San Antonio activists rallied in front of City Hall Tuesday to launch a petition that could allow voters decide whether to decriminalize marijuana and abortion along with outlawing police choke holds and no-knock warrants.
Alamo City-based police reform group Act 4 SA and its partners want to let local voters decide whether to amend San Antonio's City Charter with those changes during the May 2023 general election.
“This policy is not only morally just, it is fiscally responsible and will allow us to shift the tax dollars that we so desperately need ... to lift the community out of poverty, doing more to answer the root causes of crime than simply arresting the problem away,” Act 4 SA Executive Director Ananda Tomas said during the rally.Alamo City-based police reform group Act 4 SA and its partners want to let local voters decide whether to amend San Antonio's City Charter with those changes during the May 2023 general election.
Organizers need at least 20,000 signatures to get their “justice charter” revisions onto the ballot for the city’s May 2023 general election. Tomas and others are aiming for 35,000, however, since some signatures are likely to be invalidated during the city's review process.
Activists want to force the city to prioritize citations rather than jail as as a way to deal with low-level, non-violent offenders. That change would allow more resources to go towards programs like mental health services while keeping impoverished people from caught in a cycle of incarceration, they argue.
Organizers will host a launch celebration for the petition this Saturday at Southtown's Friendly Spot, 943 S. Alamo St. During the event, which will run 5:30-7:30 p.m., those registered to vote in the city can sign the petition.
“I really think that we’re gonna get it on the ballot and get it on the ballot quickly,” Tomas said.
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