San Antonio Current — July 1, 2020

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6/12/20 | 10:39 AM sacurrent.com | July 1 – July 14, 2020 CURRENT

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CURRENT | July 1 – July 14, 2020 | sacurrent.com

in this issue San Antonio Current

Issue 20-14 /// July 1 – July 14, 2020

Publisher: Michael Wagner Editor-in-Chief: Sanford Nowlin

Editorial

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Lea Thompson

16 Feature

Tall Order

San Antonio restaurateurs are forging ahead on expansion plans, even as the COVID-19 crisis continues

06 News

The Opener News in Brief

Glitter Political

Grace Rose Gonzales Is Designing a Path to Chair Bexar County’s Democratic Party

Penned In

COVID-19 fears and lack of legal access swirl around immigrant detention site near San Antonio

One More Thing

During the current crisis, SA leaders should invest in people, not another pie-in-the-sky project

12 Arts

Way With Words

Reading between the lines with conceptual artist Ethel Shipton

15 Screens

Magic in the Air

Rooftop Cinema Club expands into San Antonio, offering pop-up drive-in movie theater experience

16 Food

Bartending Basics

The Old Fashioned offers a great starting point for exploring build-inthe-glass cocktails

21 Music

Freestyle Feels

Defylo all about ‘putting unity back into the community’

On the Cover: A photo illustration by Samantha Serna spells out the difficulties local restaurants face as they expand during the pandemic.

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That Rocks/That Sucks

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As COVID-19 hospitalizations approached crisis levels across the state, Gov. Greg Abbott throttled back his reopening plan — one of the most aggressive in the country.

His newest order closed bars again and reduced restaurants to 50% capacity. While Abbott expressed regret for opening drinking spots too soon, public health experts expressed concern with Abbott’s plan from the beginning, warning that it moved far too quickly on many fronts.

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A day after announcing the rollback, Abbott approved a temporary waiver on state rules that prohibit bars and restaurants from serving pre-mixed drinks to go. The bar industry had lobbied for the rule change, arguing that it will allow businesses to use more of their inventory — and perhaps allow some to survive a second shutdown.

The number of COVID-19 cases in San Antonio topped more than 10,000 cases Sunday, suggesting we’re on the verge of blowing past our available hospital capacity. Local officials asked the state to send medical staff to help run a 250-bed field hospital in Freeman Coliseum to handle potential patient overflow.

City council unanimously approved an ordinance requiring landlords to provide a notice of tenant’s rights to people they want to evict. Beyond letting renters know their legal standing, the document provides a list of places to turn for help, including San Antonio’s COVID-19 Emergency Housing Assistance Program. — Sanford Nowlin

YOU SAID IT!

“We will not stop. We will not tire. And we’re damn sure not going home because of no COVID-19.

We’re damn sure not going to hold our protests under a hundred people, and I guarantee you, we will start to mobilize in your neighborhood.”

— Pharoah Clark,

police reform activist addressing city council last week

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CURRENT | July 1 – July 14, 2020 | sacurrent.com

Wikimedia Commons / Gage Skidmore

ASSCLOWN ALERT

Robert Jeffress When Vice President Mike Pence landed in Texas last weekend to reassure us that state Republican leadership and the Tweeter-in-Chief have this coronavirus thing under control, it was little surprise he did so at Pastor Robert Jeffress’ First Baptist Church in Dallas.

Jeffress, one of the president’s most unflinching evangelical supporters regularly uses his sermons to urge followers to guzzle the Trump-flavored KoolAid in large doses. What other choice do they have?

After all, Jeffress has warned that the Democrats are “a godless party” and that if they control White House, “this country is finished.”

Beyond the obvious hypocrisy of being a man of God who heaps praise on a racist serial philanderer

A San Antonio police officer already on administrative duty was arrested Sunday after violating conditions of his bond following a domestic violence charge. Officer Jonathan Montalvo, who was currently out on bond for a 2019 domestic violence charge, had been living with the woman he’s alleged to have assaulted, according to authorities. He’d been legally prohibited from having contact with her. His status has since been changed from administrative duty to temporary administrative leave.

The U.S. Supreme Court last week rejected a filing by the Texas Democratic Party to expand mail-in voting in the state during the COVID-19 pandemic. Justice Samuel Alito denied the request to let a federal district judge’s order expanding voting by mail to remain in effect while the case is on appeal. Texas Democrats also made a second filing asking the high court to take up their case on its merits before the November general election.

whose policies break up refugee families, this weekend’s event suggests Jeffress is also willing to put political optics ahead of concern for his own congregants’ health.

Attendees of Pence’s Sunday visit — billed as the “Celebrate Freedom Rally” — were “strongly encouraged” to wear masks and maintain physical distance. But video showed attendees packed together, many not wearing face coverings. Dallas TV station WFAA reported that the megachurch planned to operate at 70% capacity, meaning about 2,200 people flooded into the sanctuary.

Most disturbing, though, is the footage showing a choir of more than 100 people belting out praise hits during the event — again, sans masks. The CDC has warned that group singing performances such as choir recitals can become “super-spreader events” for COVID-19.

Jeffress called his Pence praise session a “patriotic service” to celebrate “God’s unique blessings on our country.” We call it being a reckless assclown. — Sanford Nowlin

San Antonio Metro Health Director Dawn Emerick resigned last week as the city grappled with concerns that its COVID-19 cases are spiraling out of control.

In her resignation letter, Emerick said recent Black Lives Matter protests forced her to question whether a White woman should be the top health official in a city that is 60% Latinx. — Sanford Nowlin

City of San Antonio

Grace Rose Gonzales Is Designing a Path to Chair Bexar County’s Democratic Party

BY JADE ESTEBAN ESTRADA

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nless one is familiar with the many boards and commissions that have helped shape San Antonio over the past 25 years, Grace Rose Gonzales may be a name that’s slipped through the cracks.

But Gonzales moved up a notch in familiarity on Super Tuesday when, as one of four candidates vying for Bexar County Democratic chair, she advanced to a runoff by winning 27% of the vote, just three points behind incumbent Monica Alcántara.

The success so far of her first-time candidacy reflects how much dissatisfaction resides in the divided local Democratic Party.

If she wins the July 14 runoff, some Democrats worry she could take up valuable time gaining her political footing. However, Gonzales, a local designer, already has deep roots in the community that go beyond lending her expertise to city and county projects.

Her grandmother, Elena de la Garza — known in her West Side neighborhood as Doña Elena — owned two businesses, the Radiant Rose Flower Shop and the Castroville Meat Market.

“I saw how she would give credit to people who didn’t have money for groceries,” Gonzales recalls. “She had her little ledger with their name and how much they took out and how much they’d pay her.”

At the Radiant Rose, her grandmother kept a bowl of dimes by the payphone so anyone could use it to call a doctor or a family member. It was also through working with her grandmother that Gonzales earned her first five-dollar bill.

Gonzales grew up in the Jefferson neighborhood, known for producing political movers including the Castro family, County Commissioner Justin Rodriguez and Gonzales’ mentor, former Mayor Ed Garza, whom she says deserves more credit for his forward-looking work for the city.

Gonzales seems to have inherited her fiercely independent mind and calm demeanor from both her parents. Over the course of her childhood, her father — an Army officer — went to work at the Pentagon for extended periods. Her mother was a registered nurse and an early yoga enthusias.

“She’d be wearing her black leotard and

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GLITTER POLITICAL

Jade Esteban Estrada

standing on her head and doing stuff like that that nobody understood,” Gonzales recalls with a laugh. “She was way ahead of her time.”

While yoga had Eastern origins, it was Gonzales’ father who taught her about the concept of karma.

“When I would bring a problem to my dad, he would just hold up his hand and [say], ‘Grace, God sees all, knows all, does nothing,” she says, adding that she later came to understand that “karma would eventually take care of it. You don’t have to be in the middle of it.

But because He’s not going to intervene with anything that you do, but if you choose to do this, you will pay a price.”

Gonzales’ mother advised her to not be judgmental of others. It was through these conversations that she began to understand the difference between judgement and discernment.

“To discern means that you have come to a conclusion and it changes the way you live,” she explains. “A judgment is something that you just proclaim and do nothing about.”

Doing the former is often difficult, she admits.

Gonzales studied architectural design at the University of Houston and then moved to New York in the mid ’80s, where she worked for nearly a decade in the design industry. In 2005, she opened her firm Grace PG Design Group, where she has since completed projects for the city, county and private sector clients.

It was after her return to San Antonio that Gonzales joined her neighborhood association where she met Garza, then on a path to a seat on city council and, eventually, the mayor’s office. Though she had always voted, she credits her conversations with Garza as the push that led her to take a more active role in local politics.

She gained some of her political chops as an arts advocate. During six years as chair of

the Cultural Arts Board, she recalls a heated conversation she had with then-Mayor Howard Peak on a public art project.

“He said, ‘San Antonio is not ready for this!’” she remembers. “And I said, ‘Howard, I am San Antonio. Don’t clip my wings.’”

Gonzales’ current opponent has headed a fractured county Democratic Party since 2018. At times, the two warring factions within the party seem like entirely different political organizations that bear no resemblance to one another.

Gonzales, who has a reputation among peers as a problem solver, says she feels called to use her skill set to bring those sides together.

Though she doesn’t have experience working with Alcántara, she says she’s gleaned two realizations by watching the incumbent.

“One of the most important things that a leader can do is to listen and follow the rules,” Gonzales says, adding that being organized as a party on the micro level is the only way to ensure a Democrat wins the White House in November.

The turning point for Gonzales came when she observed Alcántara’s response to a March 2019 letter from County Commissioner Tommy Calvert that criticized for the chair for what he saw as a disregard for party rules.

“I thought that that was disrespectful and [felt like I was looking at] someone who did not understand protocol,” Gonzales says. “If you’re in leadership, one of the most important things to know is protocol. I thought to myself, ‘I have to help these people.’”

As a first-time candidate, Gonzales is getting the full experience, up-close-and-personal.

“Unfortunately, politics is very, very ugly,” she says. “I really wanted to stay clear of this.

But, with where our country is now, we can’t stay clear of anything. It’s a call to arms. No one has the right to feel comfortable in any way, shape or form right now.”

Find more news coverage every day at sacurrent.com

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Twitter / Rep. Sylvia Garcia

Penned In

U.S. Reps. Sylvia Garcia and Joaquin Castro stand in front of the Dilley detention site.

COVID-19 fears and lack of legal access swirl around immigrant detention site near San Antonio

BY JAMES DOBBINS

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nother disturbing chapter of Texas history is unfolding in a rural prison town 58 miles south of San Antonio.

Citing crowded conditions and a lack of safety measures, immigration experts say prisoners in the South Texas ICE Processing Center at Pearsall face high risk for falling victim to the coronavirus pandemic.

As of June 21, a total of 47 detainees at the complex, operated by for-profit prison company Geo Group, have contracted COVID-19, authorities confirm.

In March, guards used pepper spray on detainees peacefully protesting the lack of protection against the coronavirus.

Attorneys for detainees and their family members — who are forbidden to visit the center — worry not enough is being done to protect their clients and loved ones from the spread of COVID-19. Residents living near the detention complex are also fearful of community spread, saying ICE and Geo Group haven’t

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CURRENT | July 1 – July 14, 2020 | sacurrent.com

been transparent enough about containment efforts.

“The epidemic concerns him,” attorney Carlos Castañeda said of a client who was transferred to the detention center in 2019, two years after being picked up for a DWI. “He is concerned because he’s been detained for ten months. He requested parole in March because he fears COVID-19. ICE denied it. Yes, he crossed the border illegally, but he’s been in the States for 15 years. His wife is a legal resident, and he has three children, all born in the United States.”

In Texas, the penalty for a first-time DWI offense is up to 180 days in jail and a fine up to $2,000. However, for Castañeda’s client, that punishment appears to be indefinite detention and risk of potential life-long health problems or death due to COVID-19.

Geo declined to be interviewed for this story. However, it emailed a statement about its efforts to keep detainees safe during the pandemic.

“We take our responsibility to ensure the health and safety of all those in our care and our employees

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with the utmost seriousness, and will continue to work with the federal government and local health officials to implement best practices, assessment and management of COVID-19, consistent with the latest guidance issues [sic] by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” the statement reads.

Justice Delayed Fewer than 15% of the U.S. immigrant detainees currently in custody have legal representation, according to the National Immigrant Justice Center. Now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, even those lucky few have seen their cases delayed repeatedly.

Health experts consider COVID-19 to be as infectious as measles, meaning it could spread rapidly inside a crowded detention facility. In response to those concerns, Geo Group halted all family visits in March. However, critics say it’s has done little else to help prevent the spread inside the Pearsall center.

Pilar Martinez, an attorney representing an asylum seeker from Somalia, is concerned about her client’s safety. To protect him from potential government retribution, she referred to him using the alias Aaden.

“At first, [Geo Group] was not providing masks,” Martinez said. “The second week of April was the first

time I saw Aaden with a mask. In March and early April, no one was wearing masks.”

A rep for Geo Group told Martinez that the company now provides three disposable masks per detainee weekly.

Martinez’s client, a member of a minority tribe in Somalia, is making a clan-based claim for asylum.

When he was a baby, his father and siblings were killed by another tribe trying to steal the family’s land. Aaden and his mother fled to Mogadishu, where he was raised. Last year, Aaden and his mother were again targeted by a majority clan. This time, he was kidnapped and tortured until he confessed the location where his mother was in hiding.

She was later beaten to death, and Aaden fled Somalia. He’s been detained at Pearsall since November.

“My client’s case was delayed twice,” Martinez said.

“Geo Group and ICE are only allowing one attorney into the facility at a time, even though the detention center has multiple rooms for client-attorney visits.

They tiptoed around the fact that they had confirmed cases in the detention center. They change the rules, cancel hearings on a whim, even though cases are heard remotely via video to judges in San Antonio.

Even at the remote courthouse, the judge didn’t know why hearings are canceled.”

Under the current COVID-19 policy, Geo Group and ICE forbid interpreters and psychologists to enter the facility and work with attorneys on cases, Martinez added.

“The pure frustration [is that] whoever is making the decisions is making it impossible to be effective,” she said. “My client only speaks Somali, so I always need an interpreter.”

Reaching for Yield Many individuals inside Geo’s detention sites are there for nonviolent offenses. Those can include infractions as minor as traffic violations or crossing the international border illegally. Even waiting for an asylum hearing, which is a legal right, not a crime, can lead to indefinite detention, according to immigration lawyers.

Still, Erica Schommer, an attorney in the immigration clinic at St. Mary’s School of Law in San Antonio, has seen some improvement at the South Texas ICE Processing Center.

“It’s better than it was,” she said. “They transferred all of the women out of Pearsall and have released some others, in part, because of COVID-19.”

Schommer said authorities decreased the number of people in the dorms from about 80 per room to 50, quarantining the individual groups. People who work in the kitchen or laundry, for example, are only allowed to take shifts with other people from the same dorm. Access to the library is similarly restricted.

“When the first cases at Pearsall came out, Geo Group was not cleaning,” she said. “Now they are using the sanitizing cleaner in the dorms. They gave detainees only one mask. The attorneys were required to wear personal protective equipment in mid-March.”

Geo Group provides voluntary jobs for detainees but pays them as little as $1 per day — an example of

Sanford Nowlin

legalized slavery in the U.S. detention system, critics charge. Texas’ legal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.

What’s Going On? By all appearances, profit is the underlying motive to the callous treatment of detainees in the Pearsall facility, critics charge. Geo’s 2019 stockholder dividend for 2019 was $1.92 per share, or an attractive 14.54% yield based on its outstanding securities.

Geo Group and the National ICE Council, a union that represents 7,000 ICE employees, have been unflinching in their support President Donald Trump, who’s enacted one hardline immigration policy after another during his three years in office.

The National ICE Council backed Trump for president in 2016, citing his proposed increase for ICE and Border Patrol budgets. In February, the group endorsed the U.S. Senate bid of Jeff Sessions, who in his former role as U.S. Attorney General served as a chief enabler of Trump’s immigration crackdown, including its widely decried family separation policy.

According to OpenSecrets.org, an independent site that tracks money in politics, Geo Group’s PAC and employees spent $3 million in contributions and lobbying during 2019. Nearly all of that money went to Republican Senate and House candidates, the Trump campaign or PACs that support the president’s hardline immigration policies.

For years, journalists and activists have been shining a light on the abuses of for-profit detention centers, which critics liken to concentration camps.

So far, corporate prisons and their greedy owners appear to be winning, however. There has been little federal effort to scale back use of for-profit prison contractors.

On June 23, prompted by news reports and community concerns about the conditions at privately-run ICE detentions centers in Pearsall and the South Texas town of Dilley, Democratic U.S. Reps. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio, Sylvia Garcia of Houston and Henry Cuellar of Laredo spent the morning touring the sites.

During a call-in news conference, the members of Congress raised concerns that echo those of immigration attorneys.

“The conditions are bad,” Castro said. “They have endangered the lives of employees and the people in detention. The two places we saw today are prisons.

Pearsall, there won’t be any debate that it is an actual prison. One of the Geo guys referred to the detainees as ‘inmates.’”

According to Castro, the only way to fix the system is for the next presidential administration to appoint a reformer to “clean house and stop the inhumane policies. You can’t put in someone who is a tepid person.”

Otherwise, Castro suggested, ICE won’t lift a finger to keep detainees safe. sacurrent.com | July 1 – July 14, 2020 | CURRENT

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news CITYSCRAPES

One More Thing

During the current crisis, SA leaders should invest in people, not another pie-in-the-sky project

BY HEYWOOD SANDERS Editor’s Note: The following is CityScrapes, a column of opinion and analysis.

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ust one more thing.

One more big thing. One more grand project with the promise that it would make San Antonio grow. That would make San Antonio great — and put it at the front rank of American cities.

In the early years of the 20th century, that one big thing was a public auditorium — an auditorium that would make us the convention destination of the Southwest. That would bring untold numbers of big spending visitors. Then, in the late 1930s, the grand project was a San Antonio River canal, joining the city to the gulf and the intracoastal waterway. A bold headline in the San Antonio Light proclaimed “Canal Means Boom for S.A….

Factories Always Seek Cheap Transportation.”

And if the canal never came to fruition, there was always another thing.

By the 1940s, what San Antonio needed was a coliseum, as the only large Texas city without an “exposition plant.” Build it, and we could accommodate a bigger stock show, flower show and rodeo. And the president of the San Antonio Horse Show Association added that “San Antonio has the best climate in the world for the training of polo ponies but does not have adequate facilities.”

We needed a medical school, and the proposed Air Force Academy. Then it was a World’s Fair, followed by a 1,000-room hotel. A downtown shopping mall. Sea World — and a new highway to get there. And then Fiesta Texas, with the promise that we would be the next Orlando, Florida. And don’t forget a domed stadium for our soon-to-come NFL team.

Whether or not each of these big projects was realized, whether or not they actually delivered on the promises and forecasts, there was always another big new thing that would boost San Antonio. Unfortunately, decade after decade and generation after generation, our leaders failed to recognize the one thing that vital to urban success — the thing that more recently led to microchip plants booming in Austin while they failed here.

The reason that when Tesla searches for a new plant in Texas, it looks not at San Antonio but at Austin.

“In the past, good jobs and high incomes were tied to the large-scale production of manufactured goods,” University of California at Berkeley economist Enrico Moretti argues in his 2012 book The New Economy of

Wikimedia Commons / Billy Hathorn

Jobs. “But today little value remains in the production of goods that anybody can make. Good jobs and high salaries increasingly come from the production of new ideas, new knowledge and new technologies.”

The road to a better local economy and an expanding economic future does not lie in building new public buildings, in bribing firms to come to San Antonio or in trying to sell the city to out-of-town visitors. It lies in developing a skilled, educated and highly adaptable labor force — investing in our people, not in buildings or public subsidies.

A human capital investment effort is not an easy thing. It involves marshaling the resources and commitment across the entire community to support the further education and skills development of people who have families, jobs, and these days pressing financial needs. It may have to be started at a limited scale. But we have a track record and evidence of substantial public support.

Project Quest, which began to assist workers displaced

by the loss of manufacturing jobs when Levi Strauss departed San Antonio, provides a nationally recognized model for job training. Its model can also be built upon and expanded. What’s more, former Mayor Julián Castro’s Pre-K for SA program demonstrated a willingness by local voters to invest in our people.

A recent Bexar Facts poll from KSAT-TV asked a sample of local voters for their opinion on the areas where the city government is spending to deal with the coronavirus. Providing workforce development support, including job training and childcare, garnered 92% support, with 68% ranking their support as “strong.” That actually topped the support for providing Wi-Fi and technology aid for local students, which came in at 87%.

The overwhelming public support for workforce development should send a message to city and county leaders — a message that mirrors Moretti’s conclusion.

We need to invest in San Antonians and our potential.

Heywood Sanders is a professor of public policy at the University of Texas at San Antonio. sacurrent.com | July 1 – July 14, 2020 | CURRENT

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Way With Words

Reading between the lines with conceptual artist Ethel Shipton

BY BRYAN RINDFUSS

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orn in Laredo in 1963, Ethel Shipton grew up along the U.S.-Mexico border during a decidedly different era.

By the age of 12, she was hopping on busses to visit relatives in downtown Laredo and walking across the bridge to explore the mercados of Nuevo Laredo — alone. Her late mother Angela Palacios Shipton — who became a single mom in 1970 upon the passing of her husband — occasionally received phone calls alerting her that her young daughter was roaming unattended.

“I knew that if I got to my mother’s office by 5 p.m., I got a ride home,” Shipton recalled with a mischievous smile.

Those early excursions on both sides of the border provided Shipton with some of her first encounters with art and artesanía — and perhaps some of the sharp observational skills that inform her own work.

Although she was drawn to art in high school — she remembers sketching plans for a tricked-out El Camino and sculpting a giant No. 2 pencil — Shipton was also athletic and became one of the first girls in Laredo to play little league baseball.

“I really just wanted the baseball cap,” she confessed, only half joking.

During college at the University of Texas at Austin, art became a more serious endeavor for Shipton, who studied photography and then put her skills into skateboards, basketball backboards, and — echoing practice as a staff photographer for the Texas House her time as the only girl on her little league team of Representatives, a job that entailed photo ops with — baseballs and baseball bats. “ anyone from Kevin Costner to Queen Elizabeth II. Af“[I liked] this whole idea of taking these hard, ter she found “Austin didn’t really have an art scene” rough moving things often considered male and at the time, she made frequent trips to San Antonio softening them, taking the geometry out of them,” to attend gallery openings. Following a two-year stint she explained. in Mexico City, Shipton returned to Austin but felt Arguably the most visible examples of this period stagnant. are Chances 1 and Chances 2 — a pair “I was doing the same job, sleepof yellow and purple button-tufted “More Than Words: ing in the same bed, and it almost basketball backboards on display at Text-Based Artworks II” seemed like nothing had really the AT&T Center. changed,” she said. At the continued “People kept saying, ‘Oh you’re the Free, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. urgings of fellow UT grad and Sala vinyl girl,’” she said. “And I would Wednesday-Saturday Diaz founder Alejandro Diaz, Shipton say, ‘Well I’m not really the vinyl through August 29 relocated to San Antonio in 1996. girl, this is just the material that’s 201 E. Olmos Dr. (210) 804-2219 “He kept inviting me and I finally speaking to me right now. ‘I’m not ruizhealyart.com. said yes,” she said. “And I don’t have interested in getting categorized … I any regrets.” guess the best way I would describe Over the last few decades, Shipton [my work is] that I am a conceptual has embodied the role of working artist, exhibiting artist because I move from material to material.” her hard-to-categorize work near and far while holding positions in galleries and museums, including 13 Exit Strategy years as the McNay’s head preparator, and wearing multiple hats for the Luminaria Contemporary Arts After leaving her post at the McNay, Shipton began Festival. working on what’s possibly her greatest hit to date — a suite of screen prints based on her photographs of road signs.

Material Girl Deftly fusing personal history and South Texas iconography, the series celebrates unsung locations Early in her art career, Shipton began experimentbetween San Antonio and Laredo. Devine, Dilley, ing with vinyl car upholstery, using it to transform Pearsall, Cotulla, Encinal: to Shipton these are not traditionally masculine objects such as hockey sticks,

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Bryan Rindfuss

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Trinity professor Norma Elia Cantú, artist Ethel Shipton and gallerist Patricia Ruiz-Healy pose in front of Shipton’s work at Ruiz-Healy Art. mere mile markers but places steeped in memories of ranches, Dairy Queen cones and pre-cell-phone-era car trouble.

Possibly the most autobiographical in the bunch, the stark black-and-white print Los Dos Laredos first passes as a soulless sign seen through a car window but then suggests the vast difference one mile might make.

“I was thinking of them as exits, but of course … an exit is an entrance — which hadn’t really occurred to me until after I made them. I was leaving a 13-year commitment to move into something else, so I was only thinking about the exit.”

In addition to prime placement at the AT&T Center, Shipton’s Exit Signs are in the permanent collection of Ruby City and are featured in its inaugural exhibition “Waking Dream.”

Inspired by Berlin In 2017, Shipton spent three months living and working in Berlin in conjunction with Blue Star Contemporary’s residency program at Künstlerhaus Bethanien.

“Berlin was kind of the first time in my life that I didn’t have to go to work — ever,” Shipton explained.

“It took me out of my context.”

She took the opportunity to explore the city on

New Projects At the moment, Shipton has work featured in Ruiz-Healy’s “More Than Words: TextBased Artworks II,” a group show that unites her with accomplished local artists including her husband Nate Cassie and her late friend Katie Pell.

Generous and solutions-oriented, Shipton recently made headlines with her “For the Taking” boxes, simple wooden structures she stocks with canned food for anyone in need.

When asked about her next chapter, Shipton’s eyes brightened, looking almost as if she didn’t believe what was on her own horizon. “[Nate and I] are going to take a time out,” she said. “We’re going to go to Vermont and build a cabin … I think this cabin will do the same thing [as Berlin did for me] — let my mind sit and think and open up.”

FRI | 07.03 ART

‘TYPE IS COOL’

Anyone curiously drawn to the style and appearance of the printed word now has a chance to dive in deep with other local typography enthusiasts. On Friday, July 3, Blue Star complex art gallery Bear & Ink will present “Type is Cool” — a group show focused on the different ways people envision type, sayings, letters, words and phrases. The small gallery and press is located in Blue Star’s Upstairs Studios and is accessible via the stairway next to Stella’s or through the hallway next to the parking area in front of Halcyon. The First Friday event is open to the public, but if Blue Star Arts Complex decides to pull the plug on the monthly art walk, Bear & Ink will take the opening virtual, allowing featured artists to talk about their work in short videos. The exhibition will remain on view by appointment through August 2. With cases spiking in the city, it’s likely the show may switch to a virtual format, but at the very least, attendees should expect the event to follow local COVID-19 guidelines, meaning a mask and social distancing are required.

Free, 5-11 p.m. Friday, July 3, 1420 S. Alamo, S204, bearandink.com. — Steven Hargis

er” and stay for lesser-known patriotic tunes including “Those Magnificent Men and their Flying Machines” (free, 8:30-9:30 p.m. Saturday, July 4, Facebook Live, music.af.mil/Bands/Bandof-the-West). Anyone looking for an extra dose of immersive, patriotic pride can follow the The Alamo on social media for a variety of Fourth of July content, including music, musket-firing demonstrations and living history presentations posted throughout the weekend (free, 9 a.m. Saturday, July 4-5 p.m. Sunday, July 5, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, thealamo.org). — Darian Mendez

Facebook / USAF Band of the West

SUN | 07.05 LIVE MUSIC

RUDI HARST

Facebook / Bear & Ink

SAT | 07.04 SUN | 07.05 SPECIAL EVEN T

FOURTH OF JULY ONLINE

Just because you’ve finally gotten used to social distancing and self-isolating doesn’t mean you don’t still want to get in on a patriotic celebration for the Fourth of July. Fortunately, there are two easy ways to celebrate safely at home this year. While there won’t be fireworks, the U.S. Air Force Band of the West’s online celebration is bound to inspire a spark of pride in listeners. The Band of the West — the traveling Air Force ensemble that’s performed for military and civilian audiences, presidents, heads of state and dignitaries — will perform an all-digital concert featuring other powerfully patriotic musical groups including Top Flight, the Ceremonial Marching Band, Dimensions in Blue, Freedom Brass, Nightwatch and the Concert Band. Come for favorites such as “America the Beautiful” and “The Stars & Stripes ForevCourtesy Photo / Ruiz-Healy Art

arts

foot.

“Wherever I wanted to go, I would walk it — anywhere from three to seven to 10 miles a day … The graffiti and other imagery started to speak to me,” Shipton said.

From the street scenes she photographed, Shipton created monochromatic screen prints that run the gamut from bold to quietly poetic. The creative freedom of the residency also inspired her to create a large-scale tape mural on the walls of her studio.

Since her return, Shipton has shown elements and ideas from this body of work at Blue Star and Ruiz-Healy Art, which hosted the 2019 exhibition “Listening to Berlin” and recently released a companion catalog featuring an essay by Trinity University professor Norma Elia Cantú.

In the essay, Cantú describes Shipton as “a woman of vision whose critical/artistic eye looks deep and finds words in images and images in words.”

With historic King William Street as the backdrop, singer songwriter Rudi Harst will bring his Folk-Rock-Calypso blend live to July’s King William Concert series on Sunday, starting at 5:30 p.m. The King William Cultural Arts Association is streaming this and other performances over their Facebook and YouTube channels throughout the month. Harst has been writing music and performing across the United States and Europe since the 1980s. He considers himself a spiritual teacher whose music will “make your heart smile and spirit soar.” He and his wife Zet co-founded the interfaith organization Celebration Circle of San Antonio in 1992, for which he served as a spiritual director until May 2019. Harst’s performance is the third in this series of virtual concerts, which remain available on the King William Association’s YouTube channel to watch at any time. Prior performances featured Grammy Award-winning Henry Brun and the International Trio and the Josh Glenn Experiment. Free, 5:30 p.m., Facebook and YouTube, facebook.com/KingWilliamCulturalArtsDistrict. — Laura Morales

Facebook / King William Cultural Arts District

Find more arts coverage every day at sacurrent.com

aarc is committed to providing health equity to the Black LBGTQ+ Community Call us today at 210.688.5792 or Live Chat: AARCSA.com 303 N. Frio San Antonio, TX 78207

14

CURRENT | July 1 – July 14, 2020 | sacurrent.com

Rooftop Cinema Club expands into San Antonio, offering pop-up drive-in movie theater experience

BY KIKO MARTINEZ

I

t’s 11 p.m. and San Antonio resident Judy Sanders and her family have decided to shake off their cabin fever with a trip to Rooftop Cinema Club’s drive-in movie screening outside the front gates of Six Flags Fiesta Texas.

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, Rooftop Cinema — which arranges showings at rooftop venues in Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, San Diego and the U.K. — has taken its concept on the road and created an Alamo City pop-up.

The company extended its summer schedule here through July 19 to include classics such as The Princess Bride, Do the Right Thing, Joker, The Terminator and Casablanca.

The Sanders family showed up last Tuesday to see Back to the Future 2. They’d caught the original movie at the Stars & Stripes Drive-in Theatre in New Braunfels a few weeks ago, so Sanders wanted her 15-year-old son, who’d never seen the sci-fi franchise before, to continue with the 1989 sequel.

“Going to the drive-in is fun, and we like watching movies in our car and getting that gest and best drive-in yet to San Antonio over big-screen experience,” Sanders said. “We’re the coming weeks and, hopefully, months. going to the drive-in mostly because we have zero confidence in going to an indoor theater So, is this a traveling show or do you have perright now.” manent theaters?

With COVID-19 cases peakWe aren’t a traveling show by ing in the Alamo City, movie nature. Our focus is on our Rooftop Cinema fans such as the Sanders rooftop venues, but in the Club: Drive-in family are looking for the times we’re in, we thought at Fiesta Texas safest ways to keep themselves bringing back drive-in theentertained during the sumaters was the right thing to $24-$32 per carload mer months. After all, there’s 8:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. or 11:15 p.m. do at the right time for movie only so much Netflix streamfans looking for a safe and Through July 19 ing, computer gaming and contactless night out. We 17000 W IH 10 banana bread baking one can started on a single rooftop in rooftopcinemaclub.com handle. Drive-in movies are London in 2011 and have now a low-risk activity if patrons expanded globally with three stay in their cars. venues in the U.K. and five Last week, the Current caught up with venues in [the U.S] — L.A., New York City, San Rooftop Cinema Club founder and owner Diego and Houston.

Gerry Cottle about the possibility of making San Antonio the home for its ninth venue, Why did you choose Six Flags? and what makes drive-in movie theaters so Driven by our love of film, we are on a misspecial. sion to transform nights at the movies to cinematic events like no other. We’ll bring you city skylines, sunsets, starlit evenings Has Rooftop Cinema Club ever presented a at our drive-ins, awesome drinks, delicious series in San Antonio? food, and great movies on the big screen. The This is our first venue of any kind in San AnLa Cantera area and Fiesta Texas provide the tonio. We’re still relatively new to Texas. Our first rooftop venue was opened in Houston in beautiful scenery we look for in addition to the convenience for guests in the area.

October 2018. We are proud to bring our big-

screens

Magic in the Air

Rooftop Cinema Club

There are no drive-in movie theaters in San Antonio today. What is it about a drive-in that is so special?

People know of the nostalgia of drive-ins and are now much more open to the idea and experience. We want to provide relief through the power of film to San Antonio during this uncertain time. Guests of the new drive-in theater can have an away-from-home cinema experience from the security of their vehicle.

But we have so many ways to watch movies at home now. Why get off the couch?

When watching a film in a cinema full of people, there is an energy and a feeling of magic in the air that can only come from the presence of other humans — watching what you’re watching, seeing what you’re seeing.

You may not have the audience next to you to feel that energy, but we are confident that this new environment, with everybody in their cars and hearing the ambient noise of people responding in the distance, will be just as blissfully satisfying.

Would you ever consider opening a permanent Rooftop Cinema Club location in San Antonio?

Absolutely. We are searching for a new, permanent Rooftop venue in San Antonio as we speak. If you can recommend any, we are all ears!

Find more film stories at sacurrent.com

Tall Order

San Antonio restaurateurs are forging ahead on expansion plans, even as the COVID-19 crisis continues

BY LEA THOMPSON

I

t’s always been hard to open a restaurant in San Antonio. Ask any local chef.

But opening a new restaurant in the middle of a pandemic is uncharted territory.

Since March, the COVID-19 crisis has forced nearly 12% of the state’s food and beverage businesses to permanently close their doors, according to the Texas Restaurant Association. That number — all but certain to rise — is more than daunting for entrepreneurs undertaking openings or openings before the pandemic hit.

When chef Ming Qian launches her second restaurant, Ming’s, it will open this month to a changed dining landscape. Like many local restaurateurs, he business plans were disrupted by the novel coronavirus, but the costs that come with a new business — payroll, rent, construction — haven’t gone anywhere.

Qian had no choice but to forge ahead.

“If we weren’t opening during COVID-19, I’m sure that opening Ming’s would have been like any other new restaurant — we’d be able to count on a honeymoon period and have the place jam-packed for weeks,” she said. “Now, I don’t know what’s going to happen. Everything is unknown, it’s scary.”

Qian introduced San Antonio to her authentic Asian noodle dishes and bao via a self-named pop-up at the Pearl farmers market back in 2011. After gaining a following, she launched a successful catering company and opened Ming’s Noodle Bar in Olmos Park during 2016.

As sales continued to grow, she looked for new opportunities to expand her footprint, signing a lease for her second restaurant in 2019. She planned to open the East Elmira Street location the following spring.

Then COVID-19 hit Texas in March, and the economy came to a screeching halt.

Orders from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg forced local bars and restaurants including Ming’s Noodle Bar to close for everything but delivery and takeout. Dining spots across the state closed their doors, some permanently, and thousands of hospitality workers were furloughed or fired.

Qian’s paused work on her new restaurant for several weeks before resuming construction. The spot is now on track for a June soft opening and a grand opening event in July.

“But of course, that could all change,” she said.

“Things are changing every day.”

Far From Over Despite the public’s eagerness to return to restaurants for hospitality and a sense of normalcy, one 16

CURRENT | July 1 – July 14, 2020 | sacurrent.com

Lea Thompson

thing is clear: the pandemic is far from over. The number of COVID-19 cases in San Antonio is spiraling upward, and with it comes high unemployment rates, dwindling revenue and devastating economic losses for Texas restaurants.

Texas is projected to lose up to 30 percent of its restaurants and food businesses due to COVID-19, according to the Texas Restaurant Associations’ analysis. What’s more, Abbott issued his first order throttling back the state’s reopening, closing bars again and reducing restaurant occupancy from 75% to 50%.

In response to the statewide industry crisis, the TRA has released the Texas Restaurant Survival Plan, which aims to secure additional funding, enact necessary policy changes and provide support to restaurants affected by the pandemic.

Working with industry leaders and health officials, the TRA has also developed the Texas Restaurant Promise, a set of business and customer guidelines that include social distancing, hand sanitizing, and disinfecting spaces. The guidelines have been updated to reflect input from Abbott and his team.

“There’s definitely going to be some changes to the way we do things,” Qian said. “I don’t think restaurants will ever go back to the way they were before.”

New Way of Doing Things Within days of San Antonio’s mandated restaurant and bar closures in March, many businesses successfully pivoted to offer delivery, takeaway and curbside service. But for James Moore and Blade Haddock, the restauranteurs who launched seasonal American restaurant Full Belly Café & Bar in February, there simply wasn’t enough time to adapt.

“The restaurant was so new that we didn’t have

Ming Qian started work on her second restaurant before the pandemic. She said she had no choice but to forge ahead.

M

time or a way to sustain new services like delivery and takeout,” Moore said. “It was somewhat traumatic to close, even temporarily. I’ve obviously never been a part of anything like this, and I’ve opened a half-dozen restaurants. I still shake my head in disbelief that this is happening. But if we can get through this, there’s nothing we can’t do. “ Even though Abbott had relaxed restaurant occupancy rules until his most recent order, the Full Belly team is wary of opening too early.

“We can reopen once. We can’t afford to reopen several times,” Moore said. “We can’t afford to shut down for several days at a time to disinfect and deep clean, so it’s essential to have the best practices in place.”

Using the Texas Restaurant Promise, Moore and Haddock have been developing strategies and practices to create a safe, welcoming environment for staff and customers despite the ongoing pandemic.

“Outside of medical offices, restaurants should be one of the most sanitary places to be right now,” Moore added. “We’re working to make that happen and to providing a fun experience for people as well.”

Moore hopes to reopen the restaurant’s indoor and patio seating to the state’s fully allowed capacity in late July, but that could change. His team has been waiting and watching, because they don’t want to contribute to the already worsening curve.

“The writing is on the wall,” he added. “If we don’t reopen at some point soon, then we’ll never reopen.”

A Different Look

Finding a Way Steps away from the new Ming’s location, husband-wife team Keith and Alex Simpson are preparing to open their second Squeezers Co. juice bar. After establishing the concept in McAllen, the couple brought it north to San Antonio in 2017.

Even during the COVID-19 crisis, the Simpsons’ existing shop managed to find new customers, so they’re hopeful the interest will carry over to the new shop, which will specialize in healthy juice cleanses, wellness shots and smoothie bowls.

Though the pandemic pushed back the original opening date, Squeezers Co. is expected to welcome customers in the coming weeks.

“Growth was always part of our business plan,” Alex Simpson said. “COVID-19 changed everything, but I think people need places like us more than ever now. The most rewarding part of being in this kind of business is just hearing our customers tell us how we have improved their life in one way or another. And that’s why I can’t stop. We can’t stop.”

The couple implemented strict cleaning requirements for their staff, requiring employees to wear masks and gloves while working — even before the recent local order required it. Workers take hours each day to clean, disinfect and prep before the shop opens.

Unlike most food businesses in San Anto-

nio, Squeezers hasn’t furloughed its staff. The team kept busy during the pandemic, giving away wellness shots and health products to needy populations at the Haven for Hope shelter.

Altering Plans While COVID-19 has required virtually every business to adapt to the new normal, many local food entrepreneurs had to completely rethink their business models under the unprecedented circumstances.

Raul Martinez-Salinas was preparing to launch a new vegan-friendly shop inside the historic Wong’s Bodega building when the pandemic hit San Antonio in March. After seeing the Southtown community struggle to find basic supplies, he decided to open the bodega for online-reservation shopping in early April.

“The whole purpose of this bodega was just to be an asset to the community and give them healthier options,” Martinez-Salinas said. “We were going to be a vegan- and vegetarian-only store, but we’ve expanded our products to offer the essentials — meat, dairy, eggs, cheese — that people really need right now.”

For those living in the 78204 ZIP code, curbside groceries at Wong’s Bodega became a godsend, especially since the closest H-E-B with curbside service is more than three miles away.

The opening of Wong’s Bodega looked different than Martinez-Salinas expected, but he’s excited to work with area wholesalers

food

Just as restauranteurs look to organizations such as the TRA for reopening guidance, small businesses are seeking financial assistance to help make up for lost revenue, departed staff and rising operational costs.

Even after receiving a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan in early June, Qian estimates that her businesses have lost nearly $100,000 in revenue since March. That’s added up through lost catering gigs, cancelled farmers market appearances and reduced dine-in service.

Even so, she remains optimistic about the future and finding new customers.

Qian’s newest restaurant, housed inside an airy retail space at Midtown Station, will focus on Southeast Asian-inspired dishes that combine the region’s cooking traditions with a Texas flair.

Although Qian plans for the food to be fine-dining quality, she’ll use a fast-casual ordering system so patrons can minimize contact with servers. The restaurant will also include a newly designed open kitchen that offers ample space for staff to maintain social distance. The mix of indoor and outdoor seating is also designed to meet current state standards.

“This time has been really tough for us, and for restaurants everywhere, but now I think it’s getting better,” Qian said. “Customers are coming back. I think people are ready to go out again.”

and local farmers to bring fresh and affordable food to the area.

“We opened it up to help people, and what better time than right now?” he said.

Indeed, as the restaurant industry rebuilds, so will the economy, said Emily Williams Knight, TRA’s president and CEO. “We just have to remember that until recently, the restaurant industry employed 1.3 million people — more than 40% of our employees are minorities,” she said. “Restaurant and hospitality businesses have been hit harder than any other industry during COVID-19. We’ve already lost so much. We need to get people back to work, safely, and we need to get the population back to work.”

Opening or expanding a restaurant today requires a new approach to business and a major adjustment to expectations, owners say. While the number of restaurants may dwindle as the crisis drags on, the demand for quality dining experiences and hospitality remains.

“I have to remind myself that there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. Otherwise, I’m going to go mad,” restauranteur Qian said. “I have to think positive. I believe in this business, I believe in San Antonio, and I believe in the local community to support us.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and we’re going to make it. That’s how I see it.”

Raul Martinez-Salinas shifted gears with his vegan-friendly shop to adapt to his neighbors’ needs.

q

Lea Thompson

Find more food & drink news at sacurrent.com

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18

CURRENT | July 1 – July 14, 2020 | sacurrent.com

food Bartending Basics

The Old Fashioned offers a great starting point for exploring buildin-the-glass cocktails

BY RON BECHTOL

T

he Old Fashioned is one of the first buildin-the-glass cocktails — and one of the first cocktails, period. Once simply called the Whiskey Cocktail, this classic is certainly a foundational drink for any aspiring home bartender.

Some even claim it’s a rum forbear.

Just because it’s a Genesis creation doesn’t mean this initially simple combination of whiskey, sugar, bitters, water and sometimes a splash of curaçao or a bit of muddled orange peel is settled doctrine. At one point, the Old Fashioned morphed into a “veritable fruit cocktail with oranges, orange juice, cherries and sometimes a piece of pineapple … an ugly slurry that has nothing to do with the original drink,” according to the tome Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails.

Other purists suggest the fruit was a way to disguise inferior liquor.

Origins aside, the key to making a quality Old Fashioned is to start with good booze, preferably 100-proof rye — my preference — or bourbon. Actually, start with one raw brown sugar cube in the bottom of an aptly-named Old Fashioned glass, pour in about ¼ ounce of cold water — some recipes call for soda water — add two dashes of Angostura bitters and muddle with whatever implement you have. A wooden spoon will do.

Once done muddling, pour in two ounces of your whiskey of choice, then add one large ice cube and swirl it. If you insist on a fancy big ice cube like the ones at craft-cocktail bars, invest in a silicon mold that will turn out cubes about 1¼ inch per side. From there, simply twist a piece of lemon skin over the drink and drop it in.

Beyond Whiskey Once you’ve mastered the technique — and you should — feel free to move on to other base spirits.

Old Tom gin and brandy are classic variations, while reposado or añejo tequila make for a mean and more contemporary twist.

Here’s another option: the Oaxacan Old Fashioned, developed by New York’s now-shuttered Death & Co. The cocktail uses one-and-a-half ounces of tequila, a half-ounce of mezcal, a teaspoon of agave nectar and two dashes of Angostura stirred with ice and complemented with a twist of orange peel.

Almost as simple a drink is the classic, equal-parts Negroni. While some recipes call for stirring the gin, sweet vermouth and Campari in an ice-filled mixing vessel for transfer to an Old Fashioned glass, the simplest method is just to pour the ingredients into the final container with ice, stir and sip. Some like to

Ron Bechtol

play a little with the proportions, of course. I happen to prefer more gin and less vermouth. And there are myriad other variations, including a Bianco. Give that a Google and have some fun.

Layers, Flutes and More Stirring and shaking are classic means of both diluting the alcohol and incorporating all the parts of a cocktail. However, some drinks are built in the glass precisely to create layers. A book called The Architecture of the Cocktail, which I received from a talented bartender friend with a degree in architecture, offered up one such cocktail — the Tequila Sunrise.

With that name, the layers make real sense. Put three or so large ice cubes into a highball glass, add one-and-a-half ounces of silver tequila, allowing it to settle into the bottom. Next, slowly pour in four ounces of fresh orange juice. Then, over the back of a spoon, slowly drizzle in a quarter-ounce of grenadine.

Toast the dawn.

A different kind of glass altogether, the flute, is

required for Champagne cocktails, a kind of bubbly version of the Old Fashioned — at least as far as the sugar cube is concerned. The essential Speakeasy cocktail book offers a great version. Pour a half-ounce of Grand Marnier into a flute and slowly top off with about five ounces of chilled Champagne. Saturate a sugar cube with Angostura and carefully drop it into the flute. Twist a swath of lemon peel over the drink, then discard the spent citrus.

I’m generally not a fan of drinks with crushed ice, but, hey, it’s summer, so why not a Caipirinha? This simple cocktail is based on cachaça, a brash distillate of fresh sugar cane that’s the national liquor of Brazil. You could probably substitute an agricole rum for a slightly more refined drink. In your trusty Old Fashioned glass, muddle half a lime, sliced vertically into quarters with two teaspoons of sugar. Add two ounces of cachaça, fill with crushed or cracked ice and serve. You may notice a resemblance to a rum-based mojito, which replaces the muddled lime and sugar with mint leaves and simple syrup. And why not give that one a go while you’re at it? sacurrent.com | July 1 – July 14, 2020 | CURRENT

19

HEALTHY KIDS NEEDED FOR A STUDY ON BRAIN DEVELOPMENT

We are conducting a study on brain development, using MRI to study the structure and function of the brain.

There is NO radiation in MRI. To be in the study, the child should: Be between the ages of 8-17 years old, have not received a psychiatric diagnosis & have a parent without a psychiatric diagnosis.

Children will be: - Given pictures of their brain - Given a certificate from the University acknowledging their successful time volunteering in research - Given the gratification of knowing their participation may help other kids who are seriously ill - Paid for their participation

If you are interested in participating in this research,

Please Call (210) 450-8362 OR BDstudySA@uthscsa.edu 20

CURRENT | July 1 – July 14, 2020 | sacurrent.com

music

Katie Hennessey

Freestyle Feels

Defylo all about ‘putting unity back into the community’

BY KATIE HENNESSEY

A

n uncharacteristic quiet surrounded the hundred or so people lounging at the Pearl’s riverside park last Saturday night. After all, the barefoot didgeridoo man who’s often a fixture of the space was nowhere to be seen — or heard.

But things changed around 9 p.m., when drumbeats reverberated through the near-downtown development, from its Food Hall to the towering Hotel Emma.

A three-man freestyling ensemble called Defylo, formerly Real Mus-IQ, drew in a crowd of park-goers with an upbeat musical display and message of positivity.

“We do it for the 2-1-0,” they chanted in Boyz II Men-style harmony to kick off the show.

“It’s going to take you and me putting unity back into our community,” the trio repeated in unison like a rhythmic mantra.

Darin Sanders, the trio’s conga player and consummate hype man, introduced the players and revealed the meaning behind the group’s name.

“We are Defylo. We are here to defy any low expectation that you might have of us. We are here to defy low energy and any negative feelings,” Sanders shouted. “We are three young

Black kids who are excited about people. We love people. And we know that the world is crazy right now.”

The audience responded with cheers.

“Inside everyone here, we all got the same heart, maybe different colors, but the same love,” Sanders added.

Freestyling machine David Rhodes kept his eye on the crowd while adding a melodic element via his keyboard. He specialized in off-the-cuff shoutouts, calling out to passersby as they took in his rhymes.

“I must ask, how long it takes my man in the back to comb his mustache,” he joked.

Rhodes’ uncanny ability to come up with rhymes on the spot had audience members giggling, sometimes even hiding themselves to avoid impromptu callouts.

His brother Darek Rhodes kept the backbeat, cracking drumsticks on a djembe, frequently delivering pulsing drum solos that stirred viewers onto their feet and dancing their way to to the band’s tip jars.

And while cash piled up, the three men harmonized about the main reason they play music.

“I don’t do this for the money, I don’t do this for the fame,” they sang. “I am just trying to reach the people, I’m just trying to make a

change.”

After the performance, Sanders told the Current the pop-up park appearance was the first time the band had played together in five years. The members were born in Port Lavaca but spent most of their lives in San Antonio.

“I moved away thinking I could find a different lifestyle, but the music kept calling me back, my brothers kept calling me back,” he said.

What unifies them is the message behind their music.

“We know the power of words, so we come out here to express it,” Sanders said. “And, in a time like this, we feel like it’s what’s most needed.”

Defylo’s performance at the Pearl comes amid weeks of street protests in San Antonio as thousands demand racial justice and police reform. It also arrives as residents struggle to adjust to life in a post-COVID-19 world.

But positivity was the underlying message Saturday night.

“Hold on, be strong, be still, be calm,” the trio harmonized. “The sun shines after the storm, it’s darkest before the dawn.”

The heartfelt lyrics had the crowd swaying and singing along to the refrain. In what seemed like an island of positive energy surrounded by an ocean of calamity, the rhythmic trio had convinced the crowd that hope was on the way.

The group finished their set at 10 p.m., when park police approached and asked them to pack up. Sanders stood, shook the officer’s hand, and turned to the audience to assure them that Defylo will be back.

Find more music coverage every day at sacurrent.com

2065 L E G A L N O T I C E S Trinity Vehicle Storage Facility, Inc. 9911 N IH 35, San Antonio, TX 78233 (210)960-1901 License #0653735VSF https://www.tdlr.texas.gov 2018 Honda Civic EX VIN: 2HGFC1E3XJH641682 LP: (CA) 8KBJ246 Impound Date: 06/20/2020 Total Due: $312.70 Trinity Vehicle Storage Facility, Inc. 9911 N IH 35, San Antonio, TX 78233 (210)960-1901 License #0653735VSF https://www.tdlr.texas.gov 2006 Chevrolet Silverado VIN: 2GCEK13T961177123 LP: (MX) ER74608 Impound Date: 05/26/2020 Total Due: $943.95 If the vehicle is not claimed 30 days after the Date this notice is sent, the VSF has the right to dispose of the vehicle. Failure to do so shall be a waiver of all rights, title, interest and consent to sell the vehicle at Public Sale

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice of Initiation of the Section 106 Process – Public Participation in accordance with the FCC’s Nationwide Programmatic Agreement. Union Pacific proposes to construct a communications facility within the right-of-way at SIG2480.TX.01 site (Mile Post 222.7) located approximately .48 mi NW of Moreno St & Fischer Rd (Latitude: 29.325379, and Longitude: -98.633918) San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas 78073. The site will include a monopole telecommunications tower with an approximate overall height of 85 ft. with associated equipment.

Union Pacific is publishing this notice in accordance with Federal Communications Commission regulations (47 CFR § 1.1307) for Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). We respectfully request that parties interested in commenting on this Federal undertaking relative to potential effects on cultural or historic properties should contact GSS, Inc., 1054 Texan Trail #300, Grapevine, TX 76051 (682) 651-0034 (GSS# D20124-TX).

E M P LOY M E N T Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Web Systems Engineer 4, San Antonio, TX (multiple positions available): Assist w/planning, design & build out & support of Oracle Identity Management server environment. Must have Bachelor's Degree in IT, Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related & 5 yrs exp. w/each of the following: WebLogic; application production support; Red Hat Linux or UNIX; & Apache. Must have 3 yrs exp. w/each of the following: Oracle Identity Management; working on an application development or infrastructure support technical team; deploying applications & patches using SCCM in enterprise environment; Microsoft Windows server or Desktop Operating support; & Networking. Must have 2 yrs exp. w/each of the following: LDAP; SSL Internal security protocol; MS Active Directory; NAS; & relational database. Exp. may be gained concurrently. Apply online at www.wellsfargo.com.

Pediatrician needed in San Antonio, TX. Please send resume to: Tharak Yarrabolu MD, Prime Pediatrics, 1314 E. Sonterra Blvd, Suite 5102, San Antonio, TX 78258 22

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Database Analyst (San Antonio, TX) Analyze business reqmt; Solve business request from clients; Perform data verification & analysis using statistical tool SAS & R. Calculate large data set & Scripting in PowerShell & Python. Perform large scale d/base maintenance & release operations using SQL Server, MySQL & cloud environment Azure. Reqs Master's deg in IT Mgmt or Comp Sci w/ 1 yr related exp.

Apply to: eMetric LLC, 211 N. Loop 1604, Ste 170, San Antonio, TX 78232.

Attn: HR.

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