by Mara Hvistendahl, Alleen Brown
Part 4 - “Armed Friendlies” in Albuquerque
In New Mexico, earlier appearances by the New Mexico Civil Guard sparked little apparent concern among the authorities. On June 1, video emerged of an Albuquerque police officer offering a pep talk to men in military garb ahead of a demonstration against police brutality. The men were apparently working with Ultimate Fighting Champion mixed martial artist Jon Jones to stop any attempts to damage buildings. “If you guys see something, holler, but take care of each other and take care of the people of Albuquerque,” the police officer told them. The New Mexico Civil Guard, which describes its mission as providing “rapid local lawful response to emergency and dangerous situations,” was among the armed men spotted confronting demonstrators in the city that night.
Nick Estes, an American studies professor at the University of New Mexico, was walking to a community center with friends and activists when two armed men bolted toward them. One reached in his pants. “I was like, ‘Hey, what the fuck are you doing? Are you trying to pull a gun on us?’” Estes recalled. He noticed a larger group of armed individuals gathered nearby.
The man apologized and explained that he thought they were breaking in. Estes noted that he and his friends were “a big group of Natives” outside the Larry Casuse Freedom Center, an organizing space for Albuquerque’s Native community. The people inside the building, it turned out, had shut off all the lights out of fear that the armed men would break in and shoot them.
Officers were overheard on a police scanner the next day describing “armed friendlies” posted on rooftops near the protest, according to a report by the local radio station KUNM. A member of the New Mexico Patriots, a group that pledges to “uphold the Constitution,” told the station that they had coordinated with police about monitoring the protests. “We’ve worked with APD for many years now,” he said.
The Albuquerque Police Department denied any coordination with the Patriots and issued a statement disavowing the officer’s words of support, stating, “We also discourage the presence of armed civilians at protests, which has the potential to escalate violence, not prevent it.”
In the wake of Monday’s shooting, Albuquerque Police Chief Mike Geier said in a statement, “We are receiving reports about vigilante groups possibly instigating this violence. If this is true, we will be holding them accountable to the fullest extent of the law, including federal hate group designation and prosecution.”
The Bernalillo County prosecutor charged Baca with felony aggravated battery for throwing the woman on the ground, two misdemeanor counts of battery for striking two other individuals, and unlawful carrying of a concealed gun. District Attorney Raul Torrez dropped charges for the shooting, however, citing an incomplete investigation and missteps by the Albuquerque Police Department, including their failure to preserve the crime scene. “There were tactics that were used by the Albuquerque Police Department that made it impossible for key witnesses to the event to actually make statements,” he noted, referencing “actions to restore order,” presumably the firing of tear gas and other crowd control weapons, and the presence of an undercover officer in the crowd. He turned the investigation over to the New Mexico State Police in hopes that members of the public would be more comfortable speaking with an outside agency.
Torrez said he’d uncovered no links between Baca and the New Mexico Civil Guard members, who were released. The group also said that he is not a member, although they defended him as a “Hispanic victim” on their Facebook page, blaming the violence on antifa. Baca’s attorney indicated that he would claim self-defense.
Estes sees the presence of vigilantes at protests as a continuation of the long history of violent racism in the U.S. Juan de Oñate became governor of New Mexico in the 16th century after brutally subjugating the people native to the area. When members of the Acoma Pueblo refused to pay a food tax and killed Oñate’s nephew in an ensuing altercation, Oñate massacred hundreds, cutting off the hands and feet of many survivors. The Spanish government ultimately banished Oñate from New Mexico. But monuments to the disgraced despot can still be found throughout the state.
“These New Mexico Civil Guard people, as well as these white militias around the country, understand these histories, and they are willing to shoot people to defend these histories,” Estes said. “The significance of the statue is that it just shows that this colonial violence is ongoing and that there’s a deep investment in the glory of conquest that led to the settlement of this land.”
In the wake of the shooting, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller swiftly removed the monument. He said that the city would “determine next steps,” adding, “This sculpture has now become an urgent matter of public safety.”
Estes was unimpressed. The mayor should have acted much sooner, he said. “There have been multiple reports in local news media by grassroots organizers that these fascists are coming around and harassing people. There have been calls to take down these Oñate statues for generations.” Anti-police brutality organizers’ central demand remains significant defunding of the Albuquerque Police Department, he added. Keller has not committed to that.
***
Source, links:
Related:
Comments
Post a Comment