Blanco BBQ 13259 Blanco Road San Antonio, TX 78216
Come to Blanco BBQ and run through the line first, then meet us in the Party Room.
We’ll be discussing candidates and activism around the upcoming May elections (deadline to file is Feb17). We’ll also be discussing how to maximize our impact to bring awareness to the recent eminent domain issue at the Alamo.
As we all know, eminent domain is the power of the government to take private property for public use. However, it is important to remember that this power can also be abused and used to take away the property and livelihoods of individuals for the benefit of private companies or politician’s pet projects.
This is why it is crucial for us, as Libertarians, to speak out against eminent domain and the injustice it can cause. Here in San Antonio, we have seen exactly this occur as the City Council votes to take property away from Vince Cantu and his Moses Roses Hideout bar taken away for the benefit of larger companies and development projects. This is not only morally wrong, but it also goes against the principles of property rights and individual liberty that we hold dear.
We must also remember that eminent domain not only affects property owners, but also the community as a whole. The loss of small businesses and family-owned properties can have a detrimental effect on the fabric of our neighborhoods and the local economy.
That is why we urge all of our members and supporters to get involved and make your voices heard. Attend city council meetings, write letters to the editor, and join protests and rallies against eminent domain. Together, we can make a difference and protect the rights of property owners and the community.
It’s also worth mentioning that eminent domain has always been a controversial topic and many politicians have spoken against it. Some of the quotes that have been made:
“Eminent domain is the process of taking property from one private owner without his consent in order to give it to another private owner, who will put the property to a use that is supposed to be more beneficial to the public.” – Ron Paul
“The use of eminent domain to transfer property from one private party to another for the latter’s private use, as well as for public use, is illegitimate and must be prohibited.” – Gary Johnson
“Eminent domain is a necessary tool for government to acquire land for public use, but it should never be used to benefit private interests. The government should not have the power to take away someone’s home or business for the benefit of a developer or corporation.” – Jo Jorgensen, Libertarian Party Presidential nominee
As you can see, many politicians have spoken out against the abuse of eminent domain. It is important that we continue to raise awareness and push for reform to protect the rights of property owners and the community.
Press Release: Libertarian Party of Bexar County Condemns Eminent Domain Abuse
San Antonio, TX, January, 26th – The Libertarian Party of Bexar County strongly condemns the abuse of eminent domain powers by the City of San Antonio to take away property and livelihoods of hardworking citizens such as Vince Cantu and his Moses Rose’s Hideout Bar.
Eminent domain, the power of the government to take private property for public use, is a destructive tool that allows politicians to prioritize their personal wishlists and crony projects over the livelihoods and businesses of private citizens. The government’s purpose is to protect the rights of its citizens, not trample them.
Unfortunately, government entities have been known to widely abuse eminent domain powers, taking property from individuals and small business owners without just compensation or for the benefit of private development projects. This overreach of power is not only a violation of property rights, but it also destroys communities and harms the economy.
“This was not a run-of-the-mill eminent domain ‘we’re going to put a pipeline or a road through this property,'” Vince Cantu tells Reason Magazine. “This is property on the grounds of Texas liberty. This is blood-stained soil that we fought against this very thing, this whole idea of a government coming in and taking away your way of life.”
The Libertarian Party of Bexar County believes in protecting the rights of individuals and small business owners. We believe that taking away someone’s property and livelihood is not only morally wrong but is also a violation of the principles of a free society.
We call on City of San Antonio government officials to respect the property rights of their citizens and overturn its use of eminent domain powers. We will continue to fight against eminent domain abuse and to protect the rights of property owners.
We urge citizens to speak up when they see eminent domain abuse happening in their communities, and to support candidates who will fight for property rights and against eminent domain abuse.
# # # About Us The Libertarian Party of Bexar County is an Affiliate for the 3rd largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. LPBexar seeks to elect Libertarians and influence legislation that focuses on individual rights, self ownership, and limited government. For more information on this matter, contact JR Haseloff at JR@LPBexar.org https://reason.com/2023/01/25/the-alamo-is-trying-to-eminent-domain-this-mans-bar-to-make-way-for-museum-honoring-alamo-defenders/
Want to see this headline here in San Antonio? Local nonprofits and partners are looking to put this on your May ballot here in San Antonio.
Act4SA, a local 501c3 nonprofit is asking for your help to get the following on the ballot.
The San Antonio Justice Charter will amend the City Charter of San Antonio to adopt a justice policy that will reduce unnecessary arrests, mitigate racial bias, and save scarce public resources through a comprehensive set of popular reforms.
“A petition to amend the City Charter of San Antonio to adopt a justice policy that will reduce unnecessary arrests and save scarce public resources through a comprehensive set of reforms, including: ending enforcement of low-level marijuana possession; ending enforcement of abortion crimes; banning chokeholds; banning no-knock warrants; and encouraging citations instead of arrests for low-level nonviolent crimes.”
Eliminate the enforcement of low level marijuana offenses
02.
BAN CHOKEHOLDS
Ban chokeholds by SAPD in ANY instance forever
03.
BAN NO KNOCK WARRANTS
Ban the use of dangerous no knock warrants except in extreme dangerous cases (such as hostage situation or exigent life circumstances)- where extensive procedure is laid out for accountability and transparency
04.
CITE AND RELEASE
Make the use of citations and the diversion program for low level misdemeanors permanent
05.
DECRIMINALIZATION OF ABORTION
SAPD officers shall not be responsible for enforcing the statewide law
06.
CREATION OF A JUSTICE DIRECTOR
Oversee the implementation of this policy and make sure future city policy follows with the purpose of this section to reduce unnecessary arrests, promote police accountability, and save scarce city resources- especially those related to public safety
We understand that there are elements of this Charter Amendment that are NOT libertarian. Each person can decide for themselves whether they will support this Charter Amendment and if the marginal increase in liberty around marijuana decriminalization is worth the creation of a “Woke Czar” government position.
Once all the signatures are tallied in January, there is a possibility that the committee will make the determination that this is NOT one single Issue (currently proposed as The Justice Amendment), and instead break this omnibus into 6 separate votes on your ballot.
For this reason, LPBexar will NOT be advocating an official position on this Charter Amendment, but we know our volunteers may want to, not only support it and vote for it, but assist in getting the necessary number of signatures.
HOW TO HELP GET SIGNATURES Want to join fellow activists at a preplanned event? Click here.
Populate this Petition Form with registered City of San Antonio Voters
A one pager that can go on tables and has more detailed information
One quick note: At the bottom of each petition page is a “Statement of Circulator” affidavit. Whoever collects the signatures needs to make sure to sign and date that or else the page will be invalidated by the city clerk!
Signed petitions can be mailed to: ACT 4 SA, 7970 Fredericksburg Rd Suite 101-326, San Antonio TX 78229
Signed petitions can also be dropped off in person at these locations: ACT 4 SA Office- 702 Donaldson Ave Suite #204, San Antonio TX 78201 San Antonio Alliance- 120 Adams St, San Antonio TX 78210
Once complete, email officers@lpbexar.org and let us know how many signatures you turned in!
Business Meeting won’t start until 730pm. Once we gavel in, roll call, and adopt previous minutes, our only Agenda item is “Elect Austen Hoogen to fill a vacancy in LPTexas’ State Libertarian Executive Committee for District 26.”
For those that know Austen, he was previously nominated in October and we will vote to formally elect him.
The newsletter is once a month ONLY and gives details of LPBexar’s operations, candidates, and outreach. If you don’t wish to sign up for our newsletter (http://eepurl.com/ke2UD) our future LPBexar events can be found at any of our social media platforms located here (www.linktree.com/lpbexar).
There will also be a Business Meeting in December (agenda/notice will be forthcoming). In the meantime, if there are bylaws that you wish to be adjusted, please propose those to officers@lpbexar.org and we will add them to the agenda for that Event.
