They can’t always get what they want.

Hello,

This is an excellent and genuine comment, and we appreciate that. It is free of agenda, and lays it out pretty well. It brings up points that people want to discuss, considering the history of malfeasant politics in our city, and it shows the frustration at hand. This is what we like here. We appreciate the bluntness. It is way better than the slimy, agenda driven, passive aggressive shit attacks we get here, from those that disagree because their ego, political plans, or cushy assignment prospects were dashed to pieces on the shores of life’s many disappointments.

Nobody here is on anyone’s nuts. Rest assured of that. This was all about denial of access, and cover to those responsible for the state of affairs of our police department, and city. It was about taking away that access, and exposing corruption. As much as things may appear one way or another, considering the perception and vantage point. One thing is for sure... the dynamics will be changing, because promises were made to clean this up, and make things right. This is our objective too. The Eye is organic and operates as so. It is beholden to nobody.

The problem in our city is people who think they are more important and worth more than you, us, and everyone else around them. These absolute vermin have destroyed the city with this mentality and their criminal actions. Those who stood by, and watched are guilty, and those who “got theirs, and took off to avoid the heat, and accountability when the DOJ arrived are just as guilty too.

(NOTICE: STILL NOTHING FROM BALDERAS ON THE SCHULTZ TASER INVESTIGATION. WE BET HE WILL LET THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS RUN OUT ON THAT JUST LIKE THE BRACHLE CASE. MORE EXCUSES WHILE HE WEARS OUT THE LOW HANGING FRUIT)

The secondary problem, are the pests who want to hear themselves talk with their bloviated calling of the shots, and predictions as they say. They have predicted nothing, and they too are cowards, as they run their mouths from well insulated positions, or already have locked down high dollar pensions. You are also going to see the false cheerleaders, and blow jobs coming out of the woodwork too. We will be doing our best to preempt all of this or call it out for what it is, and outline the motive.

Going back to Berry’s election, we know for a fact that during his campaign he told many that if elected, he would toss Ray Schultz in the shitter. That is a fact, but something happened. That “something” is always the gutless, parasitic cretins who think they are power brokers, sitting behind the scenes cutting deals, or calling in favors for political support, or other issues that may be needed down the line to get what they want, or support their agenda. These are the people we are observing now. In New Mexico, this picture is large, but when it involves criminal activity it is racketeering. It is the reason why Brachle was not indicted for shooting a fellow officer. It is the reason why the Albuquerque Journal supported Dan Lewis and Brian Colon at the same time. It is the reason why they then changed their tune, and supported Tim Keller, when the other two were called out on certain issues, and it was evident Keller was going to take it. It is the reason why Ray Schultz has not been indicted. It is the reason why Nate Korn of Kaufman’s West Army Navy gave campaign donations to a candidate Lewis, when his wife is a political appointee of Republican Governor Martinez, and he himself supported Martinez and Berry, while being Ray Schultz’s main cheerleader, and dirt doer at the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy Board while he was there. It is the reason why Darren White, who is a shameless Susana Martinez water carrier gave a large sum of money to a Lewis in the mayoral election. It is the reason why there was a campaign of disparity in treatment of officers during the Scheme Schultz himself devised to keep the DOJ out of our city while painting people stains on the badge when these people are the biggest shit stains on humanity. It is the reason why criminal officers were covered for, and allowed to retire, while others had cases fabricated on them out of retaliation, animosity or to defraud the DOJ, for doing their jobs, or trying to raise a child. Albuquerque has been one big fucking racket for way too long, and sometimes fucking up co-conspirators best laid plans is the path to reconstruction. The police department suffered from all of it, and now you and your family are suffering from the fallout of officers who shut down, to avoid being victimized by a malfeasant, malevolent, self serving administration, out to cover up their corruption on the backs of any target of opportunity; hence our out of control crime rate, that correlated directly to illegal and unethical actions taken out on the police department out of desperation by former Police Employee Ray Schultz. (We will not call that bag of puss a Chief any longer.)

The people that you do not know about, who lurk about like cowards, torpedoing lives, and destroying the very thread of everyday life in our city, for their own advancement, do so out of greed, power, and sex. This is the problem. One of them knew all too well how serious this was when he got on an airplane, and left the city the day after his criminal administration was toppled, and he had no more cover. That fat red faced drunken bitch is now in Indiana. Indiana! How funny is that? How the fuck do you end up in Indiana from Albuquerque? You pack your bags and run like the bitch that you are in the middle of the night to follow your wife who is the only one left employable in the family. That is how.

You will hear the same people bring up the Eye and Berry from Berry’s first election win. They were the same people that contributed thousands to him, BUT they were the same hypocritical spineless cowards who remained silent for eight years as we tore this administration a new ass weekly, with every bit of intel we could muster, without giving up our sources. They were the same people who “got theirs” then got the fuck out, and left the mess for everyone beneath them. How many people would still be here if certain bits of information had not been released. Three evolutions of upper command staff turnover happened under Berry.

Everything is here in the archives. We were lied to, and we dealt with it with viciousness, and ferocity that you do not see in many other cities coming from a blog. This blog was started under the Marty regime. We all know what went down during those days. Berry knew it, and although you may think he got away with something, that pathetic clown will probably run away too. Just compare his photos from eight years ago to one taken today. He looks like a bag of ass, and all of his hair fell out. Bad things people do have a way of catching up with them. The stress, and lack of a reputation will take a toll on that boy forever. We do not envy him.

So, knowing that the stakes are very high here, there is not much room to be dishonorable, or revoke campaign promises. With that said, we do know how hard things are going to be, and it’s only been a week.

Things are going to be difficult, because one of the groups we discussed above will come into play. There is major assburn over Garcia being kept on as deputy chief, and the bringing back of retired APD commander Harold Medina. As a side note... Medina couldn’t even raised his right hand for his swearing in ceremony properly. What cop, let alone someone who was promoted to the level of commander does not know that you place your left hand on the Bible, while raising your right hand to be sworn in? Harold Medina does not... That’s who! How embarrassing is that?

The look on Keller’s face as Medina raises the wrong hand and ignores the Bible is priceless?

Things are also going to be hard, because there is not many. The pool of good leadership material is thin. You will see where the rubber meets the road, and who is in it to win it in time, because word is that a few are angry they weren’t promoted. We will see who sticks around to fix things, and who takes their ball and goes home. Honestly, we don’t want to see spoiled self centered brats kept on. A handful of dedicated loyal individuals can do the jobs of dozens if they know they are backed, and there is mutual trust between the officers, the citizens, and the command staff. As we see it, it is the command staff’s obligation and responsibility to regain the trust of both the officers and citizens. If you want to call yourself a police executive, you better understand what comes with that. Schultz, Eden, Huntsman, and the rest of the previous filth had no concept of that.
Although there are things we disagree with going on, we will deal with it, but we will not throw grenades at it, without a baseline to go on, because there are good officers depending on things to change drastically for them in a good way. If that does not happen... If officers get shit on we will address it. The same goes for all city employees and our citizens.

The fact of the matter is that Keller’s apologizing for complete assholes, who shot people with ashtrays, lotion bottles, cell phones, spoons, or who were just plain unarmed, for crimes ranging from nothing, to petty misdemeanors is called owning it. The fact that people were shot when they did not have to be, or as they were being talked down, and about to comply, like Boyd and Ellis and having to listen to jackasses on police audio recordings exclaim “ oh fuck fuck was that me?” when their gun goes off, then observe a whole entire city attorney’s office, and police department justify a negligent discharge of a firearm after a fathers kid is killed... THAT is the problem here. You can not deny that there were several unjustified shootings in our city that denies belief. How do you justify shooting someone standing on their own front porch from across the street, in the back, when they have a spoon in their hand, and the officer knows it is a spoon, then promoting them. How do you justify skipping over officers for promotion, just because you do not like them, when they have stellar records or better yet railroading them off the job to distract from upper command staff public corruption? How does a shoot get justified where an officer knows an object in the hand was a spoon, but the excuse was that the officer felt he may go inside, and get a gun? It does not work that way. That is not an imminent threat, but this was one of many unarmed shootings this officer had, and another one of the many ridiculous excuses that people are sick and tired of hearing. How does a mental patient get killed in his own back yard by the police when he is unarmed just because an officer bit off more that he could chew physically, and precipitated the situation? How does an officer shoot an unarmed suspect in the back, stand over him and shoot him again and lie about there being a gun in his hand and not get indicted for murder? There are use of force cases that need apologizing for, and actual prosecution of, and there are use of force cases that look like absolute shit, but are justified. People understand this, but the previous administration under Ray Schultz had blurred the line so badly that nobody, even the officers trust anyone, and that is no good. It is the reason why we are here. Some apologizing needs to be done on both sides, and the administration carries most of the weight on that. The competent officers know they didn’t fuck up. They know who the fuck ups are, and they don’t want to be around them either. If officers are cringing at some of these things, something is wrong.

You will never hear a good cop complain about the field, fighting criminals, dealing with drunks, ignorance, or anything related to police work out there in the trenches. The constant enemy of the good street cop is the self important, micro managing attention whore of a police executive who uses them for a stepping stool. That is going to stop. The failed leadership that betrays the rank and file out there every day, doing what they themselves can’t do, don’t want to do, or are too good to do will always be held accountable by us, because that is what destroyed our city.

The citizens have been duped by New Mexico politicians for decades. This has been done on the backs of employees, officers, other politicians, and the citizens themselves. As the song goes, you can’t always get what you want, and this is true here. Now THEY can’t always get what they want, because even though there are still unavoidable tentacles of influence throughout the place, there are also more Eyes. After all of this, and everything that happened, betraying the good for selfishness will never be lived down, if it is the result of intentional malfeasance. There will be stumbling and growing pains, but mark these words, there will be accountability. That is pretty much the climate we are in, and everyone knows this because of what happened, so mimicking a Berry regime is not likely.

Another reason we went this route was because the Mayor had a background in accountability based government. He conducted audits and knows what Berry and Schultz did and what they are. He was also none of the above when it came to the politically connected who are responsible for what happened here through their direct actions, or affiliations. We also decided this because he had a background in government an had the best plans for action.

You know what we do. We do not betray, nor do we stab backs. We react to deception. We only ask that the right thing is done. We ask that the wrongs be righted. Nobody is a peasant. Every wrong needs to be addressed. We ask that an honest attempt be made at all of this. This is all that can be expected. We are a week into this now. Let’s see what happens. All does not happen in a week. This will be a process. We will be watching, and so will our Eyes.

Feelings will get hurt. We can almost promise that, because we know who the posers are, plus you can’t appease everyone. We know who sat back, while the injustices were taking place. We know who reserved endorsement, until weeks before the runoff. We know those same frauds are standing in the crowd behind the Mayor, like they have been there all along, and we have their names, and facts to back it up. Those people are the ones who’s feet will be held to the fire when they decide to take the political, or low road approach to doing the right thing. We are also tired of union officials walking around like they are a boss, or bragging that they have the mayor’s ear. You know who you are. Get out your insulated booties mister “bro” because your shit is no longer going to be tolerated either. Joey boy learned it the hard way and you can too. If we smell any selfish agenda we will put it out there.

All in all, what we are saying is give it some time, but keep a close eye on everything. It is all we can do right now as things start to settle in, and get rolling. Taking care of Lou Golson, making the commanders give up the incentive pay, and filing an LEA90 against former Lt. Brachle’s certification were outstanding first moves. We will continue to keep eyes on the appointments, along with circumstances as they unfold. We want to see things made good, and safe for all of our citizens, officers and firemen.

We do not know how we will feel tomorrow, let alone 4 years but we will see, and so will those who choose the wrong choices.

No one person is Albuquerque’s savior. It is up to all of us.

Thank you for reading us, and we hope you and your families have a safe and happy holiday season!

The Eye

Mayor Berry's lies; Rising Crime, and the Blame Game. More Horse Shit from a lying worm imposter mayor.

Yesterday we all witnessed the results of a system in meltdown. The mentality of doing whatever you want whenever you want, while making up your own facts to back your corrupted actions is more prevalent than ever. We have seen it in the investigation into the Boyd shooting regarding the ballistic tests and weapons involved in that fiasco. We have seen it in the way the brass of the Albuquerque Police Department have handled investigations with their cavalier attitudes, and arrogant behavior in the Boyd case, the recent faux suicide call involving a current Sargent, the Brachle debacle, and several others when they want to cover for their connected buddies, and get them to their retirement date, when they are guilty. On the other hand, we have seen this administration attack, and go in the opposite direction to retaliate against those who speak out against them, or whom they want to target politically, in order to take the heat off of their corruption. Their is no logic when you act like this, and it is evident in the frustration of the citizens caught in the middle of a police department that has had internal parasites for police chiefs for the last eight years, a mayor who unjustly targets officers for termination, hides, and lies on a routine basis, and a drunken jerkoff of a red faced bloated tick CAO who violates everyone's rights, bullies anyone he sees fit, and is one of the architects of what is going on here. And do not forget the past city attorney Kathryn Levy, now in hiding, who is the mother of this abortion, and the current city Attorney Jessica Hernandez (Miss Ambition) who lies like she breathes, and will do anything to politically further her career.

One thing has stayed consistent in all of this madness. The mayor and his administration of gutless, lying cowards, have never wavered from blaming the courts, judges, the District Attorney, and anyone else for rising crime, and every other problem he and his appointees created. Not once has this liar of a mayor, or his impotent, bleached blonde police chief cabin boy accepted responsibility like a man, or leader does for a city, and police department they are directly responsible for ruining. Their actions directly caused the rise in the crime rate we have now. No. Instead, Mayor Richard J. Berry runs to his fan club, the rich white Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, for a pep rally and propaganda party. That's right folks, after one of the most controversial police shooting trials in ABQ history, he does not reach out to the diverse community. No. He goes to his target audience, rich, white, business owning support base; the ones he always runs too. Surely, the same old audience plants will be present, asking pre formatted, non confrontational, benign questions in support of this pussy. One good thing that came out of that trial is the fact that he can't go back and say Eden's premature "justified" gaff is now ratified. No, his boy Eden is still on the hook for that comment, and it will be evident, if it isn't already, that they were hoping for an exoneration just for this fact, because as we all know, it is all about them.

Prior to running to the Chamber of Commerce for a little lunch, and a lot of horse shit, Berry gave an exclusive interview to his other biased support base, the Albuquerque (URINAL) Journal. As usual, the Urinal printed more lies, based on thin sliced analysis of only one aspect of one crime; car theft, and repeat offender car thieves. Their article takes up Berry's cause, pointing the finger at the jails and court system, but ignoring the elephant in the room..... ARREST STATS. You see, when officers are not proactive out there on the streets arresting criminals, the criminals do not get into the court system, which means they do not go to jail. When you have officers that are terrified of a regime that will scapegoat them, fraudulently use them for a disciplinary stat to show the DoJ they are hard on misconduct for menial infractions, to feign compliance with a federal court ordered settlement agreement, whilst they cover for official corruption, and felonies committed by ranking, and politically connected officers and police officials, officers shut down, and do nothing. It is happening in Chicago, and this is the exact reason why crime is through the roof here. The reasons for the crime here is multifaceted, and has nothing to do with the excuses Berry is claiming. Nobody trusts the command staff. There is extreme perversion in the leadership of APD. It is disgusting. Our Eyes in the field tell us that nobody wants to be the next one fired for bullshit, and nobody wants to have to deal with the overwhelming problems caused by this administrations "shit rolls down hill" effect of faking compliance with the Feds. The officers know that if things were done above board with this process with transparency, there is nothing to fear. Those doing the right thing know that more facts only help. These officers have witnessed what has gone on for the last six years. They have seen the duplicity and disparity in treatment put upon employees, and citizens of this city by criminal police department and city administrative leadership, in order to escape detection, and accountability for their malfeasant, and criminal actions, and they know that till this point NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE BY ANYONE ABOUT IT. Officers themselves have gone to the DoJ. They have spoken to criminal investigators on federal, and local levels, and nothing is done. The officers know the mayor is a fraudulent scum bag, that will use the good to promote himself, and use anything else to screw THEM, and to also promote himself. Albuquerque is by the mayor, for the mayor, and there is no doubt about that. If there is one thing just as disgusting as a selfish coward who hides from the public, and sends out his water carriers to run interference, it is a liar who plays a tiny violin to a bought and paid for audience, with lies about what directly affects the safety of the citizens of this city. How can anyone respect a person who lies to those who blindly support him? How can anyone respect those who blindly support a liar, just because they gain monetarily and politically from his shell games, smoke and mirror antics, and Buck dances?


With the COA's reputation of funneling everything to those who make decisions in their favor, slant information to fit their agenda, and then kickback financially somewhere down the line, we wonder why Peter Winograd was assigned the task to conduct the recent crime wave increase study, and why it does not include police performance stats, such as arrest stats by field officers and impact detectives, and their conviction rates. Analysis of this information is only logical since this is where the seed sprouts from. It all starts with arrests, and officers are not making arrests because there are no officers on the street. The officers on the street are spread too thin, due to the lack of manpower, and officers are shutting down because of what they have seen this administration do to those who do the job. Berry is responsible for this too, because the attrition of officers under his administration has been record breaking. Officers are buying time to get away from this disgrace. They are fleeing in droves because of the lack of confidence in the leadership. This is the real truth, and reason for the sad state of affairs concerning the rise in crime in Albuquerque. Berry's administration has also cultivated a cult of no respect for law enforcement in the city, and the criminals know they can run rampant. Berry is nothing but a liar. We have addressed the facts that have lead to this crime rate, and we will not stop until Berry stops lying to the public. The media will not report hardcore evidence of this, because they know the city will cut them off. The city has threatened the media numerous times with retaliation for negative reporting. We know it. You know it, and they know it.

When there are no cops left! maybe Berry and his Greater Chamber of Commerce can get their privileged asses into patrol cars and police the city.

BERRY AND HIS BUCK DANCING FOOLS AT LUNCH.

Nothing will change until the usual suspects are investigated, prosecuted, and thrown out. If the Mayor, and his police chief are so liked by the rank and file, why is it that their same group of sidekicks are always around them? They consistently have the same officers with them at press conferences, social and community events, and details. You rarely see other officers around them, and if you do, it is someone new, who is not hip to their game yet, or is willing to sell themselves out to get on the inside. These worms survive via symbiotic back scratching relationships, and intel on each other. A real model place of employment we say! Not! They deserve each-other....... and a prison cell.

THE ALBUQUERQUE URINAL (JOURNAL), OUR OWN LITTLE HANOI HANNAH: Jackson Felony Fight Edition

During World War 2 we had Tokyo Rose. During the Vietnam war, we had Hanoi Hannah. Here, we have a little yellow stained rag, known to us as the Albuquerque Urinal (Journal). The epitome of free speech should be the people's source for fair, and balanced information. This information should be objective, and without agenda. If any single entity knows the value of the 1st amendment, it should be a newspaper. With this in mind, a newspaper should be the one putting out facts about what is truly happening, and supporting the fight for transparency, and freedom of speech. Instead we have the Albuquerque Urinal, and their Editorial board of whores, providing cover, by any means necessary, for a corrupted, and criminal city administration..... AGAIN... Our own little Hanoi Hannah.

Pure evil, and perversion knows no bounds when it comes to protecting itself. One of the most heinous acts perpetrated in conflict, is the use of citizens, and innocent children to hide behind. In Iraq, the insurgents hid behind the populace. In Vietnam, the Viet Cong used women and children to hide behind, and in all of these conflicts, there were the voices of propaganda and lies, intentionally misinforming the masses for their benefit. Through the years, nothing has changed, because we still have perverts right here in Albuquerque, promoting the violation of people's civil rights, while using children to hide behind, in the ongoing conflict against public corruption; they are the Mayor Richard J. Berry, and his coward CAO Robert Perry. These two have orchestrated every leak to the media that benefitted themselves, while threatening an information blackout to any media outlet that dares to report on their misconduct. This is being done in order to obstruct justice by distracting, misleading, lying, and delaying, to protect themselves, and promote their agenda. They have attempted to influence the outcomes of trials, hearings, and government decisions by calling their contacts at the Urinal, just prior to these actions coming to fruition, just like they did days before the Hindi hearing, until they got caught. They are the problem here. They are the wrong, and there are no limits to their parasitic behavior, or the behavior of the infrastructure that supports them, namely the editorial board of the Albuquerque (Journal) Urinal, as seen in the below piece of trash recently written by them.

http://www.abqjournal.com/754115/opinion/rowdy-council-meetings-testing-limits-of-free-speech.html

Dan Lewis commented that the Boy Scouts had to leave the city council meeting without having their say, because of "drama and delay" and the Urinal decided to use this to further their agenda by tugging at the heart strings of readers, and painting city government the victim for playing tit for tat with citizens who have served this country more than they ever have, or will. There is no drama in standing silently, and holding an American flag, but since a few city officials had their feelings hurt, they feel the need to create drama. These same city officials could choose to remain quiet, and act like the public servants they are supposed to be, but they decide to play cowardly juvenile games, out of their own personally driven animus. This is what creates the drama. If the usual city government suspects did not arrogantly taunt citizen attendees by smirking at them, insulting them, and threatening them, there would be no drama. If there was accountability for the blatant corruption, there would be no outrage or drama. If certain city council members did not blow off citizens concerns with bored looks, and an attitude of "next," there would be no drama. If citizens actually had a say that mattered, and there were actions taken on their concerns, there would be no drama. City council decided to end a meeting, because one old Military Veteran known as Silvio Dell'Angela, decided not to be bullied, and because of that decision by City Council, those Boy Scouts did not get their chance to speak. Make no bones about it, the problem is personal. Looking at it as the Urinal looks at things, one could conclude that those boy scouts were denied their right to free speech, because of the ongoing corruption within city government, and those Boy Scouts are collateral damage of that very same public corruption. They were caught in the middle of a fight between right and wrong, just like those innocent women and children. No, the Urinal sees this as a way to vilify those speaking out against the corruption, and to blame them for the lack of progress. They blame one old man with a flag, to cover for dozens of criminals who walk on everyone, while continuing to fill their pockets. One needs to look no further than the seats filled in city council meetings, by malfeasants like the APD upper command staff, sitting there with their arms crossed, looking at their cell phones not caring, the city attorney, smirking at citizens in order to provoke them, or the Chief Administrative Officer sitting there drunk, to see what the real problem is here.  But perhaps the most evident, is that which is never there, the worthless mayor of this city in meltdown, Richard J. Berry.

The Urinal's behavior is collusion with this corrupt administration. With every cowardly, anonymous article, the editorial board publishes, they prove their agenda, and do a disservice to society. It is no better than a tabloid. They are dishonorable, and now they use children for their agenda. We are not surprised.

While we were writing this article, we were advised that funding to the Police Oversight Committee has been cut in direct retaliation for their findings in the Brachle case. We all know the city's penchant for retaliation, in remembering the termination of Zane Reeves for the Perea decision, the vindictive behavior exhibited towards the media for exposing the corruption, by cutting them off from information, and the retaliatory acts committed every day, towards employees and citizens, by overgrown criminal crybabies, who are unfit for the positions they hold. Robert Perry committed extortion, when he threatened Professor Reeves to change his verdict in a personnel board hearing case. He was never held accountable for that, despite judge Nan Nash's decision that the termination of Reeve's contract was illegal. John Corvino was retaliated against, and pushed out of a department he loved by a retaliatory lying group of thugs. This conduct only stops when they know they are caught, and they are facing a losing battle. THEN they throw your tax money at it.  Although the DoJ is present, the city administration continues to lie, and conceal, as with the recent in custody death cover up at the Pho Restaurant, that violated the APD MOU with the District Attorney's office, causing DoJ reform alarms to sound.

The conflict of interest, CIT INC. no bid contract gig is up, because they got caught. These people commit blatant acts, and are arrogant about it. Imagine what it would be like with the office in charge of accountability in the pockets of the culprits responsible for this mess. Thank God Robin Hammer was not appointed to the ABQ Inspector General position.

If we all do our part, No more Boy Scouts will have their rights violated by a corrupt administration, and the future will be safer for all of our children. Keep shining the light. Boycott the Albuquerque Urinal. Do not buy it. Speak out about the perverts there who would have you believe that old men, and children are a threat to our 1st Amendment  rights. Read the Albuquerque Free Press, and keep fighting.

Here is one of the recent ABQ Free Press works of real journalis, exposing more of the lies within this criminal enterprise.

http://www.freeabq.com/2016/04/29/doj-apd-lied-about-policy/

 

It has been a while since the last story was posted, but a lot has come to our attention.

For instance, when a police department seeks out new training curriculums, these curriculums must meet state mandated guidelines, so that there is uniformity across the board with what officers are, and are not allowed to do. NOT HERE FOLKS. Even under the DoJ consent decree, those within APD continue to do whatever they want, whenever they want. APD tactical units have been training at Jackson's MMA. Nothing against Jacksons, but if something seems odd, we here at the Eye shine light on it. Our eyes have told us that Joe Christman (you remember him from the former APD Sgt/PIO Pat Ficke incident where Christman drove Ficke home when he was intoxicated? This lead to Fickey being indicted for felony domestic violence charges, after his wife sustained a broken face, and allegations of a gun being involved, when he was accused of putting one into his mouth during this reported incident. This could have caused serious bodily injury or death to everyone in the home including the children, as could the strikes to the head, as the victim has claimed. Ficke was accused of the beating that caused all of this. See the later article, with the posted police report ~edited 6/16~) has been seen scouting out new places for APD tactical units to train at. He was seen at Jackson's, and several APD tactical units have been seen training at Jacksons. The problem here is the same problem that APD training at Department of Defense installations poses. It is not the military, nor are the streets a cage. And just who is paying for this training? It does not end there folks. There is an appearance of impropriety and leniency. It has come to the Eye that several professional fighters at Jacksons are convicted felons. Not just any convicted felons, but violent convicted felons. Jackson's MMA, and UFC fighter Diego Brandao was recently arrested for attacking bouncers in Knockouts strip bar, then pointing a gun at them. Willie Parks, another fighter from Jackson's, just got sentenced to 10 years in prison for felony domestic violence. In 2013, fighter Melvin Guillard was convicted of aggravated battery, and his sentence was deferred. He dodged over 300 days of jail time for that 2010 case involving a bar fight. Previously he received probation in 2007 for drug charges, and was arrested in 2008 for violating that probation in Houston. The list goes on. Fighter Cody East was indicted for felony domestic violence, and several other charges over the years, including resisting, and obstructing an officer, domestic violence, aggravated battery, and probation violations. Tyler East's record is just as long; trafficking in controlled substances, Aggravated Battery, probation violations, kidnapping, aggravated burglary, false imprisonment, and other charges, up until 2015.

We all remember fighter Jon Jones's contacts with law enforcement, but lets look closer at it. Has he learned, or has a blind EYE been turned to his behavior, because of the appropriate contacts within the system, and the value of the almighty dollar connected to his ability to be viable. Jones faced charges of leaving the scene of an accident, after striking a vehicle with a pregnant woman inside of it, and running away. While on probation for that, he gets caught driving illegally AGAIN. His charges get deferred in that case, and within 24 hours, he is stopped again, and issued more citations. Any one of those is a probation violation, that would result in jail time, but it is wiped away without any consequences, or the bare minimum, because we all know how the corrupted system bows to the almighty dollar. People need to start to ask some serious questions, and connect the dots to the usual suspects, who are constantly connected to what is going on around here. If you don't believe us, just look everything up on NM Courts.  Maybe Darren Knows? After all, he can't get enough of being a hang around over at Jackson's MMA, despite his painful bad back, and severe need to be a medical marijuana user. Maybe someone could answer why the officer, who was doing his job that day, would be accused of being racist for stopping Jones, when he himself is Native American, and tolerated Jones's condescending, disrespectful mouth? Why would this officer face ANY scrutiny at all, considering the sources who have gotten so many free passes at the expense of society.  Maybe we can ask if there is an MOU signed between APD, and Jackson's MMA for this training, and is there still a rule about officers consorting with known felons? We all know that tactical considers themselves above the "meager" field officer. Maybe they have the answer for why they feel the need to train outside of APD curriculum, considering the fact that APD actually has it's own use of force and ground control training. Maybe Bob Huntsman can explain this, because we already know Gordon "YouTube" "I don't think do" Eden will take the fifth, or just play stupid.

Folks, there are several ongoing investigations into this administration, and we will do our best to keep shining the light. Stay tuned. It is going to get very interesting, and this corrupt administration is in for more unhappy camping.

Let's make Albuquerque great again!!!

"Serious Reform? No, This is Serious BS!"

As all the officers in APD now know, "Chief" Gordon Eden recently decreed that officers SHALL NOT be allowed to carry personal weapons but must utilize department issued Glock or Smith & Wesson 9mm pistols. We were getting ready to address this when we received the following email from retired senior police sergeant Paul Heh:

"Dear Eye,

After reading today's editorial in today's paper where Kent Walz claims that standardizing guns that officers carry is a sign of serious "reform", I'm convinced we are in an asylum and where the lunatics are running the city. To call this "reform" is just insane.

So let me talk about this issue with the guns. I didn't carry a department issued weapon because that's what worked for me. But to think that because a department lets others carry different guns somehow creates a status symbol out of the gun is ridiculous. First, in order to carry a different gun you had to complete a transition class, complete and pass the necessary shooting quals, be approved by the rangemaster, and then get the weapon approved by your entire chain of command. So there was oversight and red tape everywhere which suppressed any notion of a status symbol if anything.

Then there are the little hypocritical details in this new "policy." Eden was seen carrying a 1911 style pistol. Bob Huntsman carried an oversized revolver. And the Journal and Walz's favorite chief, Ray Schultz carried a 1911 style pistol.  

So if there are "reforms" being done, if we are to be serious about this then start by asking these people about this policy since they didn't seem to care about it.

Then there's the reality which puts this new policy to shame. Some officers are in assignments where they need specialized guns for concealed carry. Or secondary weapons. Then there's the fact that the department issued weapon carries 18 rounds plus one in the chamber whereas a 1911 carries 7 rounds plus one in the chamber. 9mm rounds are also much more likely to overpenetrate their target and go through walls where .45 ACP is a big fat slow round that does not have the same issues as 9mm.

So folks, this is all window dressing and nothing but more of the same by Walz, Eden, Perry, and Berry. Except I don't think Walz even knows what he's talking about. The reality is the new weapon is actually a much more deadly weapon. And really to call it "reform?" Isn't that like calling Ray Schultz ethical?

The bottom line is, our officers need to be allowed to carry whatever best suits them for their protection. The challenges facing APD and the city have nothing to do with officers carrying Kimber 1911 pistols or Sig Sauers or Nighthawks. The challenges have everything to do with a lack of leadership and lack of ownership by the city's executives and the main paper in this town"

--Paul Heh

P.S. In my haste to get this letter written, I meant I did not carry a department issued Glock. I carried a Glock 23.

Not Scary?

Scary?

The start of the End; APD’s Chief Schultz Heads for Implosion, Lies and Conspiracies Exposed

A year ago, the Albuquerque Journal proclaimed “Schultz Right for Job” in an editorial where they addressed whether APD needed a new chief or not (“APD Needs One Chief; Schultz Right for Job.” Albuquerque Journal, 09/01/11). In their article, represented as the paper’s opinion, the authors identified a list of issues Chief Schultz acted upon when confronted with them. For instance, the paper stated that when Hyde murdered two APD officers in 2005 Schultz created a group of “civilian APD employees to work with other agencies to help deal with mental health issues.” (Remember COAST?) When confronted with comments made by officers on their Facebook pages, Chief Schultz developed and implemented a social media policy. (Remember the Chief’s Twitter posting?) When PERF investigated the increase in officer involved shootings, Chief Schultz implemented 39 of 40 alleged recommendations.(Remember he was on the board of PERF?) The article closed with noble ideal that “APD officers are held to a higher standard, that they must walk their law-abiding talk…”

Here we are a year later, and given the record of Chief Schultz in the years leading up to the Albuquerque Journal’s editorial we would’ve expected to see an improvement in APD’s standing in the community, the quality of its officers, and its performance as a department. But we have not. In fact by any measure APD is crashing as an institution. The department continues to lose trust in the community as it hides and conceals misconduct by officers, experienced and veteran officers retire as soon as eligible (with over 60 scheduled to retire this year), and property and violent crime statistics continue to climb. Because of endless mismanagement and gross misconduct by Chief Schultz and his Deputy Chiefs, the department remains under constant scrutiny. Patrolmen, sergeants, and lieutenants remain without a contract, litigation by employees against the department has exploded, and still Ray Schultz remains as Mayor Berry’s police chief.

Now our Eyes tell us almost the unthinkable is unfolding. For quite a while people have wondered why it seems the Albuquerque Journal is so aggressive in criticizing the hard working rank and file APD officers while giving endless cover to a chief that has cost the city tens of millions of dollars, ruined careers and lives, and all but destroyed once proud and highly respected department. Last week we found out….

On August 20, 2012, APD’s “Special Projects Coordinator” and Chief Schultz’s personal assistant, TJ Wilham, was named as a primary defendant in a defamation lawsuit. In the case the allegations assert Wilham illegally obtained timesheet information pertaining to APD employee and fully sworn reserve officer David Young. Wilham then moved forward with stories in the Albuquerque Journal with titles such as “Wanna Be Cop…” and “APD Warned Civilian Not to Play Cop” ignoring the fact that Mr. Young had been issued a law enforcement commission card signed by Chief Schultz, issued a detectives badge, been praised by department executives, and had helped provide cover for officers in APD special investigation division. While it seems people were feeding the reporter information, Mr. Wilham never once contacted Mr. Young for an interview. Nor did he review whether or not Mr. Young’s actions were in violation of any SOP never mind state statute.

This is where the lines between the private media and a public law enforcement organization blur. In response to this front page story, the complaint states that Chief Schultz and APD lawyer Kathy Levy discussed the story and plotted a response before even ascertaining whether any wrongdoing had occurred. In emails Levy tells Chief Schultz, “...take the highroad that we are acting on the side of caution.” Levy also told Chief Schultz, “...make sure we’ve got good access to tj for the right comments…” Then days later on September 15, 2009, in an engorged article by Mr. Wilham, Chief Schultz is quoted as saying, “We have decided to take the high road and error on the side of caution. We think this is the best course of action…” Clearly, the relationships between Levy, Chief Schultz, and Mr. Wilham blurred as the APD and the Albuquerque Journal plotted together how to address this story and resolve it a manner where once again Chief Schultz was afforded cover.

What we wonder is how ironic is that while Chief Schultz is being hailed as a leader and the man right for the job he never is in front of challenges facing APD or its personnel. As the first Journal article confirmed, all Chief Schultz has done is follow events. He has not once been in front of them. And to make matters worse, those event she’s followed and “acted upon” as soon as they leave the public eye, he lets them go. Additionally, Mr. Wilham now works as Chief Schultz’s personal assistant and as we’ve seen in recent stories, Mr. Wilham and Chief Schultz remain in personal contact with the Journal’s current police reporter Jeff Proctor via personal non-department cell phones. Today Mr. Proctor reported on a story involving a charge of discrimination by several veteran APD lieutenants. Mr. Proctor learned of this information not from the lieutenants, not from their attorney, not from the state’s Department of Workforce Solutions, not from the US Department of Justice….but from none other than the 5th Floor.

A week after the Albuquerque Journal’s article praising Chief Ray Schultz, another article appeared authored by retired APD lieutenant Steve Tate. In “Schultz Has Had Ample Time To Cleanup APD.” (Albuquerque Journal, September 8, 2011) Lieutenant Tate asserts from first hand observations occasions where Chief Schultz could’ve done the right thing but failed to do so. When exceptions were being made to accepted police officer hiring standards, Chief Schultz did nothing. When certain officers’ misconduct was brought to Chief Schultz’s attention for termination, Chief Schultz did nothing. When it was clear there was significant increase in officer involved shootings, Chief Schultz did nothing. But from the dialogue detailed in the lawsuit against Mr. Wilham, we can be sure Chief Schultz was in constant contact with then reporter TJ Wilham in their plot as to how best spin the stories. Through Mr. Wilham’s help, Chief Schultz has evaded responsibility for the mess that now weighs over APD….

Albuquerque Journal commits Blasphemy against its’ Own Patron

The last APD officer involved shooting has raised eyebrows, not for the dynamics of the shooting, but how once again the media has spun the story in an apparent effort to put an unjustified black mark on the Albuquerque Police Department. The printed media played a filthy game by referring to this armed violent convicted felon as a “victim.” The only reason to print such garbage was in order to sell a few extra copies of the product.

Raymond Leroy Garcia was no more a victim than Osama Bin Laden. Garcia terrorized several citizens at 6th and I-40 committing several violent felonies and carjacking a citizen at gun point. Who were the real victims? The real victims were the citizens of Albuquerque whose lives Garcia chose to place in peril. The innocent citizens who were on the road driving when Garcia defied the laws of our state and all law enforcements’ commands and refused to stop in a vehicle he had carjacked. Garcia already was a felon out on parole, not Cub Scout and not a regular law abiding citizen; he was a convicted criminal, a convicted felon. Garcia continued his criminal behavior of his own free choice over the weekend that ended in his life, the destiny he chose; is the path he followed.

The first victim was the attempting carjacking of a patron of Freeway Liquors. This victim left his home not knowing how dangerously close he came to not coming back. The first victim refused to give up the keys to his vehicle when Garcia threatened him with a gun. Garcia’s pointed a gun at the male and then fired at least one shot, luckily missing the innocent man who was just trying to protect his property. This is called a violent felony; an aggravated assault and attempted murder. Garcia did not stop there; he confronted another man and forced the man at gun point to give up his vehicle. It was by the grace of God that these two citizens’ did not lose their lives at hand of this violent convicted felon.

As the police arrived, they were able to see Garcia attempting to make his getaway. Their lights and sirens went on in an attempt to give Garcia an opportunity to surrender to law enforcement. By fleeing Garcia set the stage for his demise. Garcia clearly refused to accept responsibilities for his violent criminal actions. Garcia was not compliant with officers and led them on a high speed, dangerous pursuit. Every citizen along his path became a victim of his selfish, reckless malice. In the end, officers were able to stop the vehicle and Garcia continued to defy all commands by officers again. Garcia made the conscientious decision to point his gun at three police officers. The officers were now victims of an aggravated assault upon a police officer by a violent fleeing felon. What would anyone expect you to do when coming face to face with a violent fleeing felon that obviously gave no regard to anyone's life? The officers were left with no choice; they had stop the action of this violent felon. It appears that all three officers perceived the threat of an immediate and imminent death threat and responded appropriately.

There is no nice way to put this; how filthy of an act of labeling Raymond Leroy Garcia as a “victim” for the past two days in the Albuquerque Journal. If a violent convicted felon had a gun pointed at your mother, father, child or significant other and an innocent bystander killed him, would he still be the “victim” the Albuquerque Journal portrayed Garcia as? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

Here is the Journals’ “victims” (Garcia's)history:

Raymond Leroy Garcia was a convicted felon arrested numerous times and guilty numerous times of violent felony crimes, among several misdemeanor crimes. In 1991 he was arrested for Receiving and Disposing of Stolen Property. In 1992, he was arrested for DWI. In 1993, he was arrested for Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor, Resisting Arrest, and Disorderly Conduct. In 1994, he was arrested for Breaking and Entering, Aggravated Burglary, and Resisting Arrest. In 2001, Garcia was arrested for driving on a Revoked/Suspended License. In 2006, he was arrested for Aggravated Assault on a Household Member, Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Child Abuse, and Habitual Offender enhancement. Finally, in 2008, he was arrested for Escaping from Jail, and a habitual offender enhancement again. He was not a victim by any stretch of the imagination in any of those crimes. So why is the Journal calling a violent convicted felon a “victim” now?

This man (Garcia) presented a clear and present danger to the public; to each and every one of you. Why does the current administration, including the current Public Safety Director, Darren White, refuse to confront the media when these blatant untruths are spewed from the paper? What would their actions have been? Would Chief Schultz choose to deploy a taser instead, since he is requiring everyone to carry a taser? If he had been there, would Darren White, even know what to do? It is time they stand up for the public safety, for their officers, instead of hiding and allowing the department to take another undeserved black mark.

Here is an old west thought, “Live by the gun; die by the gun.” Best idea, do not commit crimes and do not point guns at the Po Po! They will shot you…

Did Journal Reporter Jeff Proctor Print only half Truths?

The letter below was sent to the Eye by Brad Arensfield. Arensfield is a former APD officer who went on trial for tipping off an FBI target, on an investigation. Arensfield claims he is innocent and the leak came from Chief Public Safety Officer, Darren White, via White's wife.

This letter is being published in its' entirety and has not been edited. The Eye has asked the same questions repeatedly. How come the local media does not report a lot of the local stories on the Berry Administration or City government? And when they do report it is full of half factual information. Arensfield sent this letter to Journal Reporter Jeff Proctor in reference to a story he ran on March 24, 2011 (See here). Proctor has failed to respond to the letter. At that point Arensfield sent the letter to Proctor's Bosses (Charlie Moore and Karen Moses) and to the Eye. Did Journal Reporter Jeff Proctor only print half truths? Does the Journal violate ethical standards? You decide.

Subject: Email to Jeff Proctor

Jeff,
Are you that much of a hack that you only ever report half of the story and never once ask any important questions? You apparently only write what is spoon fed to you by the Berry administration or the U.S. Government.
How about the evidence WAS withheld! That is not disputed and only discovered accidently during the trial in Dec. Why didnt they turn over the only taped interview of the whole case to us or even let us or Shawn Bryans attorney even know they had it??? Why didnt they investigate the text messages when they found out about it in April 2010 when Bryan tried to turn it over to them?? Why did they wait until days after Erika Bryan wrote a letter about it on the Eye on Albuquerque(10 months after they were made aware of it)? You didnt even mention the missing Lab report, which by the way, is even a more serious violation of the law (Giglio), the reason is, they never had a Federal case and lied on the stand (look at the transcripts Jeff) about how much Crack/Cocaine that was tested (2.89 grams cocaine),,the federal standard for Cocaine is 500 grams,,the Federal standard for Crack is 5.0 grams,,,,they had neither,,,did you look at that the lab report? It says Cocaine!!! That means they are 497.11 grams short of it being a Federal case! Doesn't that make you wonder at all??? Look at the date of the Lab Report they had it 6 weeks before the first trial April 2010,,we got it 1 month ago and had to demand it!,,,why wasnt it turned over a year ago? You also consistently overlook the fact that AUSA Tera Neda has a history of doing this- 5 documented times and a Federal Judge has made an opinion on her (Judge Hansen) and sent a person to prison for 2 years before it was discovered (USA v Torres) he was released immediately! There is a story here and I cannot figure for the life of me why you or anyone else in the media has not grasped it yet! You owe the citizens of Albuquerque the whole story. Isn't that what a responsible reporter is required to do, report all the FACTS and the TRUTH?

Facts do not lie. The Eye is dedicated to bringing you the truth.

Eye-rate

After a great deal of consideration and consultation with our Eyes behind the badge, we posted our first take on the Elton John Richard II case (read it here). Shortly after that post we received an email from Mr. Richard's father-in-law - which after obtaining permission we posted here.

Today, the Albuquerque Journal revisited the story and managed to do nothing to advance the story and plenty to muddy up the water (ABQ Journal - Subscription). From the moment we saw the front page above the fold story complete with photographs of the victim (Richard) and the deceased (Romero), we were irate. The Journal published photos of both men - one showing Richard accepting judgment, the other a happy "family-man" photo of Romero complete with smiling faces provided by Romero's family.

(Sidebar)
In defense of the Journal, an editor's note explained that the "The family of Elton John Richard asked the Journal not to publish a family portrait, citing privacy and safety concerns."

That should tell you something right there. The family of the felon feels it's perfectly acceptable to publish family photos with a convicted felon (Romero). They see no shame and there's no stigma attached - kind of like a badge of honor. Meanwhile, the family of the victim (Richard) is afraid to have their photos published.

At the very least the Journal could have found a photo of Romero with less spin and more appropriate to the situation. Let see... maybe a mug shot?
(End Sidebar)

The Journal's sub-head (Ex-Con's Cocaine Habit Catalyst in Run-In With Vet) was even worse as it provided a sympathetic excuse as to why an convicted felon was out doing what all too many convicted felons do - break the law. Although the rest of the story did a pretty good job of describing the lives of both men, the bias had already been established so the damage was already done.

The problem with this type of human interest story posing as news is that when you get right down to it the details of the lives of the two men are immaterial. Who cares that Romero had helped people on the roadside - he could have just as easily been robbing them. Who cares that Romero owed $400 to a drug dealer. Who cares that he was a coke head. None of those factors are pertinent to the fact that he chose to attempt steal Richard's vehicle. He chose to threaten Richard. He chose to attempt to avoid arrest. He chose to attack a determined Marine that knew how and when to use the weapon he carried.

The sad fact is that if Romero had simply waited with Richard in his front yard for the police to arrive he would be alive today. But that's not the sad part. The sad part is that he would have probably been out of jail the next day and out of prison by now.

It comes down to the fact that the why really doesn't matter. The fact is Romero was breaking the law, fleeing prosecution, and endangering the lives of others - period. We really wish that this thing had gone to trial. We believe that the DA's case would have boiled down to the word of a decorated Marine vs. that of a dead felon.

Think about it. Richard ran 1400 feet down streets, across fields, and over fences in his socks just to end the life of Romero a convicted felon? As a jury member it would be hard to believe that Richard ever intended kill Romero. At best the scenario that the DA would have presented at trial would have been hard to believe not to mention that the forensics were not at all conclusive. What's easier to believe - that Richard ran 467 yards to kill a man or that he ran 467 yards to take him into custody?

Prisons are great place for people like Romero who repeatedly endanger the lives of those around them and somehow believe that they have the right to take what they need regardless of the reason. In our opinion that pretty well fits the definition of a sociopath - someone who's utter disregard for those around him allows them to justify just about any action.

Elton John Richard II is clearly not a sociopath or a criminal for that matter. It serves no purpose for the state to send him to prison. And it serves no purpose for Richard to have to pay off the Romero family whose kindly ministrations allowed Romero to continue his criminal ways. Now the Romero family is busy trying to collect more blood money by pursuing a civil wrongful death suit.

We've all been the victim of petty theft. It's an invasion that leaves you insecure in your own home - even if that theft takes place in your driveway. Richard did a job that the system failed to do... keep us safe from people like Daniel Romero. He should be thanked for his determination to apprehend a common criminal. He certainly should not be treated like one. If ever there was a case deserving clemency or pardon this is it.

----- Post Script -----
We haven't done an Eye Poll in quite a while. However, the more we've learned about the Richard's case, the more we've moved toward a complete pardon by Governor Richardson. We'd love to know what you think. Weigh-in on this week's Eye Poll.

Upside Down and Backwards

Tuesday's Albuquerque Journal featured an editorial penned by the Journal’s editorial board that chastised the Governor, the Legislature, and the Almighty Alcalde himself for their actions regarding Albuquerque’s red light scam-era program. Their apparent position is that the Legislature is trying to grab the money, the mayor has pulled the plug too quickly and Governor Richardson is simply playing politics because he vetoed a similar measure last year (ABQ Journal – Subscription).

The whole editorial is based on the assumption that the program is fair and working to reduce accidents at scam-era enforced intersections. Despite numerous attempts to cook the books, countless news conferences, and even a Task Farce report, the city has not provided one shred of evidence that the scam-eras have been working in the interests of public safety. The only thing that the scam-eras have demonstrated is an unblinking ability to fill the city's coffers with "excess revenue."

To be fair, The Journal’s editorial board has long been supportive of Marty and his scam. They have repeatedly (and we believe intentionally) overlooked some of the very real problems with mercenary style law enforcement as a replacement for live police officers whose only motivation is enforcing the laws that they have sworn to uphold. To make matters worse the STOP program based on nuisance abatement ,deprives defendants of their right to a fair and impartial hearing.

We have never been able to understand why many in our society are so quick to defend the rights of convicted murderers and terrorists yet fail to fight for the common everyday rights of their fellow citizens. The scam-era program is a perfect example of how we’ve got everything upside down and backwards.

It’s the everyday rights of ordinary people that are being relentlessly stripped away not the rights of murderers and terrorists. The STOP program is a perfect illustration of how the Constitution is being shredded for the claimed benefit of “public safety.” Even if claims of accident reductions are true (which there has been no conclusive evidence to support), the system of “justice” created by the STOP ordinance strips the accused of their rights as fast as a scam-era can snap a photo.

It all starts with that first flash. More often than not, drivers are unaware of a "violation." The first clue that a motorist may have violated the administrative law created by the city is the “citation” they receive in the mail some ten days after the fact. Ask yourself, can you remember where you drove ten days ago and if you can the specifics of any particular intersection?

It’s our contention that most drivers cannot remember the alleged offense and as a result are not only deprived of the ability to gather evidence in their defense but are even deprived of the ability to accurately and truthfully testify in their own defense.

To further aggravate the problem, Redflex receives a bounty for each citation issued. That’s little different than hiring someone off the street to write down license plate numbers at intersections and paying them per vehicle. There’s a direct incentive to deprive the accused of their right to a fair trial by delaying notification and forcing the accused to rely on the accuser’s evidence for their defense.

When the citation is contested, the recipient is forced to go before an administrative hearing officer whose primary objective is the same as the accuser’s – to find the accused guilty. If you have any doubt about the veracity of that statement, why does the city continue to prosecute “violations” even when they know that there is a high probability that many of the citations issued over a particular time period, were in fact issued in error. The drivers who failed to contest their citations were simply "convicted" and their money taken illegally.

Unlike criminal allegations, if you wish to appeal an administrative decision the burden of appeal rests with the accused who is in essence, required to sue the city in District Court in order to get their money back. When you study the process, it doesn’t take long to realize that the burden of proof lies squarely with the accused.

Tuesday's Journal editorial continually disregards the most offensive components of the scam-era system consistently defending the indefensible.

Governor Richardson needs to sign SB442 not to pay for courts, but to make sure that criminal violations of New Mexico’s traffic law end up there. Marty needs to leave the program’s suspension in place not because he’s trying to out-maneuver the governor, but because his golden goose has been revealed to the pig it really is.

More importantly, it’s long past the time to right our concept of justice by placing the emphasis on everyday rights and freedoms. If we are courageous enough to protect our everyday rights and those of our fellow citizens, then we will be protecting the rights of those who are accused of far more serious crimes while simultaneously protecting the rights of their victims. Otherwise we will remain upside down and backwards, frittering away our daily liberty for the promise of security while letting murderers and terrorists walk freely among us.

----- Update -----
We originally identified the Legislature's raid on Albuquerque's traffic scam as SB422. The correct bill is SB 442. Thanks to a reader with a sharp "eye" we have corrected the error above.

Property Crime Series

Just last week the Albuquerque Journal ran a story (Subscription) that placed Albuquerque at the top of the crime list (read our take here). Today we got word from our Eyes that the Journal is planning to run a series on Albuquerque's problem with property crime. The word is that the series will start sometime over the weekend. We touched on the subject back in August.

"What we do know is that Albuquerque has a serious property crime problem. Back in June, The Albuquerque Journal reported (Subscription) that 2006 was a "banner year" for property crime. Over 5,000 vehicles were stolen and more than 6,000 homes were broken into. That's almost 14 vehicles per day and almost 17 homes per day."

- The Eye

You can bet this series will be none too popular with the folks on the 5th and 11th floors. This is the type of story that kinda tarnishes a city's image; especially with so many people in town for the Balloon Fiesta.

In fact, we were kind of surprised that the Journal was going to run the series at all in light of the historically cozy relationship they've had with the Almighty Marty and crew. Perhaps the mind control serum is starting to wear off. But, it's more likely just getting too hard to continue to drink the cool-aid when it contains so many ridiculous ingredients like: it's not "profit," it's "excess money" (Subscription). Or, the ever popular "this is not a dangerous place" (Subscription).

Journal Playing Catch-Up

This morning the Albuquerque Journal is playing catch-up to the blogosphere. We've been telling you about the questions being raised about Albuquerque Studios since last week (Read it here and here). And while we've certainly talked about the issue, Diane Velasco over at The Citizen Media Group deserves all of the credit for putting together an in-depth 5 part series on Albuquerque Studios owners Dana Arnold and Hal Katersky.

The Citizen broke the story March 30th, now two weeks later, The Journal is trying to clean some of the egg off of its face after running what could only be described as a glowing promotional piece last Saturday, that completely ignored the troubles and accusations surrounding Katersky and Arnold (ABQ Journal - Subscription Required). Interestingly enough, today's Journal story (Subscription Required) bears a striking resemblance to Part 5 of The Citizen's series and not a word of credit goes to Ms. Velasco for her hard work breaking the story.

Osuna Purchase: Update

Almost before the echo of our mouse click to publish our last post died, the editorial department of New Mexico's largest newspaper floats in to defend the questionable reasoning behind the city council's Wednesday Osuna Purchase. Today's Journal derides the residents of Vista del Norte for being a group of "not-in-my-backyard neighbors who want to close the gate to development right after they move in." (ABQ Journal - Subscription Required)

However, they support the council's decision to buy the land because we need landing sites for the Balloon Fiesta; which is a simple excuse for the council to exercise their anti-Wal-Mart passion. How many years has the Fiesta been at the Alameda site? They just now noticed that the site needs to be preserved for balloon landings?

The balloon argument has actually been floated before by the NIMBY neighbors with little notice by the council or the Journal. Now that the Reflecting Pool waters have parted and the landing excuse is uttered by the holy ones at the Fiesta, the city council and the Albuquerque Journal Editorial Department are in favor of wasting at least $6.1 MILLION tax payer dollars AND unleash the city's eminent domain thugs to steal the property.

The council and the Journal are no better than the residents of Vista del Norte. In fact, they are considerably worse. They're trying to disguise their own version of NIMBY under the cover of hot-air. A little advice to the neighborhood associations of Vista del Norte, keep negotiating with the developers of Wal-Mart.