Jumbotron prompts Alamo standoff between anti-abortion activists, city officials

Police Chief William McManus discusses the event with the media. Police Chief William McManus discusses the event with the media. Photo: Joshua Fechter/San Antonio Express-News Photo: Joshua Fechter/San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 39 Caption Close Jumbotron prompts Alamo standoff between anti-abortion activists, city officials 1 / 39 Back to Gallery

San Antonio police and city officials blocked anti-abortion activists Wednesday from bringing a projection screen onto Alamo Plaza to display graphic images of late-term abortions.

Created Equal, an Ohio-based group working with San Antonio-based Love of Truth Ministries, had acquired a permit from the city for the demonstration in August.

But, city officials told the activists that using the "Jumbotron" would violate an ordinance banning digital signs on historic city property, including the plaza near the Alamo.

The city's claim — initially made in a Tuesday letter from Roderick Sanchez, the city's director of development services — prompted a standoff in Alamo Plaza on Wednesday between activists, police and city officials.

There, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus reiterated to Mark Harrington, Created Equal's executive director, that the group could not bring their projection screen onto the plaza.

"I informed them that we would not permit that to happen, but that they were more than welcome to distribute any literature or any other information that they wanted to put out and we'd be more than happy to help them accomplish that," McManus told reporters.

Harrington said the group will "consider all legal remedies" against the city and will consider returning to the city at a later time. He alleged city officials were discriminating against his group based on their plans to project images of late-term abortions.

"I can tell you this: we're not going to go away, this isn't the end of this," Harrington said.

The decision by police to bar demonstrators from bringing the screen onto plaza grounds followed hours of indecision.

Police first told protesters Wednesday they would be cited for a Class C misdemeanor if they proceeded, but said they would not prevent the group from doing so.

After consulting his lawyer, Harrington decided the group would proceed and take the citation.

McManus then arrived at the plaza and told activists they would not be allowed to set up shop.

Harrington provided copies of the group's permit for the demonstration and a series of emails between city officials and Daryl Rodriguez, Love of Truth Ministries president, detailing activists' plans to use the device.

District 1 Councilman Diego Bernal — one of three co-chairs of the Alamo Plaza Advisory Committee, a panel tasked with crafting a vision and guidelines for a master plan process for the plaza — said city staff told him the permit to use the screen was approved in error.

"I have my own personal feelings about whether or not that's appropriate or respectful," Bernal said. "At the same time, the city has an ordinance in place that specifically prohibits that kind of technology in historically designated areas, which the Alamo Plaza is."

The city plaza, once inhabited by mission Indians in the 1700s and later the site heavy fighting in the 1836 Battle of the Alamo, has had many different kinds of permitted events in recent years, including political rallies, gun-rights and animal-welfare demonstrations, a bull-riding competition and a boxing promotion.

"Right now, the plaza lends itself to a variety of uses, some of which are innocuous and some of which are, as you saw (Wednesday), potentially more inflammatory," Bernal said. "I don't think government should act as a censor, but at the same time, as I've said all along, the Alamo certainly deserves better than what we've shown. And at the very least, it deserves something definitive."

John L. Hinnant, a sixth-generation Texan and member of the Sons of the Republic of Texas, said he was glad the city shut down the "totally disgusting" demonstration. Although he said he is "anti-abortion with certain exceptions," Hinnant wants the city to limit public events in the plaza to those that are historic, educational or patriotic in nature.

"I'm all for First Amendment free speech, but certain decorum should be observed," he said. "The Alamo and Alamo Plaza are not the town square for any and all demonstrations, protests and gatherings. It is sacred ground."

jfechter@express-news.net

Twitter: @JFreports