National Guard troops continued to demolish rundown drug homes in Dallas on Thursday.
Operation Crackdown aims to tear down nearly 50 abandoned houses believed to have been havens for drug activity and crime.
The National Guard demolished at least two homes on Vandervoort Drive and Overton Court on Thursday.
The goal is to have developers come in and build new homes, bringing a new sense of community.
City Councilman Dwayne Carraway helped bring the program to Dallas.
“The only way we can grow -- first we have to clean it up," he said. "You can't grow around this. You have to first get rid of crime, rid of abandoned houses [and] make the community safe."
Monica Trevino was among residents and children who watched the demolition of one home.
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“I don’t let my kids come out the gate for anything,” Trevino said.
This is the program's second year in Dallas. In 2010, the city tore down 39 structures.
Funding for Operation Crackdown comes from statewide drug seizures.
