A Tale of Two Protests

May 31, 2020 - Downtown San Antonio

Story By: B Kay Richter and Jonathan Guajardo, San Antonio Sentinel

Editor’s Note: Saturday night, the streets of downtown San Antonio filled with throngs of protesters remembering the life of George Floyd, an unarmed African American man who died while in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The graphic nature of his death, coupled with the fact that the arresting officer used excessive force, placing a knee to the neck of the already handcuffed and prone Floyd, spurned a movement to end police brutality across the nation. This movement spread to cities all across America and, on Saturday, San Antonio received its fair share of both peaceful protests and violent confrontations. Although it is easy to lump these two together, it should be noted that both those law enforcement personnel on the ground throughout the night and city leaders recognized them as separate events led by separate groups. This is our attempt to share the story of the two separate incidents.

The First Protest: A Peaceful Demonstration

Travis Park was filled with thousands of protesters on Saturday afternoon chanting anthems such as “Black Lives Matter” and “No Justice, No Peace." The normally desolate downtown began to pulse with activity for the next two hours as these activists snaked a path towards the Public Safety Headquarters along S. Santa Rosa Blvd guided by SAPD officers who blocked the streets to help with their peaceful passage.

The majority of locals attending the protest wore their face masks as small streets and the city’s construction made social distancing difficult in some instances. While their voices were loud and their signs were indicative of the mood - these initial protests were peaceful despite concerns that they could spur violence. 

“After much debate, all four of us went, kids too,” Cherise Rohr-Allegrini wrote in a Facebook post following her family’s attendance. “We discussed an escape plan if things got scary. The event was packed,” she wrote. 

Rohr-Allegrini also noted that though physical distancing was not an option amid the powerful speeches and crowd solidarity, almost 100 percent of attendees were donning masks in order to comply with the current Covid-19 pandemic. 

As the crowds slowly wedged their way from Travis Park to the police headquarters, the sounds of chanting mixed with the buzzing of police helicopters could be heard along the streets. A few downtown residents held up signs of support while employees from restaurants and hotels - came out to applaud and cheer the crowd. Even cars joined in on the protest by honking and other motorists either posted signs from inside their vehicles or wrote messages on their car windows. Some onlookers even parked their cars along the route and cheered in support. 

However, many in attendance felt that the gathering should maintain a solemn atmosphere to honor the dead. That sentiment echoed clearly when organizers read off the names of those slain during situations with police. The organizers of the peaceful rally, the Autonomous Brown Berets de San Antonio, who have a history of focusing on issues of police brutality, seemed happy with the turn out and the participation of their event. However, they also left a warning via a Facebook post: “Let it be clear, that this movement is not over. In San Antonio, we must continue to be strident in showing solidarity with the black community in San Antonio and around the world.” 

The group also thanked Kimiya Factory, one of the leaders of the event for her response in organizing and responding in what they called “one of the largest call to action events San Antonio has seen in recent memory.” 

Debbie Bush, the aunt of Marquise Jones, a young man who died following an altercation with San Antonio Police officer Robert Encina in 2014 (who was later found not to be liable in the death of Jones) addressed the need for police accountability.

“We’re about Spurs, we’re about Fiesta, we’re all about these things - but what about the young black and brown lives that are being taken?” she asked while addressing the crowd gathered at Travis Park. 

The Second Protest: Anarchy in the Alamo City

 Following the dispersal of the peaceful protest in Travis Park, a second group of demonstrators flanked towards the Alamo. As the sun made its way below the horizon, and the darkness of night descended upon the city, so too did a dark cloud alight over downtown San Antonio. Whereas earlier in the day the protest remained peaceful, towards the end, this new wave of protestors made their violent intents known, with many attempting to incite confrontations with police barricading along Houston street by the Alamo, and others confronting another group of armed demonstrators in front of the Alamo itself. 

The group of armed demonstrators (referring to themselves as the Texas Freedom Fighters) were present due to a planned response to guard the Alamo Cenotaph after an incident involving vandalistic graffiti of the monument on Friday. According to a report by Texas Public Radio, this is where the violence first erupted with altercations taking place between the two groups.

After police safely separated the two groups and escorted the armed demonstrators away from the Alamo, the protesters continued marching downtown. This time, the climate of unrest was caused by demonstrators arguing amongst themselves and the counter-protesters. Despite the best efforts of San Antonio police and law enforcement on the ground, the chants of “I Can’t Breathe” would eventually give way to the suffocating reality of riotous looting of local businesses and streets laden with tear gas in an attempt to cease the break-ins and vandalism. Shortly after 9:30 p.m. is when rioters began breaking windows along East Houston Street and looting from small shops and local downtown businesses, including many at Rivercenter Mall.

By 11 p.m., the conflict had mostly subsided, with Mayor Ron Nirenberg issuing a curfew for the downtown business district. 

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus spoke during a press conference shortly after the rioting ended. While he could not give a monetary damage report for the businesses which were affected - he was quick to provide a distinction between the two groups of protesters.

“The planned demonstrations from earlier today were peaceful and the organizations did exactly what they said they would do to keep others safe,” McManus said in a statement to the press on Saturday evening. “The situation was escalated by some bad actors whose only intent was to incite violence and cause destruction. The actions of a few do not represent the majority of those who came out to peacefully demonstrate.”