Members of the Alamo Defenders Descendants Association were protesting a plan to move the Cenotaph 500 feet to the south under a multi-million-dollar master plan to renovate the Alamo Plaza. A 1930s monument to the 189 fallen Alamo defenders was marked with anti-white supremacy graffiti during a vandalism spree late Thursday.One person has been arrested after racist remarks were spray painted on the Alamo Cenotaph early Friday morning.One person has been arrested after racist remarks were spray painted on the Alamo Cenotaph early Friday morning.One person has been arrested after racist remarks were spray painted on the Alamo Cenotaph early Friday morning.One person has been arrested after racist remarks were spray painted on the Alamo Cenotaph early Friday morning.Maureen Anderson prays with Bible in hand beside the Alamo Cenotaph in Alamo Plaza after a rally to keep the monument in place in October 2017. Project One, the initial phase of the massive public-private overhaul of the Alamo, could begin as early as December, resulting in relocation of the 1930s Alamo Cenotaph during 2020.

If they try to deconstruct this and move it to another location, the chances of them permanently damaging it are extremely high and this monument won't be standing anymore," said Burkhart.

"Burkhart said his group had enough food and water for five nights and were prepared to stay that long to get legislators attention.On Saturday afternoon, the group said via Facebook they were successful in preventing the removal and would start their full campaign to get Lt. Gov Dan Patrick's attention on re-defending the Alamo.

Members of the Alamo Defenders Descendants Association were protesting a plan to move the Cenotaph 500 feet to the south under a multi-million-dollar master plan to renovate the Alamo Plaza.

Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.Our new Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. © Kin Man Hui /San Antonio Express-News Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. San Antonio police have detained a suspect.The north base of the Alamo Cenotaph was marked in red spray paint with the words “white supremacy,” “profit over people” and “the ALAMO.” San Antonio police have detained a suspect.The 58-foot-tall monument is slated to be disassembled, repaired and reassembled at the south end of Alamo Plaza later this year, pending approval that could come next month from the Texas Historical Commission.Lee Spencer White, president of the Alamo Defenders Descendants Association and a vocal opponent to the monument’s relocation as part of an Alamo Plaza makeover, said the incident reveals the Cenotaph will be vulnerable to future acts of vandalism at its proposed new location in front of the historic Menger Hotel.“This incident clearly shows if the Cenotaph is moved to the Menger area, it will fall prey to every nut job with a can of spray paint,” White said. All Rights Reserved.

SAN ANTONIO -- The controversy surrounding the four-year, $450 million Alamo renovation project took another turn Friday, as the nonprofit group This is Texas Freedom Force and others demonstrators from across the state gathered in front of the 60-foot cenotaph in hopes of getting lawmakers’ attention.Some were just toting signs or Texas flags, and others dressed were in full tactical gear with weapons, saying they were ready to stop a rumored December 28 date for the cenotaph to be removed.

That project, set for completion by the end of the year, is the first phase in a $450 million, public-private venture led by the city of San Antonio, Texas General Land Office and nonprofit Alamo Endowment.

It includes construction of an Alamo museum and visitor center and conversion of the north end of the plaza to an outdoor interpretive space, enclosed by handrails.Police found the graffiti around midnight, and apprehended a suspect at about 2 a.m. Friday.Also marked with graffiti was a wall of a parking garage on Losoya Street, just west of the Alamo, and a statue of Alamo defender Toribio Losoya that faces Losoya Street. "We want to allow Texans to vote on this issue, and at the very least, if you won't let Texans vote on it, kick it over to the legislature," said Burkhart. "We'll be here to stop them," said Brandon Burkhart, who is president of This is Texas Freedom Force.He didn't go into specifics on how they would stop the monument from being removed.The cenotaph was commissioned in 1836 and honors those who perished during the siege and The Battle of the Alamo. Those remains were found during excavations supporting efforts to preserve the mission-era church.Scott Huddleston covers Bexar County government and the Alamo for the San Antonio Express-News.
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"They'll hear from Texans and then make a final say and we have confidence that they will say leave the cenotaph right where it's at. A section of sidewalk by Travis Park, northwest of the Alamo, also was tagged.Some of the graffiti was believed to have anti-police symbolism.Surveillance cameras are used to monitor portions of Alamo Plaza, including the area where the vandalism of the Cenotaph occurred.White said her group has a demonstration set for 10 a.m. June 13 to protest the monument’s planned relocation, and calling for direct inclusion of Alamo descendants’ groups in human remains treatment protocols.The Land Office recently secured permission from the historical commission to exhume partially intact skeletal remains from four burials beneath the floor of the Alamo church.