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News

Pedestrian safety, COVID-19 transmission remain top concerns as ART resumes operations

Liam Debonis | July 6

The Albuquerque Rapid Transit (ART) system has resumed service, sporting a bright red coat of paint along the UNM section of its route. “We wanted to make sure that pedestrians especially knew there was a difference, that the buses would be going east and/or west,” Albuquerque transit director Danny Holcomb said regarding the pavement’s color change. “We wanted to make sure that if they saw that red paint, they would stop and pause and say ‘wait a minute, maybe I shouldn’t cross here.’” After three-plus years of delays, ART operations began last November. Since opening, ART has accumulated an extensive array of accidents, including one fatality. The transit system has also been involved in at least 30 collisions with other vehicles, according to the Albuquerque Journal, and has hit two pedestrians.

Culture

Fourth of July draws controversy during pandemic, protests

Megan Gleason | July 6

As fireworks lit up the sky on the Fourth of July, so too rang out shouts of injustice in the night amidst a resurgence of controversy surrounding the holiday. A social media call for opinions about the Fourth brought down a wave of vastly different answers, all strongly opinionated for one side or the other. “I don’t celebrate the founding of an ongoing genocidal, violently oppressive, white supremacist empire,” Nicholas Jacobsen said on Instagram. The necessity for equality was a large factor for many in their decisions not to celebrate this year.

Opinion

Comics for July 5, 2020

Rhianna Roberts and Victor Martinez | July 5

Daily Lobo comics for July 5, 2020.

Culture

Electric Playhouse’s summer coding camp stimulates young minds

Cameron Ward | July 3

A new generation of creators, artists, coders and engineers in the making have a unique opportunity to learn the basics of coding during lockdown. Albuquerque’s young superstars aged 6-12 are welcome for the ongoing summer and educational camp at Electric Playhouse, which styles itself as a “all-ages dining, gaming and recreation wonderland.” “Electric Playhouse produces creative worlds for immersive and interactive experiences including games, dining and special events for all ages,” according to the company’s website. The playhouse has a motion-sensitive interactive course that doesn’t require visitors to touch anything, which is perfect for staying six feet apart due to coronavirus safety guidelines.

News

APD union contract negotiations delayed indefinitely

Bella Davis | July 3

In the month since Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd, police unions have come under national scrutiny for their role in shielding the police from accountability. And Albuquerque has been no exception. The contract between the Albuquerque Police Officers Association (APOA) and the City of Albuquerque was set to expire on July 1, but because all city union contract negotiations have been put on hold amidst the pandemic, it will remain in effect until negotiations can take place at an undetermined date in the fall. “Negotiations for all of the City’s unions, including the APOA, are currently on hold due to uncertainty about finances in the wake of COVID-19,” Jessie Damazyn, a spokesperson for Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller’s office, said.

News

ASUNM President Amin refuses to sign Black Lives Matter resolution

Joe Rull | July 3

Members of the University of New Mexico community decried last month's increased police presence on campus amid the apex of Black Lives Matter protest activity in the state, taking particular issue with UNM President Garnett Stokes' milquetoast response to the image of snipers atop UNM's George Pearl Hall. On June 11, ASUNM passed Resolution #1F during a special session meeting which announced the student government's support of the abolition of the modern policing system and urged Stokes to reconsider UNM's ties with external police forces. While the vote passed by a wide margin, ASUNM President Mia Amin vetoed the resolution by declining to sign it. She cited concerns that ASUNM "is a non-partisan organization" and said it is her "job to serve (UNM) students by staying neutral," per an email announcement shared with ASUNM senators.

Culture

African American Student Services discusses future steps for BLM activism

Beatrice Nisoli | July 3

What will happen to keep the positive momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement going and ensure social justice efforts continue when the media shifts its focus away from it? “When the Hashtag Stops Trending,” an online Zoom event hosted by African American Student Services (AASS) on June 25, asked precisely that — and the query resulted in a litany of answers on concrete actions Black activists and allies can take going forward. The event was a part of an online video series that discussed contemporary issues faced by the Black community.

Opinion

Comics for July 1, 2020

Rhianna Roberts and Victor Martinez | July 1

Daily Lobo comics for July 1, 2020.

News

Governor signs revised budget, revives Opportunity Scholarship funding

Lissa Knudsen | July 1

SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the fiscal year 2021 revised budget late Tuesday afternoon after an unprecedented special session convened to try and blunt the worst effects of the coronavirus pandemic and spiraling revenue from curtailed oil production in the Permian Basin. The budget, which will go into effect on July 1, totals $7.22 billion, down from the $7.6 billion plan approved by the Legislature in February. The approved budget includes a 4% reduction for Instructional and General support and a 6% reduction for Research and Public Service Projects across all higher education institutions, according to an email from the governor’s press secretary Nora Sackett. As of the time of this article’s publication, the details of which projects would shoulder the cuts were still unclear.

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Opinion

Letter: Don't let the economic elites divide us: Demand reparations from them

Daily Lobo Readers | June 30

Dear Editor, Black lives matter. It is a travesty that this still apparently needs to be said over and over. There are still too many tragic premature deaths that can be directly traced to the shameful legacy of racism in American history. Violent unrest is sometimes necessary for achieving justice. However, history shows that when it lacks a focus, such unrest makes the situation worse. By contrast, when it has a clear focus, it can achieve great things.

News

‘Deplorable, deeply disappointing’: Student Family Housing to close permanently

Andrew Gunn | June 29

Next spring, just after finals conclude and dissertations are defended, many University of New Mexico students with families will be looking for another place to live. The closure of the Student Family Housing complex was confirmed in a June 29 email sent to residents by Wayne Sullivan, the director of Residence Life and Student Housing. "The University made the difficult decision to close the Student Family Housing (SFH) complex on May 31, 2021," Sullivan wrote. "For nearly 50 years, we have had the pleasure to provide affordable housing to our outstanding students and have truly enjoyed developing relationships with all of our residents." With the decision to "decommission" the Student Family Housing complex in just under 11 months, the University will eliminate the only student housing that catered specifically to students with families, including a large percentage of international and graduate students.

Culture

“The Hate U Give” still relevant in a racist justice system

Megan Gleason | June 29

“I can’t breathe. I can’t. Breathe.” Those were the words George Floyd gasped before he was murdered at the hands of a police officer on May 25. Those are also the words from Angie Thomas’ “The Hate U Give” — a book that was released three years before Floyd’s death. Thomas takes the reader to the world of sixteen-year-old Starr Carter, a Black girl living in a poor Black neighborhood while attending a wealthy white school. Only two chapters in, Carter bears witness to her friend Khalil Harris’ murder. The two are in the car together when Harris is pulled over by a white police officer for no obvious reason. After Harris questions why he was pulled over, the cop yanks him out of the car and pats him down three times in an attempt to find something to pin on the teenager, to no avail.

Culture

Brillo the 10-foot-tall snail visits Albuquerque

Megan Gleason | June 28

Brillo, a ten-foot-tall puppet snail, has been making its way around Albuquerque to visit families and children in quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic. Creator Ashleigh Abbott is an Albuquerque local that attends the University of New Mexico. People can leave virtual “rainbows” to request a visit from Brillo. Currently, the snail is mainly visiting around the UNM area. Diliana Ovtcharova, Abbott’s sister-in-law, is the author of “Brillo the Snail on the Rainbow Trail,” a short children’s story that explains the concept of the coronavirus in a way that children will understand and what Brillo does in response. Daniela Ovtcharov, Abbott’s mother-in-law, will illustrate the story in the future.

Culture

Readers dive into emotions in Gigi Bella’s ‘Big Feelings’

Liam Debonis | June 28

Fast-paced slam-style poetry along with intimate sonnets immerse Gigi Bella’s audience as she moves through key emotions in her own experiences with loss, pain, healing and love in her newly-released poetry book “Big Feelings.” A born and raised New Mexican, the 26-year-old Bella is an internationally recognized poet with a multitude of writing and slam poetry competition awards. In 2017, she was ranked 10th in the world at the Women of the World Poetry Slam. After a lengthy hiatus from higher education, she’ll also finish her bachelor’s degree in liberal arts with a focus on American studies at the University of New Mexico in the fall.

Opinion

Comics for June 28, 2020

Rhianna Roberts and Victor Martinez | June 28

Daily Lobo comics for June 28, 2020.

Opinion

EDITORIAL: Journalism's problematic love affair with objectivity

Daily Lobo Editorial Board | June 26

In 2011, the Daily Lobo published a cartoon depicting then-President Barack Obama as a monkey. It wasn’t our best moment. Unfortunately, it wasn’t our worst, either. Throughout our history as the independent student-run newspaper at the University of New Mexico, we have printed the n-word, never had a Black editor-in-chief and run an editorial in 1982 that asserted that “minorities are academically inferior to whites.” To this day, we struggle with how to attract and retain reporters and editors of color. We struggle to decide which stories to chase and publish. We struggle to get quotes from people who aren’t like our predominantly white staff and to center the voices of those most impacted by the stories we cover instead of those with the most power. And, we also struggle to decide which parts of a story to highlight and which to downplay.

Culture

UNM professors analyze Black community in media

Beatrice Nisoli | June 25

With the current Black Lives Matter movement garnering increasing international attention, the portrayal of Black people in the media has become more relevant than ever. Dr. Myra Washington, UNM Communications and Journalism professor, said anti-Blackness in the media is one of the many products of systemic racism, which she described as institutions — such as families or educational establishments — that hold all racial power. Washington said one-dimensional depictions of people of color often originate from lack of resources, which is a byproduct of how anti-Black institutions operate. “If an Indigenous student wants to go into screenwriting, and he doesn’t have any Indigenous classmates or Indigenous professors, then he won’t write about his family because others in his space wouldn’t understand,” Washington said. “So he’ll end up writing about the same things as everyone else and well-rounded representation won’t happen.”

Culture

Simple call for staying United: Noé Barnett’s new mural keeps soccer in view

Cameron Ward | June 24

For some, the season for Albuquerque’s New Mexico United might be over, but artist Neo Barnett hopes to keep the team’s presence alive with his new mural for the club. The New Mexico United mural is displayed on Second Street and Coal Avenue and was made by Barnett in just ten days. Due to the pandemic, the team had a delayed start to the 2020 season and was forced to shut down on March 12, according to Peter Trevisani. United Creative Director Josh Lane said United will start back up again on July 11 for a brand new season.

Opinion

Comics for June 24, 2020

Rhianna Roberts and Victor Martinez | June 24

Daily Lobo comics for June 24, 2020.

Culture

Skaters come together in peaceful BLM protest

Megan Gleason | June 23

Go Skateboarding Day took place on June 21, bringing not only joy to skateboarders around the United States but also a peaceful skateboarding protest to Albuquerque. The protest, entitled “Push for Peace,” started with a voter registration drive at the University of New Mexico’s Smith Plaza and ended with a skate down Central Avenue to Civic Plaza. “When you have a skateboard and you’re skating, you’re treated how I think everyone should be treated,” local skateboarder Tyniesha Thompson said. The event was promoted by Grandma Skateboards and organized by Andrae Satcher, Jake Alsept and Noah Cook.