"Protect Hillcrest" and "Stop Inner Harbor Desalination" signs have become part of the landscape in the Hillcrest neighborhood. On one street alone, there are three of them.
For years, residents have raised concerns about a proposed desalination facility in the Inner Harbor. With a Corpus Christi City Council vote on a design and build contract expected Tuesday, many feel they are running out of time to be heard.
Community members are preparing to protest outside City Hall again before the vote.
NAACP Corpus Christi President Deanna King declined an on-camera interview, saying she is focused on preparing her remarks for city council.
Not everyone in the neighborhood opposes the project. Sam Salinas, a Hillcrest resident, said he believes the city needs to move forward.
"We're crying about we don't have no water, right? Then again we don't want to desal water. Why not?" Salinas said.
Salinas said he understands his neighbors' concerns but believes water needs have to come first.
"What I say, or don't say, doesn't matter. They're going to make the decision over there but we need water." Salinas said.
Others see the vote as about much more than water.
At Brooks AME Worship Center — the last church still standing in Hillcrest — Pastor Claudia Rush says other parts of the city have not been asked to sacrifice as much. When asked what a yes vote would mean for the community, Rush said the outcome would send a clear message.
"A yes vote would say you're just going to do whatever you want to do. And it really doesn't matter that I live here." Rush said.
After decades of change, many residents say they are still fighting for something simple: to be seen as a community worth protecting.
"I remember Peter Zanoni quoting, 'It's not a neighborhood.' How dare you? It's a place where people live." Rush said.
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