A Movement to End Police Violence in Albuquerque
So, was the camera on? — Albuquerque Journal Editorial
I’m surprised but pleased to see the Albuquerque Journal ask this question. Let’s hope they keep asking it every day until APD answers.
Editorial: So, was the camera on? | Albuquerque Journal News
By Albuquerque Journal Editorial Board
PUBLISHED: Wednesday, May 28, 2014 at 12:05 amOK, now we know – no lapel camera video exists of the Albuquerque Police Department fatal shooting of vehicle theft suspect Mary Hawkes in April.
Leading to the obvious question: Did the officer turn on his camera, or not?
After all this time, APD still isn’t saying whether the camera malfunctioned or whether officer Jeremy Dear, who shot Hawkes three times during a foot chase, failed to activate it. Dear has a history of not producing video recordings during incidents in which he used force. Failure to video record citizen contacts can – and should – result in discipline at APD.
What is to be gained by APD’s refusal to say whether the camera was on? Not giving what should be a very simple answer just leads to the suspicion that it probably wasn’t. But if Dear didn’t turn it on, in violation of department policy, that should factor into his Internal Affairs investigation and any potential discipline.
And revealing whether he claims he turned it on, or not, should not affect his due process rights. But this stonewalling certainly isn’t helping APD.
Less than two weeks before Hawkes was shot, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a report that concluded APD has a pattern and practice of violating people’s civil rights and using excessive force. Among criticisms, the DOJ cited officers’ inconsistent use of lapel cameras and the department’s failure to enforce its policy covering their use.
The public deserves to know if its officers are following the rules – and if they essentially feel free to disregard them. APD brass should tell the whole truth in the Hawkes shooting and also start handing out meaningful consequences when its rules aren’t followed.
This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
Editorial: So, was the camera on? | Albuquerque Journal News
Water issue dominates hearing on enormous development on the far West Side
In addition to the water issue, we have to wonder what 90,000 people are going to do to the area roads, air quality, and the vista to the west? My belief is that they’ll destroy it all for the profit of someone who lives elsewhere.
Water issue dominates hearing on development | Albuquerque Journal News
By Dan McKay / Journal Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 12:05 am
Bernalillo County’s planning commissioners asked the same question over and over on Wednesday as they debated a proposed master plan for an enormous development on the far West Side.
Where’s the water going to come from?
“If the applicant can’t address the water situation, we’re wasting our time,” planning commissioner Lenton Malry said at one point.
At another, commissioner Joe Chavez, who presided over the hearing, put it this way: “We want to know where this water is going to come from. … I don’t think this commission is just going to vote on a blind thing that says, ‘We’re going to get it.’”
The questions centered on the proposed Santolina Master Plan, which would cover 13,700 acres southwest of Interstate 40 and 118th Street. It’s the largest master plan ever considered by the county, planners said.
More than 90,000 people might live there 50 years from now, under the property owners’ vision….
About 40 people attended Wednesday’s hearing. The commission didn’t make a final recommendation on whether to support the master plan.
The next Santolina hearing is scheduled at 9 a.m. July 30 in the city-county Government Center, One Civic Plaza NW.
Water issue dominates hearing on development | Albuquerque Journal News
Enough is enough. #NotOneMore
FURG!
‘Immediate action’ on gun control sought | Albuquerque Journal News
By Kimberly Kindy / The Washington Post
PUBLISHED: Wednesday, May 28, 2014 at 12:13 amGOLETA, Calif. – Richard Martinez grew up around guns, shooting birds out of the fruit trees on his family’s farm. He later served as a military police officer in the U.S. Army before going on to become a criminal-defense lawyer, at times representing the young and the violent.
Now, Martinez is a grieving father.
He’s asking members of Congress to stop calling him to offer condolences but nothing more for the death of his only child, Christopher Michaels-Martinez, who was killed in the rampage Friday in Santa Barbara, Calif.
“I don’t care about your sympathy. I don’t give a (expletive) that you feel sorry for me,” Richard Martinez said during an extensive interview, his face flushed as tears rolled down. “Get to work and do something. I’ll tell the president the same thing if he calls me. Getting a call from a politician doesn’t impress me.”
Saying that “we are all to blame” for the death of his 20-year-old son, Martinez urged the public to join him in demanding “immediate action” from members of Congress and President Barack Obama to curb gun violence by passing stricter gun-control laws.
“Today, I’m going to ask every person I can find to send a postcard to every politician they can think of with three words on it: ‘Not one more,’ ” he said Tuesday. “People are looking for something to do. I’m asking people to stand up for something. Enough is enough.”
Martinez is the latest tragic figure to raise the mantle of gun control. Previous massacres and spasms of violence have produced urgent calls for new restrictions.
But these appeals have failed to translate into action by Washington. Nor have they significantly changed public opinion about further regulation of weapons.
Martinez vowed that he’s not going away.
‘Immediate action’ on gun control sought | Albuquerque Journal News
- Guns are a distraction
- Your guns don’t keep you free, the Rule of Law keeps us all free
- Help Stop Gun Violence
- Gun owners’ pledge
- Dear Militia …
- The NRA is the PR firm for the gun sellers …
- Disarm the Cops
- Jesus would be alive if he had had an AK-47
- The frightened Right
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Trump and ISIS Depend on Irrationality
Anniversary photos
After posting our wedding day photos, I scoured the archives for photos from other anniversaries, but came up with only a few of us. Some years, my birthday over-shadowed our anniversary (particularly 47 and 50). Other years, there were trips to Florida, Tennessee, or camping.
Below: from our 17th anniversary, as you can see Merri is indicating, from a NM camping trip.
Below: from our 19th & 23rd anniversaries with the Greenbergs.
Below: from our 20th anniversary trip to Taos, NM
Instant run-off voting
I think all elections should have instant run-off voting, where you select a second, even third choice, among candidates. However, Republicans are never going to agree with anything Dems want.
The Democratic Party should be able to use IRV in its own primaries. Our governor’s race is a great example: five candidates are trailing Undecided. Under the current system, the winner will be someone the majority doesn’t want. How many people avoid voting under such circumstances?
There should also be a None of the Above so that all the candidates know the voters are unhappy with their options.
I would vote Morales, Rael, Webber, Lopez, and None of the Above. Let the party lead the way in our own primary.
How to stop speeders
If you are ticketed for speeding, a GPS device will be attached to your vehicle. When you exceed the posted speed limit anywhere, the device will shriek until you slow down. Data from the GPS will be analyzed automatically and additional fines generated automatically each time you exceed the speed limit. If you drive for 30 days without exceeding the speed limit, the device will be removed. After a second ticket, the device remains attached for 60 days; third, 90, etc.
After 3 speeding tickets, your driver’s license expires and you must apply and pass the test within 30 days.
If you feel you were unjustly ticketed or have a valid excuse, you may appeal the ticket. A judge will decide if your explanation merits dismissing the ticket. However, the device will still be attached. Hopefully, you won’t have a second emergency within 30 days.
This system could allow some leeway, such as ignoring speeding within a few miles per hour over the limit or for less than a minute (such exceptions would still be tracked, just not taken as violations). The system could be stricter in neighborhoods, laxer on Interstates.
Aggregate data from this system will be made public (without identification). All of us will be able to see which routes are more routinely abused and, therefore, are most dangerous to pedestrians, animals, and other drivers. Traffic planners will use this data to plan changes to the speed limit or the road.
Civil libertarians are always free to fuck themselves. Driving is not a right. Driving is a privilege replete with obligations, including the obligation to drive safely.