Act 4 SA

ACT 4 SA has a political advocacy arm called the ACT 4 SA Action Fund. ²

Background

ACT 4 SA is a nonprofit organization that advocates for lenient criminal justice policy with a focus on San Antonio, Texas. ¹ It calls for “accountable, compassionate, and transparent measures” regarding the “oppressive” criminal justice system and the police department. It also emphasizes “health” and “life-giving systems” as opposed to the current structure of society, which it characterizes as “trauma-inducing” and “rooted in racism and oppression.” It was founded by community activists who were instrumental in pushing Proposition B, the “Repeal Police Collective Bargaining Initiative” that would have withdrawn collective bargaining powers from a majority representative of San Antonio police officers. ^{2 3}

Activities

ACT 4 SA states that it is committed to five principles: “Trust Black & Indigenous Women,” “Gender Justice,” “Inclusion,” Movement Ecosystem,” and “Communities of Reciprocity.” It defines “Movement Ecosystem” as the pursuit of “abolition” through three actions: personal transformation through relationships, organizing a movement to “dismantle the politics, entrenched interests, and institutions of the criminal legal system,” and creating new institutions and norms to replace the current way society responds to “harm.”  ⁴

As of 2024, ACT 4 SA collected most of its political initiatives under its umbrella project, “People Over Policing.” This category included advocacy initiatives and petitions like “keep armed cops out of the central library,” “stand with Palestine,” “jail based voting,” and “stand with families” in relation to those who have lost loved ones “in police custody.” ⁵

ACT 4 SA also has an interactive guide breaking down the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) budget, as well as “dashboards” collecting information on the firings and suspensions of officers in the SAPD and Bexar County Sheriff’s Office. ^{6 7}

Financials

In 2022, Act 4 SA reported revenues of $450,735, expenses of $272,221, and ended the year with $209,195 in net assets. ⁸

ACT 4 SA raises money through ActBlue, a left-of-center donation processing platform. ¹

Leadership

As of 2024, Ananda Tomas was the executive director of ACT 4 SA. Tomas previously served as the deputy director of Fix SAPB, which ran a campaign in 2021 to push Proposition B. She worked as the regional field director for the presidential campaign of U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I) in 2016. ^{2 3}