UNM making statement by charging group for cleanup

Editor,

I am astounded that the only story that made it to the front page of the Daily Lobo was not about the 600 or so people who demonstrated peacefully against the UNM war research facilities March 15, but rather about a few individuals who apparently did some silly graffiti in the area.

Now, UNM officials are apparently trying to make a political statement by actually charging one of the participating organizations in the demonstration with the enormous bill of - gasp - $200.

As if this University does not pay huge salaries to its CEO administration and millions on fancy new facilities and perks for its top administrators, it now needs $200.

It is transparent that this is an attempt to blacken the efforts of scores of community and campus organizers of the demonstration, blame it all on one organization and then play the victim of a horrible $200 clean-up cost. I only hope this $200 penalty does not extend to the many UNM students who also organized this much-needed demonstration. But they better watch their backs.

And shame on the Daily Lobo for playing the front-page most-negative-possible-take game. Is that what you teach your journalism students?

Susanna de Falla

Daily Lobo reader