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A mural paying tribute to people killed by law enforcement in San Antonio was restored this week after it was vandalized with graffiti on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January.
Among the improvements in the restoration, the mural now features more than 30 names, up from the original 14. ACT 4 SA, the mural’s organizing sponsor, coordinated more than $12,000 in donations to restore the portraits and add new names to the memorial.
The mural was completed in December and stood undisturbed until MLK Day, when black spray paint was used to cover the faces and names of 10 of the 14 original portraits.
Ananda Tomas, executive director of ACT 4 SA, told attendees at a dedication ceremony Sunday that she was grateful for the donations and support that helped bring the mural back stronger than before.
“This mural is even better, fully realized than it originally was. We've been able to build a timeline, add more names and add more protest signs to really make that whole image and message more powerful,” she said.
One additional portrait was added — that of 19-year-old Nathanial Moreno, who was killed in an encounter with San Antonio police last year. There are also 17 additional names painted on protest signs representing police-related deaths around San Antonio dating back to the 1970s.
Moreno’s mother, Lisa Moreno, was present to read a dedication.
“We gather in the presence of art, memory and community. The mural stands not only as a work of color and creativity, but as a living testament and a reminder of lives that have been lost, voices that have been silenced, and the collective call for justice that continues to echo through our streets and our hearts,” she said.
Tomas said some people are depicted with portraits while others are listed only by name because permission was required to paint someone’s likeness.
The original portraits on the mural include Melissa Perez, Darrell Zamault Sr., Antronie Scott, Kevin Johnson, Gilbert Flores, Sgt. Damien Daniels, Marquise Jones, Charles Roundtree, Jesse Aguirre, Norman Cooper, Andre "AJ" Hernandez, Bill Jones, Emmanuel Mora, and Sgt. John Peña Montez.
Organizers also plan to add one more name.
“We will also add the name of Ruben Ray Martinez, a local to San Antonio killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on South Padre Island in March of last year,” Tomas said. “We must be clear ICE is law enforcement and ICEterror is police terror.”
The restoration took about three weeks of work and included creating new panels for the mural. Artist David Blancas said that because much of the original mural was damaged, the entire wall was repainted in his studio before being installed again.
“There were four that weren't touched, but I wanted all the portraits to have as much detail,” he said. “So even those last four I recreated.”
The mural is painted on the walls of Greater Faith Institutional Church at 3514 Martin Luther King Drive. The church was founded more than 30 years ago by Bishop Rosa Wilson and her late husband.
To deter future damage, new lighting and security cameras have been installed. A protective sealant is also being applied that allows spray paint and other materials to be removed more easily.
Bishop Wilson said the vandalism ultimately inspired the mural to grow.
“What the adversary meant for evil God turns around for good,” she said. “It really showed us how many people were supporting us because it didn't take long to raise the money to rededicate this.”
The mural originally cost about $20,000 to install. Repairs were initially estimated at $5,000, but the final restoration — which involved rebuilding much of the mural — cost more than $12,000, all of which was funded by donations.
Among the largest donors was the office of District 2 City Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, which contributed $5,000.
“I want you all to know that y'all have an ally in me,” he said Sunday. “I'm going to continue to be engaged with the movement, be engaged with the calls for a better police department, and we're never going to let any of these names, any of these faces, any of these families be forgotten.”
Among those attending were family members of Sgt. John Peña Montez, who was killed by an SAPD officer in March 2021. His brother Joseph Montez described him as someone who made everyone laugh.
“My brother has always been the family clown,” he said. “When we got together for family gatherings he would have us in stitches just laughing. He was a good man, a religious man. He wasn't a perfect man, but who is?”
Montez said his brother was experiencing a mental health crisis at the time and questioned why his family was not called to help.
“I don't think that the police who are here to serve and protect us all used appropriate de-escalation training to kind of solve it and not kill him,” he said.
When the mural was vandalized, he said it felt like defacing a cemetery. Two months later, he said he was relieved to see it restored.
“I think it's a testament to this city's efforts into not letting these people, names and likenesses be forgotten,” Montez said.
Also present was the family of Emmanuel Mora, who died in 2023 while in the custody of Bexar County Sheriff’s deputies. Genevieve Garces, the mother of his daughter, said the mural allows her and her daughter to return and remember him.
“Just to see it come to life all over again, it gives you a sense of peace knowing that it's back up here and we can actually come back and visit from time to time,” she said.
Mora’s daughter, 14-year-old Faith Mora, said her father was always available to talk and was a kind man.
“It makes me happy to know that people are being remembered for what happened to them,” she said. “And it's moving to know that the community is seeing and understanding what happened.”
