It is ironic that a new battle is taking place here in San Antonio at the Alamo, that legendary battlefront where so many gave their lives for freedom. This time the battle is for the First Amendment and the freedom of speech.
On Saturday, July 12th, I was at Alamo Plaza by the snowcone vendors, passing out a 3-fold color brochure that I, a disabled veteran, had printed up at my own expense. I was also wearing a sandwich board with "Healthcare - YES, Insurance Co's - NO" printed on one side and "Where Should YOUR Healthcare $$$'s Go? Corporate profits? Inflated salaries? Marketing? OR - YOUR HEALTHCARE?"
My purpose for my being there was to educate people about H.R. 676, The United States National Health Insurance Act (Expanded and Improved Medicare For All). This is an act already in Congress, with 90 cosponsors including three from Texas: Congressman Al Green from the 9th district, Congresswoman Eddie Johnson from the 30th district, and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee, from the 18th. Texas unfortunately leads the country in the number of uninsured at over 5.4 million. In San Antonio alone, more than 69% of the Hispanic population is without medical insurance. I find it strange that the Congressmen here in San Antonio have not supported H.R. 676. It seems that Congressmen Gonzalez and Rodriguez do not care about the welfare of their constituents. That is why I was at the Alamo.
Some people object to H.R. 676 because they think it's socialized medicine. It is not. I know because I, like every other veteran who uses the V.A. Medical System, am treated under a socialized medical program. We have no choice of which doctors we see, or what treatments are given. But, contrary to some beliefs, I'd much rather have the V.A. decide on my treatment than a greedy corporation with profit as its only motive. I know that the doctors at the V.A. care. When you say you would not want socialized medicine, you are slapping the face of every veteran who is treated by that system. Not good enough for you, but it is good enough for those who gave their all?
I had cleared my intentions four days ahead of time with the Public Affairs Office of San Antonio. I told them what I would be doing so they could notify the park police that I was going to be there and it was OK. Then, on Saturday around 9 am, I went to the plaza.
I gave a brochure to a Hispanic woman who has a snowcone vendor cart. She said that she, like so many others, did not have medical insurance. I asked whether she would be willing to put some brochures on her cart so that when I wasn't there, people could still get the information. She said that would be fine. She would even pass some out after she left each day. I asked her if I could leave my sandwich board by her cart while I went to get a brochure holder from my car, and she said that was fine. When I returned, I was greeted by a San Antonio Park police officer who confronted me about having my sign there. With some degree of bravado, he stated that the snowcone vendor could not put any brochures on her cart because she didn't have a permit to do so. I politely informed him that a permit is not necessary to give information, according to the First Amendment. However, he thought differently, and the situation began to escalate. He called his sergeant, who soon arrived. I called the Public Affairs Officer with whom I had spoken four days earlier and put her on with the sergeant. Less than two minutes went by before he hung up and said everything was fine, and I could go on distributing my flyers.
Then around 1 pm, a SAPD bicycle officer came by and told me I had to stop walking and stand against a small wall to give out my brochures. I informed him that I had cleared this activity with Public Affairs and my actions were legal. He was not pleased that I had challenged him. I again called the Public Affairs Officer so she could clear up this misunderstanding, but the bicycle officer didn't want to hear anything. He threatened to arrest me if I didn't hang up the phone and give him my personal information. He kept saying I needed a permit, and when I said that I didn't, as it had already been cleared by the San Antonio park police, he wouldn't listen. Even after another park police officer arrived and called his sergeant to verify my story, the SAPD bicycle officer still refused to listen. Each time I would offer an explanation, he would only say: "So you want to argue with me, huh?" He ended up writing me a misdemeanor notice to appear in court for the crime of "aggressive solicitation." To demonstrate what "aggressive" means, he would move directly in front of people who were coming by, making them stop. He blocked their passage. I never did any such thing. He also accused me of "soliciting."
According to the San Antonio City ordinance that governs "aggressive solicitation," soliciting means asking for an immediate donation of money or other items of value. I asked for nothing. I have spent my own money from my V.A. disability check so that I could print these brochures and help educate the citizens of San Antonio and the rest of Texas.
As he handed me the ticket, the bicycle officer said I didn't have to sign it. I asked him what would happen if I didn't sign, and he said he would take me to jail right then. I signed the ticket. But NEVER AGAIN. Next time, if this officer thinks he has a leg to stand on, and if the First Amendment means nothing, he can take me to jail. I intend to go back often, and I will continue to educate those who want a solution to the healthcare crisis in America. We are the ONLY industrialized nation in the world without universal healthcare. We are ranked 37th by the World Health Organization in the world for health care, (right behind Costa Rica and just ahead of Slovenia), and 57th in the world for fairness. The infant mortality ranking in the world for America is also 37th, just behind South Korea and barely ahead of Croatia.
So maybe it's time to follow Hamlet's advice that we "take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing, END THEM." Do something. With your two arms, or only one, or even none, you can join me at the Alamo and help educate others about the cure for the healthcare problems we face in America. Let's educate the people. It's the only way this crisis will end.