We know that the San Antonio Police Officer’s Association used a racist arbitrator to keep a police officer on the force for calling a black man the “N” word, and we all know that they used a bag of tricks to get a bad cop reinstated after trying to feed a homeless man a dog poop sandwich. We also know that Marquise Jones was shot in the back by an officer that the police union wants to keep hired after many other violations, and we know that 52 years ago SAPD officers got away with murder in the case of Bobby Joe Phillips. We also know that Norman Cooper was tasered to death by SAPD officers in his home. We also know that Jesse Aguirre was killed by SAPD officers in much the same way as George Floyd in 2015. We know that Antoine Scott was killed by SAPD officers in 2016 under questionable circumstances, and we know that Charles Roundtree Jr. was killed in 2018 in an apparent botched attack. We also know that Darrell Zemault was killed by SAPD and officers stood around asking if other officers were ok with what took place. We know that Webb Boyd was killed in 1978 by Bexar County security officers (they were found guilty) and Michael Haskins was murdered without justice in 1980.
What about the dozens that have been killed while having no weapon and often shot in the back—these are hidden by a corrupt and racist association that uses a collective bargaining contract that is full of dirty tricks. Their contract allows bad cops to stay as active police officers thereby endangering the safety of our community. A union like this needs to go, and this is why so many signed a petition (over 20,000 registered voters) to remove the so-called “Police Association” on May 1st during the city council elections. Early voting starts on April 19, and the church community sees that justice and civil rights can only be served by removal of the association that protects bad cops while corrupting the concept of “collective bargaining.”
In Austin, Texas this week hundreds of people from across the state will be going to testify how bad police officers are influenced by racists ideas and have abused blacks, brown, and even some whites across the state. The statewide action is being spearheaded by many black and brown local and state legislators and is expected to hear from families of victims murdered by bad cops in San Antonio. These statewide efforts will be asking for an end to “qualified immunity” a racist law that protests abusive officers, chokeholds, no knock warrants, and to hold these police unions accountable to the citizens they serve. Win or lose, the San Antonio Police Officer’s Association (SAPOA) is destroying itself by not negotiating in good faith. In fact, they are trying to deny the will of the people by trying to get the city to agree to a contract by next week before the April 19th early vote.
The SAPOA is using a bag full of lies to sucker punch people into believing that the vote is for so-called “defunding” —it is not. They are lying about trying so say that police officers will lose their jobs—another use of bald-faced HOGWASH. The vote on May 1st will be a vote cast for civil and human rights in San Antonio and the George Floyd Act at the state level will be another human rights effort that we all should support.
