Axios San Antonio

May 22, 2025
🤠 Howdy Thursday. It's almost time for a long weekend.
Today's weather: It's still too hot. Need we say more?
🦐 Tastes like: A crawfish boil.
Today's newsletter is 943 words — a 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: Five years since Floyd's murder
A vast majority of Americans say in a new Pew Research Center survey that the increased focus on racial inequality after George Floyd's killing didn't lead to changes that improved the lives of Black Americans.
Why it matters: Floyd's 2020 murder by Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on his neck sparked international protests and calls to tackle systemic racism, but five years later, that momentum appears all but gone.
Zoom in: Protesters gathered across the state, including in San Antonio, to call for an end to police brutality and, in some cases, demanded local police departments be abolished.
- In August 2020, spurred on by the summer protests, the San Antonio City Council passed a resolution that declared racism a public health crisis.
- It called for reviewing city policies with the aim of eliminating implicit and explicit racial bias; organizing health data by race, ethnicity and income; and working to lessen segregation caused by housing and job loss, among other measures.
Plus: Last year, the city created an office to examine how programs and policies outside the police department impact crime, a move aimed at expanding its public safety approach beyond traditional police work.
Yes, but: In 2021, San Antonio voters narrowly rejected a charter amendment that would have ended the police union's collective bargaining rights. Police unions nationwide have long faced criticism for stalling reform efforts.
- Still, local advocates said they were encouraged that the vote was close — 51%-49%.
By the numbers: Five years later, 72% of Americans say the increased focus on racial inequality didn't lead to significant changes that helped Black people, per the Pew survey.
- Now 52% of Americans express support for the BLM movement, a 15 percentage point drop from June 2020.
2. 🗳️ Mapped: Our low voter turnout

Texas saw the country's second lowest turnout in the 2024 presidential election, per new Census Bureau estimates.
Why it matters: Texas' consistently low turnout could mean voters don't think it's competitive to cast a ballot in the state, University of Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus tells Axios.
What they're saying: "We want to think that Texas is the best at everything — in barbecue, in football — but the reality is that we fall significantly behind when it comes to voter turnout," Rottinghaus says.
Flashback: GOP turnout last year far outstripped Democratic turnout in Texas.
The big picture: About 65% of voting-age Americans cast a ballot in last November's elections, down from nearly 67% in 2020, per the Census Bureau.
- Arkansas (52.8%), Texas (57.9%) and Louisiana (58%) had the lowest shares of voting-age citizens participating.
By the numbers: A higher percentage of Texas women (59.9%) voted than men (55.9%), mirroring national trends.
- Turnout was highest among white non-Hispanic voters (66.6%) in Texas and lower among Black (57.7%), Asian (52.3%) and Hispanic (44.5%) voters.
Reality check: Texas is one of the youngest states in the U.S. by median age, and data shows that older people are often more likely to vote than younger people.
- Plus, Hispanic Texans make up the highest share of the state's population. They are historically less likely to vote than other groups, per Rottinghaus.
Between the lines: Lack of participation doesn't necessarily imply voter apathy. Some want to vote but are unable to.
3. Inside the Loop
⚕️ The Texas House yesterday gave preliminary approval to a bill that would clarify when doctors can perform abortions to save a patient's life. The Senate unanimously passed it last month. (Texas Tribune)
🪖 The Army is merging two commands now headquartered at Fort Sam Houston into one, marking what could be a significant change in local military presence. It's unclear where the new command could be located. (Express-News 🔑)
🌮 Oscar's Taco House will close at the end of June amid city plans to build a bridge there. The bridge is part of the 2022 bond program. (MySA)
4. Weekender guide: Crawfish boil, festivals
Friday
🖼️ Head to Boerne's Main Plaza for the Hill Country Art and Wine Festival, running 4-8pm Friday and 10am-5pm Saturday.
🎺 Get serenaded during a Mariachi Sip and Cruise along the River Walk with Go Rio, at 7pm Friday and Saturday.
- Tickets cost $61 and come with two drinks.
Saturday
🥟 Enjoy entertainment and food at the San Antonio Asian Festival at Civic Park at Hemisfair, 11am-5pm.
- Tickets cost $12.
🦐 Head to the new Otto's Ice House at Pearl for a crawfish boil and live music, starting at 1pm.
Sunday
🕯️ Honor the people who died in service with a Memorial Day ceremony at VFW Post 76 in River North, 4-7pm.
🤠 Put your boots on for a night of dancing with Tejano legends at Thirsty Horse Saloon.
- Doors open at 7pm and tickets start at $20.
5. 📲 1 toll road ad to go
👋 Megan here. As everyone prepares to hit the roads for Memorial Day weekend, I wanted to share a targeted Instagram ad that made me chuckle.
🚗 Driving the news — literally: Beautiful photos of a wide open Texas highway interrupted my scrolling with lofty promises: A high speed limit of 85 mph! No stopped traffic!
- It turned out to be an ad for State Highway 130, an alternative to taking I-35 between San Antonio and Austin.
Between the lines: Driving on SH 130 might let you move fast, but you do have to pay the price in tolls.
- I recently took that route when heading to visit friends north of Austin. Although I only briefly hopped onto SH 130, it cost me nearly $12.
📩 Tell us: Have you ever chosen SH 130 over I-35, and if so, what was your experience?
- Is the cost of a toll road worth the lesser traffic?
Hit reply to weigh in.
Thanks to our editors Astrid Galván and Bob Gee.
😬 Madalyn is thinking she could use the online shopping equivalent of a swear jar.
🥲 Megan is preparing for Southwest's new checked baggage fees to start applying next week.
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