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A mural memorializing 14 Bexar County and San Antonio residents killed by law enforcement officers or in-custody deaths was defaced outside of Martin Luther King Jr. Academy on MLK Day.
At least 10 of the 14 portraits were defaced some time between Sunday and Monday. The mural was completed last month after a process that began in March of last year. It features family members holding photographs of their deceased loved ones.
The mural was commissioned by ACT4SA and was painted on the wall of Greater Faith Institutional Church at 3514 Martin Luther King Drive, an area where earlier in the day more than 300,000 people participated in the annual march honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
ACT4SA Executive Director Ananda Thomas said the mural is meant to remind people that the names depicted there are human and not criminals or a number.
“These are people. They're brothers or sisters or fathers or daughters,” she said.
The mural cost about $20,000, according to Thomas. The project was funded primarily through sponsors including ACT4SA, the Marquis Jones Foundation, TOP Education Fund and other organizations.
"It's not just that we say their names," said Thomas. "It's not just that their stories and their lives continue and the fight for justice, but it's a reminder, right? We still have an issue with police violence in some cases. We still have an issue with criminal justice reform. We still have an issue with violence in general, against Black and Brown people, systemic racism, and they chose MLK Day for this,” she said.
Bishop Rosa Wilson founded the church with her late husband nearly 30 years ago.
“Over the 29 years, we worked hard to make this facility a house of refuge, not a place of vandalism,” Bishop Wilson said. “We march once a year against these types of injustices, and so we are heartbroken that this has taken place on such a memorial day.”
The names on the mural include Melissa Perez, Darrell Zamalt Sr., Antronie Scott, Kevin Johnson, Gilbert Flores, Damien Daniels, Marquise Jones, Charles Roundtree, Jesse Aguirre, Norman Cooper, AJ Hernandez, Bill Jones, Emmanuel Mora, and John Montez.
One of the images that was not damaged was the one of Marquis Jones. Jones was killed in 2014 by an off-duty SAPD officer, his family, including his 12-year-old daughter Kaelynne was present at the mural Monday night.
“I just feel real disrespected because they shouldn't have done that to anybody on that wall, because that's all their people and all their memories of them. I'm glad they didn't get to my dad, but that's just wrong,” she said.
Her mother, Mel Nation, said while she was thankful Jones’ portrait was not damaged, the vandalism was a malicious and ignorant act.
“The fact that they did it on Martin Luther King Day adds more insult to injury, because these people, these are their loved ones, their significant others. … This is their memory,” she said.
Jones’ portrait is the first to appear on the mural starting on the left side. Three others — Kevin Johnson, Gilbert Flores, and Jesse Aguirre — were also not defaced. All the other images were damaged, including the faces of their family members.
Marquise Jones’ younger sister, Sade Manor, said she was angry that someone would cause such destruction.
“I'm really lost for words, because you all put a lot of work into this and for them to disrespect people's faces and take it off like if they don't mean anything,”
The cost for repairs is estimated to be close to $5,000. Donations can be made at act4sa.org/give. As of Monday night, a police report about the vandalism had not been filed.
