Blog
“I tried telling my mom…”
This is my story... I was young probably 6 I believe I really don't remember. I was in my brother's room my mom was in her room sleep and her brother was in the room with me I remember the tv was on it happened fast or maybe I have blocked that part out because the...
Stats Show Violent Crime On the Rise in San Antonio Over the Past Decade
On a national level, crime is at historic lows in this country. Sure, the annual stats released by the FBI Monday might seem alarming at first glance – a 4 percent increase in violent crime from 2014 to 2015. But last year, violent crime was still 17 percent below...
Law enforcement officers, health care workers trained to help human trafficking victims
SAN ANTONIO -- The 2nd Annual Alamo Area Coalition Against Trafficking Conference kicked off Tuesday morning. The conference is being held at University United Methodist Church on De Zavala Road. It's for law enforcement, healthcare workers, and others who work with...
Alamo Youth Center would help sex trafficking victims recover
SAN ANTONIO -- The fight to end human trafficking. Local experts are now telling News 4 San Antonio that many of the children sold into sex slavery are not able to find a way out because they simply have nowhere to go. Turns out there's little police can legally do,...
SAPD: Arrest for 1999 crimes may lead to other victims
SAN ANTONIO - After being charged with two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, crimes that were allegedly committed in 1999, Robert F. Acosta, 36, proclaimed his innocence Wednesday as he was led away in handcuffs. After watching the news reports, Carmen...
Rape Crisis Center plans to move into bigger building
SAN ANTONIO -- The Rape Crisis Center just signed a new lease, and is planning to move from its current West Side location to the Sabine Building along the 4600 block of Centerview Drive. For survivors of sexual assaults, the Rape Crisis Center has been a lifeline....
Woman groped at gym pool shares story
SAN ANTONIO – The woman who police say was groped by a naked man at a gym pool in the Medical Center is sharing her story. News 4 is not naming her to respect her rights as a survivor of attempted sexual assault. She says in hindsight, she was not prepared for the...
San Antonians train for active shooting situations
SAN ANTONIO - Close to 150 people showed up at the STW Krav Maga training facility Saturday to participate in a workshop on what to do in emergency situations. The hands-on training addressed active shootings, rape scenarios, and parking lot attacks. It was organized...
“Beauty from Ashes”
TW: This powerful testimonial was sent to us anonymously through our Start by Believing page. The injustices she faced will make your blood boil, but the courage and strength she has shown to overcome her past is absolutely incredible. She details her story from the...
Ambassador Q&A: David Levey, MD
David Levey, MD is a radiologist in Shavano Park and served on our Board of Trustees from December 2011 to January 2016. He left his seat on the board because his schedule no longer allowed him to serve in a full capacity, but David still wanted to support the...
Dad defends son accused of sex crime against 7-year-old boy
BEXAR COUNTY-The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office arrested 26-year-old Aaron Decker after they say he sexually assaulted a 7-year-old boy during a sleepover. Webster Alexander III says his son is innocent, "Something's not right there." Alexander says around three Sunday...
‘Women of Ill Repute’ Bring Poetic Exploration to the Guadalupe
A poetic exploration of “self-discovery and wisdom, power and weakness, despair and transcendence,” the all-female production Women of Ill Repute: REFUTE! first took the Guadalupe Theater’s stage 15 years ago, when its creators donated a portion of proceeds to the...
Ambassador Q&A: Roxy Pruski
A little to know about Roxy: 1) her whole world revolves around her amazing husband and four kids, and 2) she's super-involved at her church, St. Jerome, that happens to sponsor our annual Run 4 Hope 5K (we have Roxy to thank for that). She served as our...
City’s budget proposal would cut domestic violence “Safety Net” programs
San Antonio: We need your help. What We Know Mid-June, we learned that the City of San Antonio Municipal Government is considering cutting $1.3M in funds for agencies that provide domestic violence "Safety Net" services (i.e. The Rape Crisis Center and Family...
Funding cuts for domestic violence prevention would hit mayor’s former district hardest
SAN ANTONIO -- The biggest debate of the city budget season raged on Tuesday, nearly three weeks after Mayor Ivy Taylor and members of city council said that it was time to reevaluate how the city divides up money for 'safety net' programs. The comments, made during a...
“This is my story. This is my pain.”
TW: This powerful testimonial was sent to us by its creator, Natasha, about the effects that childhood sexual abuse by family members had on her – which started when she was in Pampers – and the effects of not being believed. She bravely details her journey from how...
The Source: City May Cut Contribution To Safety Net Agencies
The city of San Antonio is considering reducing $1.3 million from delegate agencies dealing with community safety net programs. The cuts affect programs within the Rape Crisis Center, the Family Violence Prevention Services Inc, and other associated safety net...
Vital agencies could lose city funding
As the city of San Antonio gets ready to finalize its budget for next year, more than a million dollars could be taken away from a variety of agencies, including those that help victims of domestic violence and rape. “These are agencies doing services, vital services...
San Antonio Budget proposal would cut domestic violence and homeless programs to expand workforce development
A San Antonio proposal to cut $1.3 million from programs including domestic violence and correspondingly expand workforce development is “criminally shortsighted,” said District 8 Councilman Ron Nirenberg. The proposal to redirect the funds was supported by Mayor Ivy...
Proposal to Cut Family Violence Prevention Programs Follows String of Grisly Child Abuse Cases
It’s city budget-writing season, bringing with it a collective case of heartburn for nonprofits across San Antonio that are anxiously waiting to see whether they’ll continue to get the public money many of them depend on to keep their doors open every year. And as...
‘It’s a miracle that she’s alive.’
SAN ANTONIO -- A local mom says her daughter was the victim of human trafficking, and she's grateful to have her back home."It's a blessing; it's a miracle that she's alive." We're not naming this mom, but she is an advocate for the Rape Crisis Center. She says even...
“I will take a stand and believe in others…”
I was 8 until I was 16 and was sexually and physically assaulted by my father I told people no one believed me and he still walks free ...I got out on my own and still suffer from things that happened to me during my childhood I will take a stand and believe in others...
Rape Crisis Center reacts to Stanford sex assault case
First, there was outrage when a star athlete received a light sentence for a brutal rape. Then Monday, the convicted rapist's father added fuel to the fire when he said his son was punished too harshly for "20 minutes of action." In west San Antonio, the Rape Crisis...
A new rape crisis hotline is serving an unlikely group
Joe Booth, 47, figures he's only alive because one person out of dozens responded to letters he'd written begging for help. Serving time in a state prison near San Diego in 2009 for making a death threat against a man who defrauded his ailing mother, he was...
Young athlete accuses CYO coach of sexual abuse
SAN ANTONIO - The Bexar County Sheriff's Office arrested a coach on allegations he abused a young athlete over the course of several months last year. An agency spokesperson identified the coach as 48-year-old Jeffrey Ramos. Last week Bexar county deputies were called...
“Friends and counselors who believed me…saved my life”
Believing me, and that I wasn't at fault, was too much for my mother. Friends and counselors who believed me, and believed I did nothing to cause it, saved my life. #StartByBelieving Click here to share your experience of being believed or not believed. Click here to...
Community comes together to take a stand against child abuse
SAN ANTONIO - The list of high-profile child abuse cases in South Texas has continued to increase this year. To help end the cycle members of the San Antonio community gathered to shine a light on the growing problem. On April 29, Bexar County deputies found two small...
Q&A with Angela Peña: “Taking action, doing more”
Angela Peña has been an ambassador with The Rape Crisis Center since January 2016. She’s an RN and administrator for Special Kids Care and the Founder and President of Humor for Heroes, a nonprofit that provides a comedic outlet to military members and their...
Fighting & Exposing Human Trafficking
SAN ANTONIO -- The documentary film, "The Cantinera," will be featured on Thursday evening at the Alamo Draft House Park North, as part of a fundraiser for the Heidi Search Center. Executive Director of the Heidi Search Center Dottie Laster was a part of the film...
SAPD officer arrested for sexual assault of a child
Juan Ruiz-Carrillo served for 5 years as an SAPD officer on the streets. Chief William McManus says he was supposed to report to work Monday and called out sick. They were able to arrest him Tuesday. "We have enough probable cause, we had enough evidence to get a...
Support Us
The Rape Crisis Center Is A
501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization