17 images Created 25 Sep 2022
Red Nation Protest in Albuquerque, July 31, 2020
On July 31, 2020 I covered a protest in downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico. It started at Lomas and 4th street in front of the federal, district and metro courthouses. The protest was organized by the Red Nation Albuquerque Freedom Council, Indigenous Women Rising, Pueblo Action Alliance and YUCCA Action Team. The event was organized to protest President Donald Trump who announced that he was sending more federal officers to Chicago and Albuquerque, because he felt local officials were not doing enough to combat violent crime. Attorney General Bill Barr said the federal response in Albuquerque would be different from the actions of agents in Portland — which centered on demonstrators outside a federal courthouse — and instead focus on crime fighting alongside local police. Some members carried hefty red and black shields that read “Land Back” and “No Fash.” The protest started with heavy torrential rain and some of the protesters dressed in black (black bloc) with large shields, gas masks and helmets. This was reminiscence of the Antifa seen in Portland. A black bloc is a tactic used by Antifa who wear black clothing, ski masks, scarves, sunglasses, helmets or other face-concealing and face-protecting items. The clothing is used to conceal wearers' identities and hinder criminal prosecution by making it difficult to distinguish between participants. After gathering on Lomas and 4th street, the group marched to UNM and back to downtown on Central avenue. Albuquerque police provided traffic control and blocked the streets. For the most part the event was peaceful, although we had heard rumors that some of the people in the crowd had intended to assault the federal court house. We did find two large boxes full of balloons filled with white paint. The pictures below are best viewed on desktop computer and more photos can be found in the menu.
