SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) Dozens of activists, some armed with guns and rifles, showed up at the Alamo at noon Friday to “re-defend” the Cradle of Texas Liberty.  They were planning to stay until Saturday morning and brought plenty of food and supplies to last through the night.
This is Texas Freedom Force staged the event to prevent the dismantling of the Cenotaph, which the group claimed was scheduled to start Saturday morning.

This is Texas Freedom Force protest at Alamo/Dec. 27, 2019, Screenshot from TITFF Facebook Post.

 

As TITFF convened Friday, they received a letter and tamales from San Antonio City Councilman Roberto Trevino. The letter was addressed to Brandon Burkhart, president of TITFF.

“The work on the Cenotaph will not begin on December 28th–that information is misleading and false,” Trevino said in the letter. “The work will begin in February as previously stated.”

The District 1 councilman said the letter was “a symbol of our unexpected partnership in ensuring that our collective history is honored and that the truth is given a chance to persevere.”

Burkhart replied on Facebook that they don’t trust Trevino. They gave the tamales to some homeless people in the area.

“We also received word that they are going to try to remove us from the plaza at midnight tonight,” Burkhart said in his Facebook post. “We need lots of bodies here because we are only exercising our first & second amendment rights.”

Trevino’s letter invited Burkhart and other members of the group to meet with him and representatives of the Alamo Master Plan construction team to review the schedule.

“There is nothing to hide and the truth has a way of inspiring unity,” said Trevino. “As different as our positions might seem from the outside, we are truly fighting for the same cause and seeking the same fundamental goals: Integrity. History. Reverence. Truth.”

John McCammon with the Sons of Confederate Veterans joined the group at Alamo Plaza protesting the planned relocation of the Cenotaph, which bears the likeness of some of the defenders of the Alamo. The plan is to move it about 500 feet near the Menger Hotel and have it face the Alamo. Opponents fear it will be damaged in the process.

“It’s time that the Texans stand up to the people and throw them out of office,” said McCammon. “This is the place, this is the time, this is the Cenotaph.”

A member of TITFF said in a Facebook Live interview that the Cenotaph, which is about 60 feet high and 40 feet wide, was installed at its current location for a reason.

“In this area is where they burned 160 to 180 of the Texians who fought here at the Battle of the Alamo and they didn’t give them a proper burial. They burned them here in this spot.”

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