ACLU-NM Investigating Police Response to UNM Protest

Virgin Galactic announces next and last commercial flight for VSS Unity

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ACLU-NM investigating UNM protest response

Amid pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses across the US, ACLU-New Mexico yesterday issued a statement and warning to New Mexico schools and law enforcement about students’ rights to peacefully protest. The statement followed the reported and videotaped forcible removal and arrests by state police of students encamped on the University of New Mexico campus. “Students have the constitutional right to peacefully protest, speak and express their opinions,” ACLU-NM Executive Director Peter Simonson says in a statement. “The New Mexico Constitution extends even greater protections in this regard than the US Constitution. Protest is a pillar of democracy and a fundamental freedom that has shaped the history of our nation. We call on New Mexico’s college and university leaders and police to respect students’ rights to publicly advocate for causes they believe in. The ACLU of New Mexico is closely monitoring the situation.” While not all forms of protest are protected, the statement continues, “we are disturbed by the recordings of this week’s arrests on UNM’s campus and will be investigating. Armed police in riot gear have no place at a peaceful campus protest. Arresting peaceful protestors does not make anyone safer. We urge university leaders to remain flexible and give students space to express their views given the volatility of this moment.” ACLU-NM encourages students who believe their rights were violated to submit a complaint on the ACLU website.

Border control continues cannabis crackdown

Politico adds to the ongoing scrutiny of cannabis seizures on New Mexico’s border. Leaked audio of New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham recently made headlines as she told an unidentified federal official of her frustration with the situation, which she called “inappropriate.” By some accounts, agents have seized up to $300,000 worth of cannabis, which is legally sold in the state for both adult recreational and medicinal use. That crackdown represents a departure from the federal government’s normal hands-off stance, Politico notes, and also comes as the federal government prepares to reclassify cannabis as a less dangerous drug. Politico also acquired a recording of a discussion between a border patrol agent and a cannabis business owner at a stop east of Las Cruces, in which the agent tells Las Cruces-based Head Space founding partner Rob Duran agents have “been instructed to seize all cannabis—all illegal products—going in this direction.” In the conversation, “when Duran repeatedly reminds the officer that cannabis is legal in New Mexico, the officer does not acknowledge state law and brings the conversation back to federal law. ‘The fact is that I have a federal job to do,’ the officer says. ‘Marijuana is federally illegal,’” Politico reports. Cannabis businesses on the border are now pondering ways to avoid the searches and seizures, while US Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-NM, has requested a meeting on the topic with the Homeland Security Department. US Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-NM, also issued Politico a statement, which reads in part: “Stopping the flow of illicit fentanyl into our country should be the Department of Homeland Security’s focus at these checkpoints, not seizing cannabis that’s being transported in compliance with state law.”

Virgin Galactic: VSS next and last commercial flight in June

Virgin Galactic’s next spaceflight window opens June 8 for its second launch this year, its 12th overall and the final commercial flight for VSS Unity. The commercial flight will be used for scientific purposes, the company says, with VSS Unity “carrying an Axiom Space-affiliated researcher astronaut who will conduct multiple human-tended experiments.” In addition, Purdue University and University of California Berkeley will have “autonomous payloads on board,” supported by NASA’s Flight Opportunities program. These will include a Purdue University experiment designed to study propellant slosh in fuel tanks of maneuvering spacecraft and a UC Berkeley payload testing a new type of 3D printing. “This mission showcases Virgin Galactic’s ability to provide a flexible microgravity research platform, benefiting further space exploration initiatives as well as innovations on Earth,” a company news release says. “Discovery and innovation are central to our mission at Virgin Galactic,” CEO Michael Colglazier says in a statement. “We’re excited to build on our successful record of facilitating scientific experiments in suborbital space, and we look forward to continuing to expand our role in suborbital research going forward. ‘Galactic 07′ will also mark and celebrate VSS Unity’s final commercial flight—an exciting and historic turning point for the business as we dedicate our resources fully to the production of our next-generation Delta spaceships, on track for commercial service in 2026.”

Testing the candidates

As the June 4 primary approaches, SFR commences its Pop Quiz series, testing the three Democratic candidates for Santa Fe County’s Board of Commissioners. Old Santa Fe Association Executive Director Adam Fulton Johnson; businesswoman Mika Old; and business owner and former teacher Stephen Chiulli are all vying to replace Anna Hamilton, who can’t run again due to two-term term limits. No Republicans or Libertarians have entered the race, so the primary will likely decide the election. Want to try your hand before seeing how the candidates fared? Here are the questions—we use an honor system in Pop Quiz, so no peeking at the internet.

  1. Which two facilities does the Santa Fe Solid Waste Management Agency operate?
  2. When did Santa Fe County’s short-term rental ordinance go into effect, and what is the max number of licenses one person or entity can own?
  3. What was the median sales price for a single-family home in Glorieta, according to the Santa Fe Association of Realtors’ Q1 2024 statistics? Bonus: By how much (dollar amount or percentage) did it increase or decrease in comparison to the last quarter of 2023?
  4. Describe the county’s approach to developing long-range water resource management plans, and when are those first plans expected to be published?
  5. What is the Single-Use Plastic Product Ordinance and when will it go into effect in Santa Fe County?

Listen up

Pet owners have likely noticed the veterinary shortage (locally, statewide and across the US). Maybe you even have some thoughts to share? Today’s 8 am edition of Let’s Talk New Mexico on KUNM (89.9 FM or online) tackles the vet shortage, and includes several knowledgeable guests: Jared Lyons from Turquoise Trail Veterinary Urgent Care; relief veterinarian Sohailoa Jafarian, a board member of Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association; and Christina Tran, founding dean of the proposed Hanover College veterinary school, formerly a professor at the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine. Email letstalk@kunm.org, leave a voice message on this page or call in live at (505)-277-5866.

Deep cuts from The Curse

High Country News features painter and musician Nizhonniya Austin (Diné and Tlingit), who was born in Alaska, but grew up in Albuquerque and studied painting at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. Austin depicts Indigenous artist Cara Durand in Showtime’s Española-based black comedy The Curse, notably appearing in a scene in which her character “hosts a performance art piece during which she invites participants, one by one, into a tipi. There, she uses a meat slicer to shave pieces off a hunk of turkey and distributes the slices to participants. ‘As a Native person, that’s basically what you’re doing every day—just fucking slicing off pieces of yourself. And it’s exhausting,’” the character later explains. Austin recently moved from New Mexico to Los Angeles and talks to HCN about her experience on the show, which “touches on serious real-life issues, including gentrification, tribal sovereignty and sustainable development.” Austin didn’t help write the character of Cara, she says, but she was built around her and “that scene where I’m sitting down with Whitney [Emma Stone] in episode eight, when she asked about what the meat slicer really means, and I kind of dish it out to her, that was actually my words for what the meat slicer meant to me—or what I thought it meant to Cara. And then [co-creator and co-star] Nathan [Fielder] loved it so much that he put it in the script.”

Up and up away

Airbnb’s new “Icons” series debuts this summer, which the company describes as “a new category of extraordinary experiences hosted by the greatest names in music, film, television, art, sports, and more.” The company announced the first 11 of the “icon” homes yesterday, and one of them—the Up house from the Disney/Pixar movie— will be in New Mexico—and it will float: “You’ll explore Carl’s world in this detailed re-creation of his home,” Airbnb’s news release says, “complete with more than 8,000 balloons, and located in the scenic red rocks of Abiquiu, New Mexico.” The New York Times reports when “asked whether the house, which does not appear to be connected to the ground by pipes or wiring, had plumbing and electricity, the company said it was ‘fully functional.’ Asked for details, the company said the house ‘is connected to a generator and other utilities that will be disconnected and reconnected before and after flying.’” Requests to book close at 11:59 pm on May 13. According to the company, “most Icons are free, and all are priced under $100 USD per guest. A countdown displays the time until each Icon goes live, and guests can request to book through the app. The lucky guests who are selected will receive a digital golden ticket, and more than 4,000 tickets will be available in 2024.” Other experiences announced yesterday include: staying in Prince’s Purple Rain house; sleeping in the Museé d’Orsay; and hanging out with Kevin Hart.

Rays of sunshine

The National Weather Service forecasts a sunny day, with a high temperature near 71 degrees and north wind 10 to 15 mph becoming west in the afternoon.

Thanks for reading! The Word has been listening to lots of Waxahatchee lately; what are you all listening to?