Ashamed to be from San Antonio

[Kovner]

Huh? I've lived in San Antonio for 16 years (mostly in Austin the past few years) and its a great city.
All of the problems you describe are characteristic of any big city - crime rates, gangs, etc.
I live on the North Side but it is definitely not the only nice place in SA to live.
I, for one, have never been the victim of crime, and I enjoy everything San Antonio has to offer.