ACT 4 SA Action Fund is a left-of-center nonprofit advocacy organization based in San Antonio, Texas, that was created in response to the demands for police accountability after the death of George Floyd. ¹ It advocates for cite-and-release policies that would create a category of misdemeanor offenses wherein individuals are issued citations instead of jailed to reduce incarceration rates. ²

Through its San Antonio Justice Charter Amendment Initiative, ACT 4 SA Action Fund advocated for a ballot measure that would create a “Justice Director” to oversee the implementation of policies that would reduce incarceration rates, address police misconduct, and reduce police staffing in what it determines to be “marginalized and oppressed communities.” ^{3 4}

Background

Founded in 2022, ACT 4 SA Action Fund is the advocacy arm of ACT 4 SA, a San Antonio-based nonprofit organization that advocates for administrative policies that regulate the authority of law enforcement. It bases its advocacy on the belief that law enforcement policies were founded to perpetuate racism and be oppressive. ⁵

ACT 4 SA and ACT 4 SA Action Fund were founded by a group of activists who organized campaigns in support of the 2021 San Antonio Proposition B ballot measure. ⁵ The measure would have withdrawn city authorization to engage in collective bargaining with police officers. ⁶

San Antonio Justice Charter Amendment Initiative

ACT 4 SA Action Fund campaigns in support of ACT 4 SA’s San Antonio Justice Charter Amendment Initiative. The initiative was a collection of ballot measures that include criminal justice policies that seek to lower incarceration rates by lowering and eliminating criminal penalties, including decriminalizing marijuana. ²

The San Antonio Justice Charter would mandate cite and release policies where individuals are issued a citation in lieu of being arrested for “low-level” misdemeanors. It also would prohibit San Antonio police officers from enforcing Texas state laws that criminalize providing or receiving an abortion. ⁴

ACT 4 SA’s Justice Charter Amendment Initiative also includes measures to address police violence, including banning no-knock warrants and the use of chokeholds by law enforcement. ⁴

The San Antonio Justice Charter also includes the creation of a “Justice Director” position that oversees the implementation of its ballot measures to ensure individuals are not arrested under the provisions of the ballot measures. ⁴ Additionally, the Justice Director would oversee a reduction in police staffing in what it determines to be “marginalized communities.” ²

The measure was voted on in 2023, and was defeated. ⁷

Advocacy

ACT 4 SA Action Fund advocates for policies that would require the San Antonio Police Department to expedite the process for releasing body camera footage of its officers. It is also critical that there have not been more police officers that faced suspensions for body camera infractions. ²

ACT 4 SA Action Fund campaigns in support of amending Chapter 143 and Chapter 174 of Texas’ local government codes as a means of addressing police accountability issues. ² It advocates for amending Chapter 174 to remove provisions that allow police union contracts to supersede state and local law. ⁸

In an interview with The Takeaway, ACT 4 SA Action Fund Founder and Executive Director Ananda Tomas explained that the organization advocates for amending Chapter 143 because it was voted on as a ballot initiative prior to the Civil Rights Act and ethnic minorities were not able to vote on it. ⁸

Leadership

Ananda Tomas is the founder and executive director of ACT 4 SA Action Fund and its sister organization, ACT 4 SA. She is also the founder of CopTheData, an online database that publishes information on police officers that have been suspended, rehired, or fired and details of their misconduct. In a January 2023 interview with San Antonio Report, Tomas stated she began political activism in 2020 in response to the death of George Floyd. ¹

1. Dimmick, Iris. “Act 4 SA’s Ananda Tomas Leads the Fight for Police Reform in San Antonio.” San Antonio Report, January 30, 2023. https://sanantonioreport.org/act-4-sa-ananda-tomas-police-reform/.
2. “Act 4 SA Action Fund’s Path to Police Accountability and Systemic Change.” ACT4SA, August 25, 2023. https://act4sa.org/action-fund/.
3. ^[1] “Act 4 SA Action Fund’s Path to Police Accountability and Systemic Change.” ACT4SA, August 25, 2023. https://act4sa.org/action-fund/.
4. “Sa Justice Charter.” ACT4SA, January 31, 2023. https://act4sa.org/sa-justice-charter/.
5. “Act 4 SA Builds Safer Communities in San Antonio.” ACT4SA, February 29, 2024. https://act4sa.org/about/.
6. “San Antonio, Texas, Proposition B, Repeal Police Collective Bargaining Initiative (May 2021).” Ballotpedia. Accessed July 29, 2024. https://ballotpedia.org/San_Antonio,_Texas,_Proposition_B,_Repeal_Police_Collective_Bargaining_Initiative_(May_2021).
7. “San Antonio, Texas, Proposition A, Law Enforcement on Abortion, Marijuana, and Police Actions Charter Amendment (May 2023).” Ballotpedia. Accessed August 5, 2024. https://ballotpedia.org/San_Antonio,_Texas,_Proposition_A,_Law_Enforcement_on_Abortion,_Marijuana,_and_Police_Actions_Charter_Amendment_(May_2023).
8. Harris-Perry, Melissa, and Deborah Goldstein. “Grassroots Organizers Reimagine Public Safety in San Antonio.” New York Public Radio, September 29, 2021. https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/takeaway/segments/grassroots-organizers-reimagine-public-safety-san-antonio?tab=transcript.