San Antonio – As San Antonio streets echo with calls for change to policing, District 3 Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran is looking back to the origin of those protests for possible answers on ways forward.
Viagran said she has been having conversations with Minneapolis City Councilwoman Alondra Cano since the beginning of protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. Now, after Cano and other council members formed a veto-proof majority in support of disbanding the police department, Viagran said Cano will be sharing details of the Minneapolis council’s plans, though she has not done so yet.
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“I’m gathering all the resources, gathering the different strategies and trying to realize what will work best for San Antonio,” Viagran said. “And we’re coming into our budgeting cycle. So we have to be -- I want to make sure that I get prepared and to share with my colleagues when I’m ready to share different ideas.”
“I’m just wondering what -- how are they planning? How are they even talking about what to do with law enforcement? Because we still have elements that need to stay in place for protection of people and property," she added.
However, Viagran said disbanding police in San Antonio is “not what proposal I’m pushing forward right now.”
The San Antonio councilwoman said she is open to all ideas and conversations, and she is looking at other areas of the country, too, like Los Angeles, Georgia and Ohio.
“So we need to have all of the ideas in a pot. The best ones will rise to the top, and we will figure out what is best for San Antonio,” Viagran said.