Albuquerque protests over New Mexico police shootings

[ABQCOWBOY]

Albuquerque protests over New Mexico police shootings
31 March 2014 Last updated at 01:20 ET


Protesters have confronted riot officers in Albuquerque during a march against police shootings.

Police fired tear gas at demonstrators and made several arrests following unrest in the centre of the New Mexico city, according to local media reports.

It comes after a video emerged of police shooting dead a homeless man named as James Boyd.

It was filmed by the police using cameras and posted online following a public information request.

Standoff
Meanwhile Albuquerque police said their website had been temporarily brought down on Sunday because of a cyber-attack.

The hacking collective Anonymous had warned of retaliation over the James Boyd shooting.

He was killed in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains on the east side of Albuquerque following a stand-off.

Last week, Albuquerque police fatally shot another man, identified as Alfred Redwine, at a housing estate.

Click on link below to read the entire article:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-26814976

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

I've been posting now for several months on activities here in NM in relation to Police Violence. Yet another example of why we have problems in this State, with Regards to Law Enforcement. It's not just one sided. It's not just the Police, it's a lot of different things. I wished we were making news for things other then riots, violent crime and Police shootings. Unfortunately, that's what is making the news with more and more frequency.

 

[BigStar]

I'm sorry to hear about the problems in your state ABQ and around the country in general. Reading a NYT article on this shooting directs to statistics involving the decreased funding for mental illness around the country as the one of the primary reasons for the increase in police shootings when confronted with "mentally unstable" assailants (primarily schizophernia). The standards for authority and policing the community are being undercut because of the mental health "hole" that is prevelant in this country (moreso than other first world nations). The burden is unfairly put on police to adjust to these circumstances when the underlying mental health issue isn't properly diagnosed, moniotred, and medicated (if need be).

Some of this is tied into the current(evolving) healthcare policy and reforms needed that will make access to this type of care more readily available and affordable to the public. Discretionary policies that determine the threat they pose to themselves and to the public are rarely implemented for @ risk citizens of lower socio economic backgrounds, especially when tied in with substance abuse. It becomes even more complicated when a mentally ill patient commits a crime that isn't related to their mental illness but said standards are needed while incarcerated. Federal funding for mental illness diagnoses, monitoring, and medicating various mental illness' needs to be increased if we are honest about being a country that is serious about protecting its citizens.

 

[Denim Chicken]

They need to release the video.

Someone should sue the department and then the video would have to be released in discovery, no?

 

[Angus12]

They need to release the video.

Someone should sue the department and then the video would have to be released in discovery, no?

It was filmed by the police using cameras and posted online following a public information request.

The video is all over the net.

 

[JIMMYBUFFETT]

Good for the ABQPD. We need more departments like them and officers like Joe Arpaio Sheriff of Maricopa County AZ. Lots of folks need to be shot these days and we need law enforcement officers who aren't afraid to do it. Maybe they'll think twice about committing a crime on the next go around.

 

[BigStar]

Good for the ABQPD. We need more departments like them and officers like Joe Arpaio Sheriff of Maricopa County AZ. Lots of folks need to be shot these days and we need law enforcement officers who aren't afraid to do it. Maybe they'll think twice about committing a crime on the next go around.

Russia agrees

 

[Angus12]

Lots of folks need to be shot these days and we need law enforcement officers who aren't afraid to do it.

This comment will go over like a fart in church.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

I'm sorry to hear about the problems in your state ABQ and around the country in general. Reading a NYT article on this shooting directs to statistics involving the decreased funding for mental illness around the country as the one of the primary reasons for the increase in police shootings when confronted with "mentally unstable" assailants (primarily schizophernia). The standards for authority and policing the community are being undercut because of the mental health "hole" that is prevelant in this country (moreso than other first world nations). The burden is unfairly put on police to adjust to these circumstances when the underlying mental health issue isn't properly diagnosed, moniotred, and medicated (if need be).

Some of this is tied into the current(evolving) healthcare policy and reforms needed that will make access to this type of care more readily available and affordable to the public. Discretionary policies that determine the threat they pose to themselves and to the public are rarely implemented for @ risk citizens of lower socio economic backgrounds, especially when tied in with substance abuse. It becomes even more complicated when a mentally ill patient commits a crime that isn't related to their mental illness but said standards are needed while incarcerated. Federal funding for mental illness diagnoses, monitoring, and medicating various mental illness' needs to be increased if we are honest about being a country that is serious about protecting its citizens.

Thank you BigStar. I too am sorry for the current situation.

The guy they recently shoot, which was not the most recently shoot dead person in Albuquerque by law enforcement BTW (US Marshall's shot a guy dead, yesterday, as well), was a bad guy and was mentally ill and did pull knives on Law Enforcement but besides all of that, way too many things happen here that are outside of what should be expected by Law Enforcement IMO. I am pro Law Enforcement, BTW, I just can't see this ending well for NM. There is now talk of the DOJ, stepping in to take over responsibility of Law Enforcement in NM, which would be a terrible mistake IMO (Obviously, U.S. Marshall's will not solve the problem), we need to be able to deal with this issue on our own. The only reason the DOJ should ever step in is if corruption is so bad that local Law Enforcement can not be trusted or repaired.

As to the mental health aspects, I agree, those are some of the circumstance driving a lot of this but certainly not all of them. I also don't believe that the current healthcare policies, evolving, are going to really help here. We don't really have the money to put into this. Costs associated with simply providing healthcare to everyday citizens are a strain as it is. Besides that, the basic facilities needed to support such an effort are not there and they are not budgeted for. Last night, I saw a report locally addressing the same thing. General agreement on the same basic points but the solution will be more training for local Law Enforcement, which is not a bad thing, but at a cost. It means that we will lose between 50 to 100 officers in order to pay for the training. I think that this is how it will handled.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

They need to release the video.

Someone should sue the department and then the video would have to be released in discovery, no?

Video is out there.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Good for the ABQPD. We need more departments like them and officers like Joe Arpaio Sheriff of Maricopa County AZ. Lots of folks need to be shot these days and we need law enforcement officers who aren't afraid to do it. Maybe they'll think twice about committing a crime on the next go around.

Arpaio and what is going on here are two very different things. Would be good if you tried not to make this about politics please.

 

[Denim Chicken]

Video is out there.

I must have misunderstood the issue. I thought they were asking for the vid to be released.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

I must have misunderstood the issue. I thought they were asking for the vid to be released.

I read that as well but I did a search and I saw the Video on line. I am not certain if what they may be asking for is the Video from it's entirety or what. I suspect that this is what they are asking for. The Video only shows the part where they were actually shooting him but not any of what proceeded, any of the discussion surrounding the advance of the officers in questions, the instruction received or the post shooting action taken by the officers.

 

[JIMMYBUFFETT]

Arpaio and what is going on here are two very different things. Would be good if you tried not to make this about politics please.

Politics? Lol, you'll never meet a less political person than me. I'm talking about a Sheriff who takes a hard line stance with prisoners in his jail and a police department taking a hard line stance with violent crime. It's a common bond of being tough on criminals. Don't try to read more into it than what's there because you're reading me wrong.

 

[BigStar]

Thank you BigStar. I too am sorry for the current situation.

The guy they recently shoot, which was not the most recently shoot dead person in Albuquerque by law enforcement BTW (US Marshall's shot a guy dead, yesterday, as well), was a bad guy and was mentally ill and did pull knives on Law Enforcement but besides all of that, way too many things happen here that are outside of what should be expected by Law Enforcement IMO. I am pro Law Enforcement, BTW, I just can't see this ending well for NM. There is now talk of the DOJ, stepping in to take over responsibility of Law Enforcement in NM, which would be a terrible mistake IMO (Obviously, U.S. Marshall's will not solve the problem), we need to be able to deal with this issue on our own. The only reason the DOJ should ever step in is if corruption is so bad that local Law Enforcement can not be trusted or repaired.

As to the mental health aspects, I agree, those are some of the circumstance driving a lot of this but certainly not all of them. I also don't believe that the current healthcare policies, evolving, are going to really help here. We don't really have the money to put into this. Costs associated with simply providing healthcare to everyday citizens are a strain as it is. Besides that, the basic facilities needed to support such an effort are not there and they are not budgeted for. Last night, I saw a report locally addressing the same thing. General agreement on the same basic points but the solution will be more training for local Law Enforcement, which is not a bad thing, but at a cost. It means that we will lose between 50 to 100 officers in order to pay for the training. I think that this is how it will handled.

I won't make this into a big political thing but would like to mention that under the Reagan administration, funding for such mental care facilities decreased sharply, forcing many facilities to shut down. This resulted in a spike in crime and homelessness around the country (esp the inner cities). I agree with not having federal intervention except in jurisdictions deemed too corrupt to carry out the law in an unprejudicial manner (civil rights 'Mississippi Burning' for example).

The funds are there to attack this problem once "for profit" is taken out of the equation, and once US healthcare costs mirror those of other first world nations in terms of quality costs. Access to mental health care will not be nearly as costly as believed without US medical inflation coming into play. The budget was there, pre 1980 (though surely will be expanded if rejuvinated). It is complex situation and not specifcially a political one though there is general agreement by each side on how to tackle the issue. Giving policeman more discretion in a rogue, Judge Dredd/Robo Cop manner isn't the answer in my opinion. The burden is simply too much to place on a service position. Citizens already complain of authoritarian like tactics of LE, imagine if they were given the green light and training to apply this ideology to casual circumstances. I would think it would lead to more avoidable police shootings because of the aggression and discretionary policy of dealing with mentally ill suspects.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Politics? Lol, you'll never meet a less political person than me. I'm talking about a Sheriff who takes a hard line stance with prisoners in his jail and a police department taking a hard line stance with violent crime. It's a common bond of being tough on criminals. Don't try to read more into it than what's there because you're reading me wrong.

Understand. I do think that these two issues are very different thou. Arpio has an approach in which he deals with Law Enforcement but this here in NM. This is different IMO. It's not just how it's approached, it's corruption, it's inconsistency in leadership, it's more of a breakdown in Law Enforcement IMO.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

I won't make this into a big political thing but would like to mention that under the Reagan administration, funding for such mental care facilities decreased sharply, forcing many facilities to shut down. This resulted in a spike in crime and homelessness around the country (esp the inner cities). I agree with not having federal intervention except in jurisdiction deemed to corrupt to carry out the law in an unprejudicial manner (civil rights 'Mississippi Burning' for example).

The funds are there to attack this problem once "for profit" is taken out of the equation, and once US healthcare costs mirror those of other first world nations in terms of quality costs. Access to mental health care will not be nearly as costly as believed without US medical inflation coming into play. The budget was there, pre 1980 (though surely will be expanded if rejuvinated). It is complex situation and not specifcially a political one though there is general agreement by each side on how to tackle the issue. Giving policeman more discretion in a rogue, Judge Dredd/Robo Cop manner isn't the answer in my opinion. The burden is simply too much to place on a service position. Citizens already complain of authoritarian like tactics of LE, imagine if they were given the green light and training to apply this ideology to casual circumstances. I would think it would lead to more avoidable police shootings because of the aggression and discretionary policy of dealing with mentally ill suspects.

We disagree. The funds are not there.