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Re: Socialist activist shot in New Mexico at protest over statue of Spanish conquistador

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In news:lnsABDE5FB0ECF306F089P2473@202.81.252.44, Leroy N. Soetoro <leroysoetoro@kaga.com> typed:

> https://www.foxnews.com/us/man-shot-new-mexico-protest-spanish-conquerors-
> statue

> A man was shot Monday after gunfire erupted at a demonstration in New
> Mexico, where protesters attempted to topple a bronze conquistador's
> statue outside an Albuquerque museum, authorities said.

> The man was taken to a local hospital where he was listed in critical but
> stable condition, police said.

> “The shooting tonight was a tragic, outrageous and unacceptable act of
> violence and it has no place in our city,” Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller
> said in a statement.

> The shooting occurred during a clash between protesters and the New Mexico
> Civil Guard, a heavily armed civilian group that attempted to protect the
> controversial sculpture — a monument that features Spanish conquistador
> Juan de Oñate, according to the Albuquerque Journal.

> Protesters reportedly wrapped a chain around the statue and started
> tugging on it amid chants of “Tear it down.” At least one person swung a
> pickaxe at the statue of New Mexico’s 16th-century colonial governor.

> Gunshots could be heard down the street just moments later, with several
> people yelling, "Somebody got shot," according to the Journal. About five
> shots were fired by a single gunman after protesters started advancing on
> him, the paper reported.

> Police used chemical irritants and flashbangs to protect officers and
> detain those involved in the shooting, Albuquerque police spokesman
> Gilbert Gallegos said. Officers were seen taking five or six men dressed
> in military fatigues into custody....

For some reason, FOXNews failed to mention some important info --

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/06/16/albuquerque-militia-shooting-protest/

["Officers detained several members of the armed group, according to reporters and witnesses at the
scene. Video showed officers placing the apparent gunman into a cruiser."

Being detained is does not mean being arrested.

"Police have not released any information about the suspected shooter or said whether they think he
has any connection to the armed group."]

Members of armed civilian group arrested, suspected gunman identified after man is shot at
Albuquerque protest

By Katie Shepherd and Hannah Knowles
June 16, 2020 at 1:25 PM EDT

Protesters in Albuquerque wrapped a chain around the neck of a bronze statue and began tugging and
chanting, “Tear it down,” shortly before sunset on Monday. Their efforts to pull down a monument of
Spanish conquistador Juan de Oñate suddenly stopped as four shots rang out.

Most people instinctively turned toward the noise, videos from the scene show. A few screamed. Just
yards away, a group of men sporting militarylike garb and carrying semiautomatic rifles formed a
protective circle around the gunman.

The gunshots, which left one man in critical but stable condition, have set off a cascade of public
outcry denouncing the unregulated ‘militia’’s presence and the shooting. On Tuesday morning, the
Albuquerque Police Department announced that detectives had arrested Stephen Ray Baca, 31, in
connection with the shooting.

Baca was booked into the Metro Detention Center on a charge of aggravated battery, police spokesman
Gilbert Gallegos Jr. said in a statement.

The victim has not been identified. Authorities said the investigation is ongoing.

“The heavily armed individuals who flaunted themselves at the protest, calling themselves a ‘civil
guard,’ were there for one reason: To menace protesters, to present an unsanctioned show of
unregulated force,” New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) said in a statement. “To menace the
people of New Mexico with weaponry — with an implicit threat of violence — is on its face
unacceptable; that violence did indeed occur is unspeakable.”

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller (D) said the statue would now be speedily removed as an “urgent matter
of public safety” until authorities determine a next step.

“The shooting tonight was a tragic, outrageous and unacceptable act of violence and it has no place
in our city,” Keller said in a statement. “Our diverse community will not be deterred by acts meant
to divide or silence us. Our hearts go out [to] the victim, his family and witnesses whose lives
were needlessly threatened tonight.”

Recent protests against Oñate statues in New Mexico mirror similar calls to tear down Confederate
monuments amid a rise in Black Lives Matter demonstrations following the killing of George Floyd,
who died as a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

In the hours leading up to the violence on Monday, protesters faced off with members of an armed
group of civilians that calls itself the New Mexico Civil Guard and counterprotesters toting “All
lives matter” signs.

One group sought to tear down a monument to Oñate, a 16th-century despot who massacred indigenous
people. The other set out as self-designated protectors of the statue, creating a heavily armed
presence at the park in Albuquerque’s historic Old Town. Aside from a few small scuffles over signs
near the monument, the protest had largely been peaceful, although tense at times.

Then, a white man in a blue T-shirt appeared to rile the crowd, according to video obtained by KOB4.
People erupted in shouts, and the man took a few steps back. A masked protester swung a skateboard
and struck him in the shoulder. The man backpedaled out of the crowd but continued to exchange
shouts with protesters.

Someone in the video encouraged people to follow the man and get his license plate number. Several
people followed him, and one tackled him to the ground. As he tried to stand back up and three
people tried to hit him again, the man in blue pulled a gun and fired four shots, striking one man
and scattering the crowd.

In a second video that captured the moments following the shooting, the gunman sat in the middle of
a road as the New Mexico Civil Guard members formed a circle around him. One man carrying a
semiautomatic rifle, and wearing camouflage fatigues and a military-style helmet, kicked the handgun
away from the man and stood with his foot on top of the weapon.

Police responded to the scene with tear gas and stun grenades to force the crowd back. Officers
detained several members of the armed group, according to reporters and witnesses at the scene.
Video showed officers placing the apparent gunman into a cruiser.

Police have not released any information about the suspected shooter or said whether they think he
has any connection to the armed group.

The organization, which identified itself to a New York Times reporter covering the protest Monday,
has a controversial history. The right-wing group has repeatedly shown up at Black Lives Matter
protests in recent weeks with guns and militarylike garb.

On Facebook, the group has shared materials encouraging people to arm themselves, promoted military
training on infantry tactics and “ambushing,” and shared multiple posts opposing the leveling of
monuments to Confederate figures in the South and Oñate in New Mexico. Members of the group recently
told the Eastern New Mexico News that their aim was to protect businesses from damage during
protests. They said they had been in contact with police and were following guidance given to them
by officials.

Groups like the New Mexico Civil Guard and other armed far-right counterprotesters, often referred
to as “militias,” have been a controversial presence at Black Lives Matter protests across the
United States. At an Albuquerque protest earlier this month, video of police talking to an armed
‘militia’ group spurred allegations that officers were coordinating with the group in an official
capacity, although police denied the claim.

At least one New Mexico lawmaker viewed the group’s consistent presence at protests as suspicious
enough to warrant further inquiry. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D) called on the Justice Department to
investigate the shooting Monday night.

“This is not the first report of heavily armed civilian militias appearing at protests around New
Mexico in recent weeks. These extremists cannot be allowed to silence peaceful protests or inflict
violence,” Heinrich said on Twitter on Monday night.

Some critics have drawn contrasts between police response to largely peaceful and unarmed Black
Lives Matter protests and the heavily armed demonstrations against coronavirus restrictions in April
and May. Monday’s shooting also led some critics to note that the armed civilians and alleged
shooter were taken into custody by police without incident, but the Black Lives Matter protests are
responding to incidents in which police have fatally shot unarmed black men.

“Notice how calmly they’re all being detained,” former housing secretary Julián Castro tweeted
Monday night. “Don’t tell me George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks and Eric Garner — who did not harm
anybody — couldn’t be treated differently.”

Meanwhile, Albuquerque Police Chief Michael Geier vowed to investigate any group that sought to
stoke violence at the protest.

“We are receiving reports about vigilante groups possibly instigating this violence,” Geier said in
a statement. “If this is true [we] will be holding them accountable to the fullest extent of the
law, including federal hate group designation and prosecution.”

Katie Mettler contributed to this report. 

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Re: Socialist activist shot in New Mexico at protest over statue of Spanish conquistador "max headroom" <maximusheadroom@gmx.com> - 2020-06-16 11:24 -0700

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