On Thursday evening, students and activists protesting racism and police brutality flooded into the intersection of Central Avenue and Cornell Drive, carrying signs and banners and blocking traffic for nearly 10 minutes.
The protest was organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation of New Mexico, and included members of the UNM Kiva Club, the Red Nation and Black Lives Matter.
PSL organizer Christopher Banks said the protest was held in response to the most recent cases of police shootings, including the killing of Charlotte, North Carolina man Keith Lamont Scott, which has sparked massive protests and clashes between Charlotte police and protesters.
“The epidemic of racist police killings in the United States is really capturing national attention right now, because of all of the videos going viral of these murders,” Banks said. “They make the pattern undeniable — systemic, racist criminality directed toward the black, Latino and poor communities.”
Banks said the plan was to hold a demonstration outside the UNM Bookstore, but the group had discussed the possibility of blocking traffic “if the people were militant enough.”
Similar tactics have been used recently by demonstrators around the country.
“The tactic of disrupting traffic, or disrupting business as usual, is a way of putting a spotlight on issues that aren’t getting enough attention,” Banks said. “I believe that in the calculus that organizers are doing, it’s one of the few options left to us, the people, to command control over the mass media.”
After organizers called for the demonstrators to fill the intersection, people set up banners at the crosswalks, blocking traffic in all three directions. A diverse group then filled the streets, carrying signs and chanting, “No justice, no peace! No racist police!”
Using a bullhorn, Banks then called for the group to kneel and a take moment of silence. He began listing the names of recent victims of police shootings, including James Boyd, an Albuquerque homeless man who was fatally shot by police in 2014.
Banks said that taking a knee has become a powerful symbolic gesture due to the recent controversy surrounding NFL player Colin Kaepernick, who has refused to stand for the National Anthem at the start of games this season.
“It has become an iconic protest, identified with the struggle against police brutality,” Banks said.
After a few more minutes of chanting, the group moved back onto the sidewalks. The demonstration was entirely peaceful, and no police were called to the scene.
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UNM student Nikki Archuleta, founder of the Girls of Color Coalition, said that blocking traffic was a way to shake people out of apathy and force them to face serious issues.
“We’re here to make people feel uncomfortable. This area is the perfect spot to do it,” she said. “Even if we don’t get people to change their minds, they’re going to go home thinking about this. That’s the most important thing.”
Sandra Jenkins, a 60-year-old African American, said she has experienced racism all her life. She came to the protest to support the younger generation of activists, she said.
“They can learn a lot from the older generation, from what they have experienced. We fought hard, but racism still exists,” Jenkins said.
Banks said the protesters’ demands are simple: justice for citizens who are killed unnecessarily by police.
“Our demand is to immediately jail killer cops,” he said. “It’s not a question of bad apples anymore.”
Banks said that PSL organized the first demonstration after the killing of James Boyd, which drew thousands of people to downtown Albuquerque. He believes the protests directly led to the charges against APD officers Keith Sandy and Dominique Perez, who are currently standing trial for murder after fatally shooting Boyd.
Banks said the groups are watching the case very closely.
“If they’re acquitted or given a slap on the wrist, we’ll be back in the streets,” he said.
Video of the protest can be found at facebook.com/DailyLobo.
Jonathan Baca is the managing editor at the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at managingeditor@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @JonGabrielB.
