Thursday, May 1, 2014

DoJ and the Policing Crisis in Albuquerque

I attended the DoJ's third community meeting regarding the policing crisis in Albuquerque last night, and I will have more to say about it as soon as I can get something coherent written.

It was an opportunity for me to listen and learn and to get to know some of the people who have been part of the movement to take back the city from its rogue police department and the powers that be which have enabled it.

The testimony that I heard from some of the participants who had lost loved ones to police bullets was wrenching to say the least. The distrust and sense of betrayal that people felt was palpable.

At this point, it's really hard to say whether Albuquerque's power structure can accommodate the interests of the people of the city. In other, similar, situations -- such as Oakland or Seattle -- it's not at all clear that the PTB ever relented or that the police have ever changed their behavior.

But it was clear last night that the people of Albuquerque are not going to let this go.


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