SAN ANTONIO — The Defund SAPD Coalition has posted a travel advisory to Twitter declaring the City of San Antonio a “Sundown Town" and discouraging people from coming to the Alamo City.
“It’s true that Black people experience higher rates of violence -- specifically from police -- by virtue of socioeconomic stratification,” said Marlon Davis, a member of the coalition.
The term "Sundown Town" dates back to times of racial segregation when cities would post signage saying Black people needed to leave town by sundown, or potentially face violent consequences.
The advisory comes weeks after deputies with the Bexar County Sheriff's Office shot and killed Damian Daniels, a Black combat veteran, during a wellness check; and the arrest of Mathias Ometu, who accused the San Antonio Police Department of civil rights violations after being taken into custody even after officers determined he wasn't the suspect they were searching for.
Davis says their use of the term isn't literal, but figurative.
“San Antonio became the most economically segregated city in the nation," Davis said. "So when we talk about structural violence, this is another way of (showing) what that looks like."
After San Antonio Express-News published an article on the advisory, it caught the attention of the San Antonio Police Officers Association.
“To me, I just think it was irresponsible to drop something like this -- to potentially alienate a specific group of people from wanting to come to San Antonio to spend their money and have a good time and be basically told, 'Something could happen to you by the police,'" said SAPOA President Michael Helle.
The travel advisory made by the coalition isn’t supported by any research or statistics, but Davis says it’s not about that. Instead, he says it’s about awareness.
“We felt it was a necessary means of raising attention and raising alarm and bringing more visibility to the fact that we are at risk here," Davis said. "And there isn’t a meaningful effort besides lip service.”