Demonstrators flee Monday after right-wing militia members fired shots into a crowd attempting to remove a statue of brutal conquistador Juan de Onate. (Photo: Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Albuquerque Journal)
Jun 16, 2020
Members of a far right militia group were arrested Monday evening in Albuquerque after a standoff at a statue of a notoriously brutal conquistador in the New Mexico city turned violent with a demonstrator advocating for the removal of the monument shot and sent to the hospital.
"The shooting tonight was a tragic, outrageous, and unacceptable act of violence and it has no place in our city," tweeted Mayor Tim Keller shortly after the incident.
\u201cThe shooting tonight was a tragic, outrageous and unacceptable act of violence and it has no place in our city. Our diverse community will not be deterred by acts meant to divide or silence us.\u201d— Mayor Tim Keller (@Mayor Tim Keller) 1592281481
The dispute centered on a monument to conquistador Juan de Onate, whose brutality toward the area's Indigenous population in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, particularly the Acoma people, was extreme even for its time.
"If you look at it logically, he was no one to celebrate," Santa Fe activist Elena Ortiz told the Albuquerque Journal.
As the New York Timesdetailed:
Onate's period as governor was marked by a violent repression considered severe even by the standards of his time. He killed 800 Indigenous people in Acoma Pueblo and ordered his men to cut off the foot of at least 24 male captives. Spanish authorities convicted him on charges of excessive violence and cruelty, permanently exiling him from New Mexico.
"Melt them down and recast them as commemorative pieces," Acoma artist Maurus Chino told the Times of monuments to the conquistador.
A statue of Onate in Albuquerque, named "La Jornada," was the focal point of Monday's protest. As dusk fell, demonstrators began attempting to pull the monument down from its pedestal on the Albuquerque Museum grounds.
At that point, members of the New Mexico Civil Guard militia group moved in, attacking the protesters. Within minutes, gunshots rang out and one man had been shot.
\u201cVery tense scene in Albuquerque right now. Shots fired, a guy on the ground. Militia members still w/ rifles\u201d— Simon Romero (@Simon Romero) 1592273237
The victim was transported to a hospital where he was listed as in critical condition. A number of militia members were arrested, including a man in a blue shirt identified as the shooter who yelled that his father was a sheriff.
\u201cThe shooter\u2019s name is Steven Baca. He\u2019s the son of a former sheriff and once ran for ABQ city council. https://t.co/Wh91U3tcZb\u201d— Nick Estes (@Nick Estes) 1592273792
The relative ease and peacefulness with which the heavily armed white militia members were gently arrested was not lost on critics who noted the disconnect between the treatment of the far-right extremists who had just shot a man and the killings of unarmed black men by police caught on camera in recent years.
\u201cOne of these New Mexico right-wing militia members just shot a person. \n\nNotice how calmly they\u2019re all being detained. \n\nDon\u2019t tell me George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks and Eric Garner\u2014who did not harm anybody\u2014couldn\u2019t be treated differently.\u201d— Juli\u00e1n Castro (@Juli\u00e1n Castro) 1592276313
The right wing militia movement's involvement in the protests is a cause for concern in New Mexico, tweeted Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.).
"This is not the first report of heavily armed civilian militias appearing at protests around New Mexico in recent weeks," said Heinrich. "These extremists cannot be allowed to silence peaceful protests or inflict violence."
The right-wing militia's attempts failed to keep the Onate monument in place Monday. Hours after the shooting, Keller announced he was having the statue removed; the city took the statue down early Tuesday.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Members of a far right militia group were arrested Monday evening in Albuquerque after a standoff at a statue of a notoriously brutal conquistador in the New Mexico city turned violent with a demonstrator advocating for the removal of the monument shot and sent to the hospital.
"The shooting tonight was a tragic, outrageous, and unacceptable act of violence and it has no place in our city," tweeted Mayor Tim Keller shortly after the incident.
\u201cThe shooting tonight was a tragic, outrageous and unacceptable act of violence and it has no place in our city. Our diverse community will not be deterred by acts meant to divide or silence us.\u201d— Mayor Tim Keller (@Mayor Tim Keller) 1592281481
The dispute centered on a monument to conquistador Juan de Onate, whose brutality toward the area's Indigenous population in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, particularly the Acoma people, was extreme even for its time.
"If you look at it logically, he was no one to celebrate," Santa Fe activist Elena Ortiz told the Albuquerque Journal.
As the New York Timesdetailed:
Onate's period as governor was marked by a violent repression considered severe even by the standards of his time. He killed 800 Indigenous people in Acoma Pueblo and ordered his men to cut off the foot of at least 24 male captives. Spanish authorities convicted him on charges of excessive violence and cruelty, permanently exiling him from New Mexico.
"Melt them down and recast them as commemorative pieces," Acoma artist Maurus Chino told the Times of monuments to the conquistador.
A statue of Onate in Albuquerque, named "La Jornada," was the focal point of Monday's protest. As dusk fell, demonstrators began attempting to pull the monument down from its pedestal on the Albuquerque Museum grounds.
At that point, members of the New Mexico Civil Guard militia group moved in, attacking the protesters. Within minutes, gunshots rang out and one man had been shot.
\u201cVery tense scene in Albuquerque right now. Shots fired, a guy on the ground. Militia members still w/ rifles\u201d— Simon Romero (@Simon Romero) 1592273237
The victim was transported to a hospital where he was listed as in critical condition. A number of militia members were arrested, including a man in a blue shirt identified as the shooter who yelled that his father was a sheriff.
\u201cThe shooter\u2019s name is Steven Baca. He\u2019s the son of a former sheriff and once ran for ABQ city council. https://t.co/Wh91U3tcZb\u201d— Nick Estes (@Nick Estes) 1592273792
The relative ease and peacefulness with which the heavily armed white militia members were gently arrested was not lost on critics who noted the disconnect between the treatment of the far-right extremists who had just shot a man and the killings of unarmed black men by police caught on camera in recent years.
\u201cOne of these New Mexico right-wing militia members just shot a person. \n\nNotice how calmly they\u2019re all being detained. \n\nDon\u2019t tell me George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks and Eric Garner\u2014who did not harm anybody\u2014couldn\u2019t be treated differently.\u201d— Juli\u00e1n Castro (@Juli\u00e1n Castro) 1592276313
The right wing militia movement's involvement in the protests is a cause for concern in New Mexico, tweeted Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.).
"This is not the first report of heavily armed civilian militias appearing at protests around New Mexico in recent weeks," said Heinrich. "These extremists cannot be allowed to silence peaceful protests or inflict violence."
The right-wing militia's attempts failed to keep the Onate monument in place Monday. Hours after the shooting, Keller announced he was having the statue removed; the city took the statue down early Tuesday.
Members of a far right militia group were arrested Monday evening in Albuquerque after a standoff at a statue of a notoriously brutal conquistador in the New Mexico city turned violent with a demonstrator advocating for the removal of the monument shot and sent to the hospital.
"The shooting tonight was a tragic, outrageous, and unacceptable act of violence and it has no place in our city," tweeted Mayor Tim Keller shortly after the incident.
\u201cThe shooting tonight was a tragic, outrageous and unacceptable act of violence and it has no place in our city. Our diverse community will not be deterred by acts meant to divide or silence us.\u201d— Mayor Tim Keller (@Mayor Tim Keller) 1592281481
The dispute centered on a monument to conquistador Juan de Onate, whose brutality toward the area's Indigenous population in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, particularly the Acoma people, was extreme even for its time.
"If you look at it logically, he was no one to celebrate," Santa Fe activist Elena Ortiz told the Albuquerque Journal.
As the New York Timesdetailed:
Onate's period as governor was marked by a violent repression considered severe even by the standards of his time. He killed 800 Indigenous people in Acoma Pueblo and ordered his men to cut off the foot of at least 24 male captives. Spanish authorities convicted him on charges of excessive violence and cruelty, permanently exiling him from New Mexico.
"Melt them down and recast them as commemorative pieces," Acoma artist Maurus Chino told the Times of monuments to the conquistador.
A statue of Onate in Albuquerque, named "La Jornada," was the focal point of Monday's protest. As dusk fell, demonstrators began attempting to pull the monument down from its pedestal on the Albuquerque Museum grounds.
At that point, members of the New Mexico Civil Guard militia group moved in, attacking the protesters. Within minutes, gunshots rang out and one man had been shot.
\u201cVery tense scene in Albuquerque right now. Shots fired, a guy on the ground. Militia members still w/ rifles\u201d— Simon Romero (@Simon Romero) 1592273237
The victim was transported to a hospital where he was listed as in critical condition. A number of militia members were arrested, including a man in a blue shirt identified as the shooter who yelled that his father was a sheriff.
\u201cThe shooter\u2019s name is Steven Baca. He\u2019s the son of a former sheriff and once ran for ABQ city council. https://t.co/Wh91U3tcZb\u201d— Nick Estes (@Nick Estes) 1592273792
The relative ease and peacefulness with which the heavily armed white militia members were gently arrested was not lost on critics who noted the disconnect between the treatment of the far-right extremists who had just shot a man and the killings of unarmed black men by police caught on camera in recent years.
\u201cOne of these New Mexico right-wing militia members just shot a person. \n\nNotice how calmly they\u2019re all being detained. \n\nDon\u2019t tell me George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks and Eric Garner\u2014who did not harm anybody\u2014couldn\u2019t be treated differently.\u201d— Juli\u00e1n Castro (@Juli\u00e1n Castro) 1592276313
The right wing militia movement's involvement in the protests is a cause for concern in New Mexico, tweeted Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.).
"This is not the first report of heavily armed civilian militias appearing at protests around New Mexico in recent weeks," said Heinrich. "These extremists cannot be allowed to silence peaceful protests or inflict violence."
The right-wing militia's attempts failed to keep the Onate monument in place Monday. Hours after the shooting, Keller announced he was having the statue removed; the city took the statue down early Tuesday.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.