San Antonio activists restore Say Their Names anti-police violence mural

The Say Their Names mural on San Antonio’s East Side has been restored after an act of vandalism. Credit: Courtesy / Act 4 SA

A mural honoring victims of police brutality has been restored after its vandalization during the Martin Luther King Jr. March in late January.

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 Tomás told the Current.

“This mural was born from pain,” Tomás said in remarks at Sunday’s re-unveiling. “It was built from love. And now, it is resurrected by power — our power.”

Tomás raised funds through Act 4 SA’s website to pay for the restoration of the mural, 3514 Martin Luther King Drive. The work is the creation of artist David Blancas.

Tomás told the Current the mural cost $20,000 to create and $10,000 to restore.

“But the real cost? That’s measured in birthdays missed. In graduations never walked. In arms that will never hug again,” Tomás said during Sunday’s ceremony.

Credit: Courtesy / Act 4 SA

The Say Their Names mural features portraits of 14 San Antonians who died after run-ins with San Antonio police officers and Bexar County deputies. Tomás 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.

After San Antonio’s MLK March on Jan. 19, Tomás shared a live video showing the damage, which she said occurred during what’s considered the largest march in the country honoring the late civil rights icon.

Now, thanks to the power of community, it’s restored once again.

“We don’t ask for permission to remember. We don’t negotiate accountability. We don’t wait for systems to save us,” Tomás said in her unveiling ceremony speech.

“We build our own safety. We tell our own truth. We honor our own dead.”

The mural features family members holding up portraits of their loved ones, the victims. Credit: Courtesy / Act 4 SA