Suppression of Democracy

The Albuquerque media refuses to report to following list of strange incidents and criminal offenses that have befallen both Paul Heh's and Pete Dinelli's campaigns.

1.  Approximately the first half of March: APD Deputy Chief Banks personally called a female campaign worker of Paul Heh’s campaign. Mr. Banks spoke directly with the woman, a private citizen and NOT an employee of the city, and told her he needed to send an APD officer to take her personal computer to look for data relating to Mr. Heh’s campaign activity.

2.  Approximately the first week of May, City of Albuquerque Internal Review Office investigator Paul Skotchdopole and an unidentified person went to a Paul Heh campaign member's home wearing APD identification. They entered her home representing themselves as APD officers and made no actions to disavow themselves as non-law enforcement. Initially stating they were there in follow up to a citizen’s complaint, once inside the residence they quickly began asking about Paul Heh and his bid for mayor. They asked who was running the Heh campaign; they asked her if she had made the campaign’s bumper sticker, they also asked who ran the Eye On Albuquerque. This visit scared this Paul Heh campaign member severely enough that she stopped working for the campaign. In an unpublished interview with Jeff Proctor of the Albuquerque Journal, she stated she felt intimidated and frightened by these two men. And given that she and her family had moved into the residence days before she said that she did not know how they knew where she lived. This person has now moved to another home due to the fear that was instilled upon her. (Mr.  Skotchdopole; we know all about the ticket you got downtown and had the City "administratively" dismiss it.)

3. Approximately the first week of May, a female Paul Heh campaign member had Direct TV installed in her new home. A couple of days after Direct TV installed the dish, a man claiming to be a Direct TV employee knocked on her door and said he needed to get on her roof to take pictures of her dish. She was uncomfortable with this man and called Direct TV. Direct TV told her the man was not a Direct TV employee and to confront him and call the police. She heard the man on her roof while she was on the phone with Direct TV. By the time she went outside to confront the man he had gotten into his truck and left. There has been an APD report filed on this incident. This incident and police report number has been given to every Albuquerque media outlet.

4.  Approximately mid-May: A long time Albuquerque attorney joined the core team of one of the two campaign’s running against Mayor Berry. Less than a week after his first meeting with the core group of the campaign at his office, this attorney’s home was broken into and vandalized. Nothing of value was stolen despite the presence of many portable electronic devices and other valuables. A report has been filed with APD about this incident. At this time, this attorney does not feel safe about letting this incident become public knowledge, as he is concerned about the safety of his family, his person and his practice. This attorney has reported this incident and the rest of the incidents detailed here to the Albuquerque FBI.

5.  Approximately mid-May: Another Paul Heh campaign member became aware that his residence had been trespassed upon. He was aware of the incidents at the female campaign member's home and the campaign attorney’s home. Concerned about the security of his own home, he took what measures he could to determine if his home was approached. This campaign member lives in a gated high-end community with controlled access and no through traffic. The entire back yard of this home is walled and is landscaped with finely packed gravel and is similar to a “Zen” style rock garden. This individual came home and found a side gate left open and found obvious footprints where someone had jumped the front portion of the wall on the North side of the home leaving a trail in the fine gravel from the wall to the house. This campaign worker did follow through and talked to the utility companies, neighbors and the home owners association; who all stated they had not entered his property. A report was filed with APD about this incident.
6. Late May: Shortly after the Heh campaign member discovered that someone had trespassed on his property a member of Pete Dinelli’s campaign received a call from someone claiming to be from Comcast. This caller stated that there was a problem with the cable service at the Dinelli campaign member's home and that Comcast needed access to the home. The Dinelli campaign member was immediately suspicious, as there was nothing wrong with his cable service and he was aware of the aforementioned incidents. He denied the person claiming to be calling from Comcast access to his home. The number that was used claiming to be from Comcast was reverse traced and while it came back as a Comcast number, Comcast corporate personnel confirmed that 505-271-3722 is not a Comcast number and has been “retired.” Calls placed to this number to a voicemail box which has a woman’s voice saying her name is Cindy Solonamis (sp?).

The Dinelli campaign member filed a report about this incident with BCSO Deputy Brian Felmee #13-640109. Again, the entire Albuquerque media has this information and refuses to investigate and report on it!

7. During the same time line as the incidents listed above: A private Albuquerque business owner, who helped the Heh campaign get signatures to get on the ballot, was harassed multiple times by the City of Albuquerque. This private businessman, his wife, and many of his tenants signed Paul Heh’s petition. This gentleman owns several multi-unit apartment complexes in the Southeast part of town. He is the on-site maintenance man for these properties. These properties are immaculate in condition, have many multi-year tenants and this businessman is able to secure much higher than average rents because of the care and condition of his units. Over the last six-months there have been zero police related calls for service from his 20-units despite being located in a very high crime area. On about May 3, this property owner found notices posted on all the doors of his units but no other adjacent units. The notices solicited information about complaints they may have about their landlord. The property owner contacted the number provided on the flyers which led to the city’s Office of Community Development. He spoke with a manager of the department who then came out to meet with him the following week. This person, Thea Guerin, told the property owner that his apartments and the immediate area were going to be the target of activity meant to improve the area. As the property owner's apartments are superior to neighboring apartments in terms of condition and care the owner asked Guerin to elaborate. She told him she doesn’t want the apartments to become “like the ones on Ross.” Guerin then advised him that they want to have a “neighborhood get together.” On Wednesday, June 5, after posting flyers about an ice cream get together, Guerin, an assistant, 3 uniformed APD officers, an APD detective, a person from city solid waste, Laura Keougn from the SE area command and an assistant, personnel from the NM Landlord-Tenant Hotline arrived to give out ice cream sandwiches. The property owner remained on scene but did not take any sandwiches. Two tenants arrived and took some ice cream despite the event being held from 3:30-5:30pm. While city personnel hung out, Guerin and lawyers from NM Landlord/Tenant hotline canvassed the property owner's apartments soliciting information from tenants about him as a landlord and whether they had any complaints and provided them with information about other housing opportunities. The following day several tenants approached the property owner and asked him why he was in trouble because they thought he was a great property manager. Documents and notices from the city sent to the property owner are available.

8. June 6th, 2013: A Pete Dinelli’s Campaign Manager's car was brutally vandalized. It is our understanding that his windshield was smashed and again nothing was stolen from his vehicle. The campaign manager filed a report with APD, # T 13002147.

9. In the first week of July: The woman who was harassed by the Paul Skotchdopole and had been called by DCOP Allen Banks had her home computer hacked into then print 40 pages of key strokes.

10. Also in the first week of July: Another member of the Paul Heh campaign had his home burglarized. The residence had the front door kicked in with additional vandalism done inside the property. However, despite the presence of portable electronics and other valuable items, nothing was stolen. A police report was also filed on this felony.

That makes 7 separate people who are in or closely associated with the Paul Heh and Pete Dinelli campaigns who have been harassed or had violent crimes committed against them, 10 separate times! All of these crimes have been directly reported to law enforcement and the Albuquerque media. The incidents have also been directly and repeatedly reported to the Albuquerque media. 

The Albuquerque media refuses to investigate or report on any of this. It is the strong opinion of both the Paul Heh and Pete Dinelli campaigns that the main stream Albuquerque refuses to report on these incidents because they fear retaliation from the GOP, the Berry Administration and Jay McCleskey's political machine. If any of these things had happened to members of the Berry Campaign they would have been reported on the same day, let alone this long sting of incidents! 
 
With such a spike in targeting it is only clear that these actions are committed either by, or people directly supporting, the Berry campaign. Is there no greater un-American action than the commission of crimes meant to intimidate the very process of the democratic process?
 
One final note. While many of the members of the two challenging campaigns have been targeted for harassment and criminal activity there is one very glaring exception: Personnel who are helping the campaign who were prior law enforcement have not so much even been touched….