New charter initiative would decriminalize abortion care and marijuana possession, ban no-knock police warrants and chokeholds, and encourage citations instead of arrests for nonviolent crimes.
San Antonio, TX (Wednesday, February 8, 2023) – On Wednesday, February 8, the San Antonio City Clerk officially certified the San Antonio Justice Charter—a comprehensive justice policy initiative led by Ground Game Texas, Act 4 SA, and a coalition of more than a dozen organizations—for placement on the May citywide ballot.
Organizers submitted more than 38,000 signatures in support of the initiative, which was launched in October of 2022. The initiative would amend the City Charter of San Antonio to adopt a justice policy that will reduce unnecessary arrests, mitigate racial bias, and save scarce public resources through a comprehensive set of popular reforms, including:
- Ending enforcement of low-level marijuana possession
- Ending enforcement of abortion “crimes”
- Banning no-knock police warrants
- Banning police chokeholds
- Prioritizing citations instead of arrests for low-level nonviolent crimes
“Thanks to the tireless efforts of Ground Game Texas, Act 4 SA, and our local partner organizations, San Antonio voters will have the chance to pass the first major abortion rights initiative to be put in front of voters since Roe v. Wade was overturned,” said Julie Oliver, Executive Director of Ground Game Texas. “But decriminalizing abortion care is just the start—the Justice Charter also includes a sweeping set of popular policies on policing and marijuana that will improve public safety and protect basic rights. We look forward to putting it in front of voters on the May ballot.”
“The simple truth is that these policies will SAVE lives by limiting unnecessary interactions with police that can lead to serious injury or even death- as we have seen recently with the shooting of Erik Cantu and death of Tyre Nichols,” stated Ananda Tomas, Executive Director of ACT 4 SA. “By passing this we will create a safer, more just San Antonio for all that can be a beacon of light for other cities across Texas and even across the nation.”
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About Ground Game Texas
Ground Game Texas is a voter engagement and mobilization organization founded by Register2Vote leaders Julie Oliver and Mike Siegel in 2021. Based in Austin, Ground Game Texas seeks to organize voters community-by-community, collaborating with partners on the ground to meet voters at their doors and push for popular progressive policies across the state of Texas.
About ACT 4 SA
ACT 4 SA empowers the San Antonio community through year-round base building, actions of solidarity, public education, policy, and advocacy. We are dedicated to pushing for accountable, compassionate, and transparent measures to create public safety that preserves and centers the health and well-being of our entire community.
