{"id":660397,"date":"2026-03-16T20:08:22","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T20:08:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/660397\/"},"modified":"2026-03-16T20:08:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T20:08:22","slug":"san-antonio-activists-restore-say-their-names-anti-police-violence-mural","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/660397\/","title":{"rendered":"San Antonio activists restore Say Their Names anti-police violence mural"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"The Say Their Names mural on San Antonio\u2019s East Side has been restored after an act of vandalism. Credit: Courtesy \/ Act 4 SA<\/p>\n

A mural honoring victims of police brutality has been restored after its vandalization<\/a> during the Martin Luther King Jr. March in late January. <\/p>\n

The newly restored mural was revealed over the weekend by police accountability group Act 4 SA. The repainted portraits of victims and their families now include a graffiti-resistant coating to prevent future efforts to deface the work, organizer Ananda Tom\u00e1s told the Current.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis mural was born from pain,\u201d Tom\u00e1s said in remarks at Sunday\u2019s re-unveiling. \u201cIt was built from love. And now, it is resurrected by power \u2014 our power.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tom\u00e1s raised funds through Act 4 SA\u2019s website to pay for the restoration of the mural, 3514 Martin Luther King Drive. The work is the creation of artist David Blancas<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tom\u00e1s told the Current the mural cost $20,000 to create and $10,000 to restore.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the real cost? That\u2019s measured in birthdays missed. In graduations never walked. In arms that will never hug again,\u201d Tom\u00e1s said during Sunday\u2019s ceremony.<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Courtesy \/ Act 4 SA<\/p>\n

The Say Their Names mural\u00a0features portraits of 14 San Antonians who died after run-ins with San Antonio police officers and Bexar County deputies.\u00a0Tom\u00e1s said the organization now honors 33 victims, including those who have died since the mural was created and additional victims dating back to the 1970s.<\/p>\n

After San Antonio\u2019s MLK March on Jan. 19, Tom\u00e1s shared a live video showing the damage, which she said occurred during what\u2019s considered the largest march in the country honoring the late civil rights icon.<\/p>\n

Now, thanks to the power of community, it\u2019s restored once again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t ask for permission to remember. We don\u2019t negotiate accountability. We don\u2019t wait for systems to save us,\u201d Tom\u00e1s said in her unveiling ceremony speech. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe build our own safety. We tell our own truth. We honor our own dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"The mural features family members holding up portraits of their loved ones, the victims. Credit: Courtesy \/ Act 4 SA<\/p>\n

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