Thousands of people took to the streets of San Antonio as part of a global protest spurred by video showing George Floyd dying while being pinned to the ground by police. Demonstrators from across the community protested injustice of systemic racism and police brutality nationwide.
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Wednesday, June 17
Council Women Jada Sullivan speaking at a gathering below.
Sunday, June 14
Queer Black Lives Matter March and Vigil was held and was joined by the Mayor.
LISTEN | “We know you don’t want anymore speeches, you want action” #SanAntonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg addresses crowd at the “Queer Black Lives Matter” March/Vigil #kens5eyewitness pic.twitter.com/qpOx6jxGyf
— Jordan Foster (@JordanfLive) June 14, 2020
We attended a vigil yesterday here in #SanAntonio for QUEER BLACK LIVES.
— ˗ˏˋ Roy ˊˎ˗ (@JoyOfRoyQ) June 14, 2020
Murdered Black Trans People aren’t spoken about enough. All LGB must support the Black T! #BlackLivesMatter #Blackqueerlivesmatter #BlackTransLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/4UT6X4JuBF
Tuesday, June 9
Another day of peaceful protests in downtown San Antonio.
Yesterday | San Antonio | Peaceful Protest | #BLACK_LIVES_MATTER pic.twitter.com/1EaVVIj0Se
— Octavio Quintanilla (@OctQuintanilla) June 9, 2020
Monday, June 8
Protests at La Villita, which has an officer, Doug Greene speaking about the movement.
Sunday, June 7
San Antonio faith leaders gathered at Main Plaza for a Prayer Vigil and poetry reading. Presenters in order of appearance:
Saturday, June 6th
Peaceful Protests from both downtown and Alamo heights are shown.
Scenes from this morning’s Alamo Heights march, organized in a whirlwind 36 hours by my wife, @ClaudiaStokes pic.twitter.com/1RmF0yOAyQ
— David Liss (@David_Liss) June 6, 2020
Thursday, June 4
A protest rally and march was held in front of the Bexar County Court House. Below are some videos are taken from the day, including words from the Mayor and citizens speaking up at the city council budget meeting.
San Antonio Mayor. @Ron_Nirenberg at the #blacklivesmatter protest. “Hold me accountable. I’m the mayor of the goddam city, and we’re gonna make changes together.” @mySA @ExpressNews pic.twitter.com/wb62N4CiCL
— RichardMarini (@RichardMarini) June 4, 2020
Citizens in San Antonio city council chambers break into chants of “Black Lives Matter” after public comment on budget adjustments due to the pandemic.
— Joey Palacios ? (@Joeycules) June 4, 2020
The speakers were calling for SAPD to be defunded after use of force by officers in #GeorgeFloyd protests. @TPRNews pic.twitter.com/S9eTSJyXib
Wednesday, June 3
San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood, who is Black, marched in plain clothes with the demonstrators Wednesday, along with his sons. Texas Public Radio's Joey Palacios caught up with him and interviewed him on Facebook live. Here's what Hood told the journalist:
"I'm marching because I've been witnessing the injustices of people of color all of my life, and I think it's important that people look through the lens of a minority, particularly a black men, who are living in fear of their lives.
"I have four boys, and I have to pray to God for the safety of my boys, and I have to give them lessons as far as what to do when the police pull you over. Most people don't see through that lens, but I do.
"I have my kids out here. This was one of the most horrific things that any of us have ever seen, and it was captured on TV, so you know it happens a lot. So it is important that my kids experience this and are able to pass this on.
"But I do believe this may be the one, George Floyd may be the one, that causes change. If you look at the diversity of the folks you've seen, throughout every city the nation, people very disappointed in what's been happening. So we're hoping to make some change. So it's very important for me to be here today.
"We've been protesting as a people throughout our history, and that is the only way we have been able to make positive change.
"It is unfortunate that you get a few people that want to wreak havoc and cause destruction. And it does take away from what we're here for.
"But I want to commend the people of San Antonio, I think we understand what needs to be done. I see people out here registering to vote, people out here really in a spirit of humanity, and I love it.
"And so I'm expecting people to protest tonight, and I am asking for everybody watching: protest, but protest safely. Protest to a point to keep my first responders safe tonight, because we're there for everybody. We just want people to go out and enjoy this moment of celebration and change, and do it safely."
(Chief Hood's remarks begin at the 5:38 mark in this video)
Sunday, May 31
This video by Bernie Santoya, a film student at Northwest Vista College, shows the peaceful mood on the second evening of protests, when, at one point, bicycle police accompanied the demonstrators along Houston Street. Listen to the stories of the people who came out to have their voices heard:
Saturday, May 30
How Chaos Gripped Downtown San Antonio Following a Peaceful, Orderly George Floyd March
By James Dobbins, the San Antonio Current
Saturday evening, I marched with 5,000 other San Antonians as they peacefully protested the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. The collective sorrow and rage were palpable. The victim’s name echoed between the buildings of downtown.The gathering began with a rally at Travis Park. A diverse crowd listened as speakers voiced anger about the United States’ legacy of systematic discrimination, racism and violence. They reminded the crowd that Floyd — a black man restrained by a police officer kneeling on his neck — is only the most recent victim of system rigged against black and brown people and the poor.
At the same time as raised our voices against racism, This Is Texas Freedom Force, or TITFF, a heavily armed right-wing group — some wearing patches showing support for the Confederacy — were allowed to “protect” the Alamo Cenotaph from vandals. (Read more)
Wednesday, June 3
This video of protests held at the San Antonio Police Department. It shows a peaceful demonstration and the voices of some of the people involved and why they felt it was important to be protesting.