverted here, you can see an article I posted in January that stated exactly that based on actual data and not people's feelings. as far as the area and vibes, I can attest, living in the area for over 15 years now, that area has indeed shifted quite a bit, and it is 100% related to the Greyhound. the Whataburger has a security detail on site for the duration, where it never had one before. the Capitol Flea Market (on Capitol street about a block away from the station) has a Constable parked nearby every weekend, where before there wasn't one. why would they bother having such security presence if it wasn't justified? yes, Greyhound has operated here for a long time, but the midtown location was the primary Houston location, all their traffic was diverted to this location, so it now takes the full impact. I'm not some nimby, so I'm not going to say it doesn't belong here, but I will say to ignore the negative impact is not accepting reality. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MexAmerican_Moose Posted October 8 Share Posted October 8 yup, the city did a sneaky job of throwing the Greyhound terminal into Magnolia, they knew there would be limited political pushback, too late now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I'm Not a Robot Posted October 8 Share Posted October 8 (edited) 8 minutes ago, MexAmerican_Moose said: yup, the city did a sneaky job of throwing the Greyhound terminal into Magnolia, they knew there would be limited political pushback, too late now Seems like that was their MO during Turner's tenure. Throw everything the heights, midtown, montrose, river oaks etc don't want onto the east side of downtown, but not where the stadiums are because visitors would notice. Edited October 8 by I'm Not a Robot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.33 Posted October 8 Share Posted October 8 49 minutes ago, MexAmerican_Moose said: yup, the city did a sneaky job of throwing the Greyhound terminal into Magnolia, they knew there would be limited political pushback, too late now Greyhound is a private company so the city doesnt really have anything to do with this. Also, this was already an existing Greyhound station. The only thing that happened was the midtown ops were moved from Midtown to east end. 44 minutes ago, I'm Not a Robot said: Seems like that was their MO during Turner's tenure. Throw everything the heights, midtown, montrose, river oaks etc don't want onto the east side of downtown, but not where the stadiums are because visitors would notice. The heights actually has an intercity bus station at 1516 Airline Dr, Houston, TX 77009. 1 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted October 14 Share Posted October 14 (edited) On 10/8/2024 at 12:58 PM, j.33 said: Greyhound is a private company so the city doesnt really have anything to do with this. Also, this was already an existing Greyhound station. The only thing that happened was the midtown ops were moved from Midtown to east end. Greyhound is a private company, but they also have to have permits from the city. you also need to understand the difference between Greyhound and other bus companies, and also the role the Midtown station (and now the Magnolia station) plays in the prison system. https://ingehondebrink.nl/project/huntsville/ the thing you need to grasp is that the threat isn't the released inmates getting off the bus in Houston. understand that they are released with a specific kit, which includes distinctive bag (you can see in the image), and an amount of money, a cell phone and other stuff. the threat isn't these released inmates. the threat is people who know exactly what to look for, then they do some crime on the released inmates to take their things. so not only do you now have criminals targeting people, but you have people who were recently released, have criminal history, and are now stuck in the area. what do you think happens next? they can't exactly drop a dime to call a parole officer, no more pay phones and certainly the cell phone that's been given to them as part of their release has been stolen. if these former inmates are smart, they ditch the bag and lose anything that might distinguish them from the crowd, but even still, when they get off the bus in Houston, they likely don't have anyone picking them up and they are on their own to get to whatever halfway house they are supposed to get to. so yeah, this isn't just a normal Greyhound station. it has no business being in a neighborhood setting, the police were right to have heightened security, they should have kept it up. it's really great that there's a Tornado bus station near the heights, but there's nothing at all relevant between a regional bus company that primarily shuttles families to/from the valley, and a bus station that receives recently released prison inmates that end up being targets of crime because they are easy targets. Edited October 14 by samagon 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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