Michael Karlis
Act4SA Executive Director Ananda Tomas speaks to supporters of the Justice Charter during a rally in 2022.
A referendum that would decriminalize low-level marijuana possession in San Antonio, among other criminal-justice reforms, appears destined for the ballot in May.
Police accountability group Act 4 SA, voter-mobilization outfit Ground Game Texas and roughly a dozen other progressive organizations said they will submit more than 35,000 signatures Tuesday to the city clerk for verification. The groups need just 20,000 verified names to get their San Antonio Justice Charter in front of voters.
Other than decriminalizing small amounts of pot within city limits, the charter would end the criminalization of abortion in San Antonio. It also would codify the San Antonio Police Department leadership’s current ban on no-knock warrants and police chokeholds.
“So many long hours filled with sweat, and even some tears, went into gathering these signatures, and we couldn’t be more grateful to the incredible folks who were out there putting in the hard work,” Act4SA Executive Director Ananda Tomas said in an emailed statement.
The charter would still need approval from San Antonio voters in the May election. The city’s powerful and deep-pocketed police union has promised to campaign against it.
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