SAN ANTONIO – Signs say they’re open, but Club Sirius is still dark inside.
“We’re trying to stay safe,” General Manager Sarah Moya said.
Club Sirius is one of the multiple businesses in downtown San Antonio boarding up its windows ahead of rallies scheduled this weekend.
There has been no indication these events will turn violent, but protests in the past have owners trying to be preventative.
“Everything that goes into this bar comes from us, and we just don’t want to have to close for any reason,” Moya said.
The rallies and marches scheduled for Saturday are in opposition to President Donald Trump’s Administration and the military parade happening in Washington, D.C. this weekend.
Half a dozen businesses were newly boarded up this week.
Remember, not all the storefronts with boards on their windows downtown are a direct result of protests and rallies. A strip of stores south of City Hall has been vacant for a while.
“We’re level setting expectations associated with the protest,” Trish DeBerry, the president & CEO of Centro San Antonio, said. “Voices have to be heard, because that is the democracy that we live in today.”
Protests on Wednesday night were peaceful. Centro San Antonio said it’s expecting the same for Saturday.
Regardless, the organization is sending emails and texts to business owners regularly. DeBerry said this keeps everyone connected.
