SAN ANTONIO — City Council members debated the merits of a curfew at downtown's Hemisfair Park, with some expressing concern that the public wasn't allowed a meaningful chance to weigh in, before deciding to table the conversation altogether until a later date.
The result appeared to be gathering momentum Thursday afternoon in City Hall even before San Antonio Police Chief William McManus downplayed the need for a curfew from a law enforcement perspective.
"I don't believe that public safety is an issue in that area. The calls for service don't back that up," McManus said while responding to questions from council. "To put a curfew in that park that's in the urban hub of the city with a lot of businesses in there, and a lot of other activity, in my opinion, is not a good idea."
Minutes later, Mayor Ron Nirenberg pulled it from the agenda, preventing a vote from taking place when he said the proposal was "not ready for primetime." The recommendation had been advanced by the Public Safety Committee in June, and was being presented before full council this week due to there being no meetings in July.
A majority of council had already expressed a desire to put the item on ice by that point in the conversation.
Currently, only six parks are excluded from an existing city ordinance placing an 11 p.m.-to-5 a.m. curfew on all parks, including Hemisfair. The proposal would have changed that, while making exceptions for residents of the park and those who are cutting through it to get to their cars, hotel room or a business.
Those found to be in violation would be stopped by SAPD patrol officers, which would have the discretion to issue a citation or not. Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez took issue with that enforcement approach, suggesting not everyone would be viewed equally.
"Everyone is not treated the same, that's point-blank, period," the District 2 council member said. "An officer can see a little old lady and determine she’s not a threat and then decide, ‘I’m not going to approach her.’ But you see a young Black man in a hoodie doing the same thing, and they may feel compelled to make sure that he’s supposed to be there and that he doesn’t pose a threat."
McKee-Rodriguez also denounced how quickly the item came before City Council, saying "due diligence has not been conducted" and emphasizing more community input was needed first.
That sentiment reverberated throughout council as a consensus quickly grew to put off a vote, even from leaders – some of whom are running for mayor next year – who said they supported the idea of a curfew in theory.
Councilman Manny Pelaez said he felt council was "piecing this together on the fly." Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia expressed a desire to discuss "who this criminalizes and who it doesn't." Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda shared concerns for restaurant employees who work in the park and could be stopped leaving or going to work. And Councilman John Courage offered a middle ground of keeping the park open later on weekends to encourage more tourist activity in an area that will be "surrounded by hotels and restaurants and bars" in the coming years.
Councilwoman Terri Castillo, meanwhile, suggested it was hypocritical to be discussing a downtown park curfew a day after City Council was briefed on plans for a downtown Missions baseball stadium meant to bring more foot traffic to the area. She and others added that some San Antonians' schedules, as well as the hot summer conditions, make it more amenable to frequent Hemisfair at night.
“Folks should be allowed," Castillo said. "They pay their taxes, costs continue to go up. Now we’re telling you, ‘No, you can’t access these places that you pay for.’ It’s a disserve, it’s insulting and I will not be supportive of it.”
Andres Andujar, Hemisfair CEO, previously told KENS 5 the proposed ordinance was preventative in nature.
"Perception is very critical for a destination like Hemisfair in that we need to protect," Andujar said. "It's the perception of security and the actual delivery of security, so this (proposed curfew) is preventive, largely, but in response to what we have noticed in the area with more and more activity that's taking place this year."
The proposal was supported by District 1 City Councilwoman Dr. Sukh Kaur, whose district encompasses Hemisfair. She said it's the result of businesses and residents in the area who wanted "additional safety protocols" in the aftermath of recent violent crime downtown.
Yet Thursday's conversation boiled down to the perspective of safety versus what the data shows. McKee-Rodriguez pointed out that most calls for police service at the park happen outside proposed curfew hours, adding that Park Police headquarters is already located on the premises.
McManus backed that up later when, while responding to a direct question from Councilman Marc Whyte about whether the curfew was an urgent need to bolster safety, the police chief suggested it wasn't a need at all.
“I don’t believe that the environment calls for increased security in terms of adding a curfew in there," McManus said. "I don’t believe the incidents of crime in that area, from a law enforcement perspective, merit implementing a curfew in that park.”
That led to a change of heart for Whyte, who moments before said he supported the curfew to make the park safer. Instead, he said he would also support tabling the item.
Nirenberg said that, if it ever did return before the full governing body, he expected public forums to be scheduled.