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‘Now is the time to act’: Substantial police reform largely absent at special session

Bella Davis | June 20

SANTA FE — In a state that’s seen its share of unrest over police brutality and systemic racism, police reform legislation is lacking as the special session of the Legislature heads into the third day. A bill passed by the Senate and another by the House late Friday night have already received criticism for not going far enough while Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has blocked two other reform bills from being heard. After partisan debate, the Senate approved a bill (SB 8) sponsored by Sen. Joseph Cervantes that would require law enforcement officers to use body cameras. The bill would also mandate that officers who are convicted of unlawful use of force have their law enforcement certification revoked.

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State Senate bill seeks to expand mail-in voting for general election

Spencer Butler | June 19

SANTA FE — On June 18, the New Mexico Senate put forth a bill aimed at expanding mail-in voting access for the 2020 general election across the state. The legislation later morphed in committee to allow independents or those unaffiliated with a major party to change their party affiliation on the same day that they cast a ballot. Senate Bill 4 — introduced by Democratic Senators Daniel Ivey-Soto and Gabriel Ramos and backed by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham — aims to allow county clerks to automatically send mail-in ballots to registered voters without requiring people to request them.

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Police misconduct investigation cleanup missing from special session

Bella Davis | June 19

SANTA FE — Spurred by the police murder of George Floyd and subsequent worldwide protests against systemic racism and police brutality, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced on Wednesday that police reform would be included at the special session. The session began at noon on Thursday. Notably missing from the Governor’s call was a House bill that would have reformed police misconduct investigations. State Rep. Antonio "Moe" Maestas said the bill would have changed a state law that makes investigating police misconduct more difficult.

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Opportunity Scholarship funding in jeopardy as legislative special session starts

Spencer Butler | June 18

SANTA FE — A special session of the state legislature will get underway today, where several University of New Mexico-related issues are set to be discussed. Among them is the legislative budget, which is currently facing a $2 billion hole due to a drop in oil and gas prices as extraction in the Permian basin and travel have come to a virtual standstill. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham proposed a plan on June 10 to offset the budget shortfall by using a mix of federal stimulus funding, spending cuts and cash reserves. However, the Legislative Finance Committee proposed its own plan, which saw many differences.

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Protester shot at Albuquerque anti-conquistador demonstration

Andrew Gunn , Bella Davis and Liam Debonis | June 16

OLD TOWN — Albuquerque became a flash point in the roiling debate over statues commemorating racist historical figures on Monday evening after a shooting perpetrated by an armed vigilante left a man in critical condition. The sequence of events was rapid, and the violence that erupted shocked the conscience of a state that has long grappled with a complex history of settler colonialism, European imperialism and genocide of Indigenous peoples. The protest and ensuing conflict between unarmed protesters and paramilitary splinter groups came to a head after weeks of uprisings following the police murder of George Floyd and amidst a national reckoning on institutionalized white supremacy in the United States.

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Clifton White remains incarcerated as calls for release gain momentum

Bella Davis | June 15

More than two dozen cars circled the entrance to the Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Los Lunas on Thursday as guards looked on. Protesters were there demanding the release of Clifton White, who some have described as a political prisoner. As the Daily Lobo previously reported, White, a 36-year-old Black man, was arrested on June 1 for allegedly violating parole. His wife Selinda Guerrero, a community organizer working on prisoners’ rights, has maintained that his arrest was retaliation for his work in the community.

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OPINION: New Mexicans: We regret to inform you that COVID-19 is as risky as ever while NM reopens

June 15

It’s been a long few weeks. After a long month. In a year that began what feels like decades ago. Protests, riots and police brutality are rampant in this week’s headlines. Corruption. Deception. Violence. Press release upon press release. A military presence on campus that more closely resembles Fallujah circa 2003 than an institution of higher learning. Living nightmare after living nightmare. And, oh yeah, a global pandemic. I almost forgot. As New Mexico continues to roll out its reopening plans, it’s getting easier (and way more comforting) to fall into a sense that COVID is in the rearview mirror. With crowds swelling — be it for social revolution or casual outdoor dining — it’s important we keep an eye on New Mexico’s COVID cases post-quarantine and what they can tell us as we attempt to find a new normal.

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Mayor, city councilors push police reform amidst calls to disband APD

Bella Davis | June 12

Following the police murder of George Floyd and two weeks of worldwide protests, a veto-proof majority of the Minneapolis City Council moved to disband the police department and instead invest in community-led public safety on Sunday.  Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller and City Councilors Pat Davis — a former police officer — and Lan Sena, meanwhile, are pushing for reform rather than defunding or disbanding the Albuquerque Police Department.  Keller proposed the “8 Can’t Wait” initiative, which is a series of eight reformist policies that some activists say could reduce police violence, during a press conference on Friday.

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ASUNM senate passes resolution endorsing abolition of police while authors urge Stokes to cut APD ties

Joe Rull | June 11

The Associated Students of the University of New Mexico’s senate sent a message to the University community on Wednesday that Black lives matter. “There isn’t any middle ground in determining whether or not Black people deserve to exist in this country,” ASUNM Senator Suha Musa said. After hours of deliberating the implications of ASUNM taking an official position on the abolition of the police system, Resolution #1F passed during Wednesday night’s special ASUNM session, with 13 senators voting in favor, 3 against and 4 absent.  

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Student housing announces fall semester COVID-19 changes

Beatrice Nisoli | June 11

Due to fears about the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, first-year freshmen will not be required to live on campus this fall, and for students who choose to, roommates will be prohibited. Wayne Sullivan, the director of Residence Life and Student Housing, said the choice was made to prioritize students' health. "We truly believe in the positive impact of the campus living experience, and it's disappointing that fewer students will be able to have that experience this year, but we must work to provide a safer environment for all our students," Sullivan said.

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International students face uncertainty returning to UNM for fall classes

Annya Loya | June 11

Just a year ago, the University of New Mexico’s Global Education Office (GEO) reported that international students comprised 5.2% of the total University population. With the hardships brought by the pandemic, those numbers could significantly descend. “Being away from one’s family and home was also challenging during such a pandemic, especially when you belong to a community where everyone is trying to adapt to these new realities,” said Ghada Zribi, a Tunisian international student. Currently, international students are facing three major barriers to their education unrelated to UNM policies.

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African American Student Services discusses the Black community in media

Beatrice Nisoli | June 9

“We get to be human. We get to be all of these things: Black people in church, Black people playing pool, Black people as professors, etc. Black people get to make mistakes; Black people get to be great.” So said Dr. Myra Washington, an associate professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism, about the tendency to represent Black people in entertainment as one-dimensional characters during a virtual forum on June 5 convened to discuss anti-Blackness in the media.

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Black Lives Matter holds vigil for Breonna Taylor at UNM

Sharon Chischilly | June 9

As hundreds of candles illuminated the duck pond, people sang happy birthday across the University of New Mexico main campus Friday evening. Black Lives Matter Albuquerque, the local chapter of the global organization of the same name, held a vigil to honor and celebrate Breonna Taylor's 27th birthday — along with other lives lost to police brutality — on June 5 at UNM's duck pond in Albuquerque. Taylor, a 26-year old Black emergency medical technician, was fatally shot at least eight times in her own apartment by police who were searching for someone else on March 13 in Louisville, Kentucky.

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'I couldn’t stop looking to the rooftops': Protesters left scared, frustrated as President Stokes doubles down on continuing relationship with local law enforcement

Joe Rull | June 6

A photograph of two New Mexico State Police officers climbing atop the University of New Mexico's George Pearl Hall carrying what appeared to be sniper rifles on Sunday evening has circulated widely on social media, drawing condemnation from the campus community in all directions. All directions, that is, except from UNM President Garnett Stokes. "I really cannot condemn police for actively trying to protect people," Stokes told the Daily Lobo.

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Amidst week of protests, APD shoots another man in crisis

Bella Davis | June 5

Albuquerque police responded to a call Thursday afternoon from a man who said his son Max Mitnik, who is in his mid-20s and has been diagnosed with a mental health disorder, wanted to be taken to the hospital because he was afraid he was going to hurt his parents. He was shot at least once by an Albuquerque Police Department officer and is in critical condition.

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Fall semester will include masks, physical distancing and a lot of online classes

Beatrice Nisoli | June 4

 The University of New Mexico is planning a combination of both remote and in-person classes for fall 2020. “We expect fall will be a hybrid semester – some classes in-person, some a mix of remote and in-person, and some fully remote, and lots of masks,” Provost James Holloway said. On May 22, UNM released a tentative plan for how the University will resume operations. Coined “Bringing Back the Pack,” the plan details rules and restrictions for faculty members returning to work and sheds light on what campus life will look like in the fall 2020 semester.

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APD arrests Black Lives Matter organizer accused of violating parole

Bella Davis | June 2

As a fourth night of protesting over the police killing of George Floyd got underway in Albuquerque, Clifton White — a 36-year-old Black man who helped organize Thursday’s protest — was arrested by the Albuquerque Police Department in a shopping plaza across from the Raymond G. Murphy VA Medical Center. White’s wife Selinda Guerrero, a community organizer for Forward Together, and other organizers said that White’s Monday night arrest was retaliation for his organizing work. Guerrero posted a video on Facebook of White’s arrest. As he was taken into custody, White said, “There’s no jurisdiction. I’m being illegally arrested.”

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Peace and Justice Center holds vigil for George Floyd

Spencer Butler | June 1

ALBUQUERQUE PEACE AND JUSTICE CENTER — On May 31, a crowd of roughly 800 people gathered for a vigil honoring George Floyd, a Black man who was murdered last Monday by a law enforcement officer and has since become a symbol of the systemic racism and police violence against people of color that pervades the country. Video evidence showed Derek Chauvin, a Minneapolis policeman, pressing a knee into Floyd's neck for around nine minutes while Floyd pleaded for him to take his knee off of his neck. Floyd eventually stopped breathing and was pronounced dead later. Chauvin has since been arrested for third-degree murder and manslaughter charges.

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City of Albuquerque deploys riot police after peaceful Black Lives Matter protest

Bella Davis | June 1

Downtown Albuquerque more closely resembled a theater of operations on Sunday night as riot police released tear gas and shot rubber bullets at protesters and journalists following hours of peaceful protests. The escalation marked the largest law enforcement mobilization and use of force against New Mexico citizens since the police murder of George Floyd last Monday. Albuquerque residents marched earlier in the evening in response to the murder of Floyd, a Black man who asphyxiated after a police officer pinned him to the floor with his knee for just under nine minutes.

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APD uses tear gas against protesters after George Floyd demonstration

Bella Davis | May 31

"Take it to the streets and fuck the police. No justice, no peace," protesters chanted during an Albuquerque march and car rally on Thursday evening. The several hundred people in the streets demanded justice for the murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, by a white Minneapolis police officer on Monday. Late in the evening after the initial demonstration had largely dispersed, a SWAT team dispatched for reports of gunfire in the area arrested four people, leading the remaining protesters nearby to go to the scene. Following this, a riot police team arrived on the scene and allegedly injured at least one protester with tear gas canisters.