Timeline: George Floyd protesters, SAPD, Alamo defenders clash in San Antonio protests

By Marina Starleaf Riker, Silvia Foster Frau, and Vincent T Davis

Updated 1:02 am CDT, Sunday, May 31, 2020

On Saturday night, San Antonio joined other cities in rallying for the arrest of the Minneapolis Police Department officers in connection to the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died while in police custody on Monday.

Below is an abridged timeline of the night’s events. For live coverage of the ongoing situation, visit ExpressNews.com.

11:30 p.m. | Mayor Ron Nirenberg signed a local disaster declaration and issued a temporary curfew for the downtown area effective 11:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday and from 10 p.m. on Sunday until 6 a.m. Monday.

“This brief curfew will protect the safety of people and property in the downtown business district while allowing the vast majority of people to peacefully assemble,” Nirenberg said.

11 p.m. | Officers are deploying flash-bang grenades .

10:30 p.m. | Mayor Ron Nirenberg posted to Facebook: “What started out as a righteous demonstration has devolved for a few folks out there. I hope everyone downtown tonight realizes this is your city, too.”

10:24 p.m. | A line of officers deployed tear gas at protestors at N. Alamo Street and Houston Street. A solid line of officers armed with batons, wearing gas masks, then began moving toward the crowd, forcing them up North Alamo in an attempt to disperse those remaining.

9:23 p.m. | As demonstrations continue in Alamo Plaza and the surrounding area, protestors egged SAPD squad cars,  put protest signs on them and broke a window at the San Antonio visitors center. ⁦

8:00 p.m. | A stampede of protestors ensued. People sprinted from the scene, running into each other and screaming. Some said they’d heard rubber bullets being fired. Others said the police had begun to enclose on the protestors in a way that caused them to run. Most ran because others were running, fearful of a shooting.

7:44 p.m. | At Alamo Plaza, protestors alternate between yelling at police and at Alamo defenders, who are behind them. Police have formed a barricade of bikes, and another row of police are carrying batons between both groups.

6:44 p.m. | The San Antonio Police Department estimates that at least 5,000 people marched against police brutality and to commemorate George Floyd. The crowd remained peaceful as it passed SAPD headquarters and headed back toward Travis Park.

5:36 p.m. | At Travis Park, hundreds of people are gathered to listen to activists and community members speak about overcoming racial injustice. The crowd stands quiet, until they’re prompted by speakers to briefly chant, “We can’t breathe!” and “Black lives matter!”

5:10 p.m. | Next to the Alamo, there’s a line of at least a dozen police cars, where officers are suiting up in protective vests and riot gear. Some have batons and zip ties, a couple have shields. They are closest to the counter protest planned at the Cenotaph, not the George Floyd demonstration.

4:30 p.m. | In preparation for Saturday evening’s demonstration against police brutality and the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus told reporters during a news briefing that there will be a “massive” law enforcement presence around the downtown area.

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