After a brief reoccupation of Yale Park by (un)Occupy Albuquerque protesters this weekend, the park is now empty of signs and protesters.
About a dozen police officers have kept protesters from protesting on campus since Saturday. UNM Operations Lieutenant Trace Peck said protesters have not applied for a permit and will not be allowed on campus unless they do so.
Jessica Farrell, who was arrested for criminal trespassing in Yale Park Sunday, said she made a conscious decision to step onto Yale Park in defiance of University police.
“I had the realization that I could no longer put any faith into the system that was supposed to not only protect, but empower me as a student and as a person,” Farrell said. “I wanted to support the people that were being arrested, not only ideologically and emotionally, but physically as well.”
Peck said UNM police are under direct orders not to allow any protestors, specifically (un)Occupy Albuquerque members, into the park. (un)Occupy Albuquerque member Andrew Beale and Daily Lobo alumnus said the University is disregarding protesters’ right to free speech.
“It seems to me that it’s a pretty clear violation of the First Amendment,” Beale said.
According to local statutes, the government is allowed to place restrictions on First Amendment rights. For example, if a students create danger for others in the park, UNM can prevent students from being there, or close the park itself.
Beale said the permit issue is irrelevant as there are gatherings in the park all the time by people who are not protesting. He said if a group of students decide to play a soccer game or have a study session in the park, UNM would not make them apply for a permit or arrest them.
Despite the arrests made this weekend, (un)Occupy Albuquerque continued to protest around the city, picketing in front of the PNM building downtown on Wednesday. Beale said the protest targeted the cooperation between legislators and big business.
“It was in response to a call from Occupy Portland to shut down the corporations, specifically corporations connected to ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council).” According to their website, ALEC is an organization of conservative state legislators and members of the private sector that advances free market principles and limited government intervention.
According to an internal PNM document given to the Daily Lobo by (un)Occupy, PNM has employees that are members of ALEC.
“External/Federal Affairs employees are members of several industry groups which include the Association of Electric Companies of Texas and the American Legislative Exchange Council (“ALEC”) which allow them to stay up-to-date on what other Extemal/Federal Affairs groups in the industry are offering.”
But Don Brown, PNM news media relations representative for utilities, said PNM as an organization isn’t a part ALEC.
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“We are not members of ALEC,” Brown said. “That is what was mystifying to us.”
Brown said about 20 protesters arrived at PNM to protest, but that business was not affected.
“Most of the protestors showed up at around (noon) and were gone by 1:30(p.m.),” Brown said. “It was a peaceful, legal protest. They stayed on the sidewalk and didn’t walk on private property.”
(un)Occupy member Sean Potter said even if PNM isn’t officially a member, it still retains the industry benefits offered by ALEC.
“PNM is an ALEC member, or at least employees are members acting in an official representative capacity, which is effectively the same thing,” he said. “Additionally, their largest shareholder, Fidelity Investments (Holding 10.87% of PNM), is also a member, and a prominent one.”
