During his two years at the Daily Lobo starting in early 2020, Liam DeBonis worked first as a reporter before becoming photo editor, and later, copy editor.
His coverage included the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests held in Albuquerque, which DeBonis said helped him discover his voice as a journalist and photographer.
“I think one of the most important things that we covered during my time was the climax of the national anger and rage and conflict,” DeBonis said. “I was out in the street pretty much every day, every event, every protest — whether it was anti-lockdown, pro BLM, or counter BLM. Whatever the case, I was out there with my team, and we were trying to cover it the best we could.”
Bella Davis, who now writes for New Mexico In Depth, worked with DeBonis as a reporter at the Daily Lobo. Being so new to the field, they were learning as they went — getting advice from more experienced reporters and educating themselves on staying safe at protests.
“I think partly because the pandemic had just started a few months prior,” Davis said. “There was already so much grief and uncertainty and fear.”
Only four months after spreading to the United States, the COVID-19 pandemic had killed over 100,000 Americans by May 23, 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
DeBonis was present when a protester was shot during a peaceful protest for the removal of the conquistador Juan de Oñate statue outside the Albuquerque Museum in June 2020. He remembers spending the entire night editing photos and writing the story with Davis and fellow Daily Lobo reporter Andrew Gunn.
“It was something that no student journalist should ever have to go through,” DeBonis said. “But it was really important that we did and really important that we covered it and got it out there, because there was a lot of conflicting narratives about that day, and we did our best to get the story straight.”
One moment from DeBonis’ coverage of the Black Lives Matter protests still sticks out vividly in his memory, he said.
In early June 2020, DeBonis and then-Daily Lobo photo editor Sharon Chischilly rushed to downtown Albuquerque at midnight after riot police were deployed to a protest.
DeBonis and Chischilly approached the line of police standing opposite the protesters to take photos before stepping onto the street corner five feet away, DeBonis said. Not long afterward, police used tear gas to disperse the peaceful protest, Debonis said.
“One of them gives us the signal to hit the deck, and so we all dropped to the floor, and they start shooting stuff over our heads at protesters behind us. A police officer throws a tear gas canister, but the wind blows it back right towards us,” DeBonis said. “Of course, they've all got gas masks. We have nothing.”
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DeBonis, Schischilly and a photojournalist from KRQE joined hands to walk out of the tear gas.
“We couldn't see. We were worried we would run right into the cop in front of us holding a rifle,” DeBonis said. “Despite that conflict, there were so many sweet people there. There were people asking if others needed water or food. They did their best. I was just there to capture that.”
When DeBonis started at the Daily Lobo, he wasn’t thinking about the historical context his photos could have, he said.
“Once I started photographing this movement that was nationwide, if not international, I realized I was a part of something,” DeBonis said. “I just felt that if I could get a photo out there that shows their struggle, or shows humanity in their truest form, that there would be some sort of peace from it.”
DeBonis’ favorite photo he took was from the Oñate statue protest, depicting protesters standing with their hands raised. The photo later made the cover of the Daily Lobo in fall 2020.
DeBonis went on to work as the copy editor at the Albuquerque Journal and a staff photographer for Taos News.
Working in journalism, it’s hard to hope for specific outcomes from your photos, he said. But even if it’s a photo of something terrible, DeBonis always hopes that how it’s used will increase hope or help the people affected.
Maria Fernandez is a beat reporter and photographer for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
