SWOPblogger

50 - plus people, many from NM community and advocacy organizations, rallied outside the Roundhouse in Santa Fe at noon today against vigilante groups and an increasingly militarized border. The message from the folks who rallied in the rain at the capitol to governor Richardson was clear: Vigilante groups, like the 'Minute Man Project,' are not wanted in NM.


(Above: Rachel of Enlace Comunitario addresses the crowd.)

The participants in today's rally - including people from the Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice, SWOP, Enlace Comunitario, Sage Council, Somos Un Pueblo Unido, Concerned Citizens of Wagon Mound and others - hoped to present a letter with their demands to Governor Richardson in person, but according to his receptionist he was in a finance meeting. The groups signed up for a meeting at a later date with the Governor. No date for the meeting is scheduled as of yet.

(Above: Participants left 30 crosses at the Governor's office, each representing
100 of the over 3000 deaths on the US/Mexico Border over the last decade.)

The demonstrators pointed to NAFTA for forcing people to migrate and for the violence on the border, and said the agreement is unfair because it allows for unfettered trade while it shuts down the border for people and labor.

Weird Coverage

Looks like KOB-TV Channel 4 used the opportunity to run a strange clip of SWOP organizer Tomasita Gonzalez and devote yet more coverage to 'Minute Mam Project' spin. The clip in question, which KOB-TV will hopefully put on their website later, was a classic out-of-context quote cut in the middle of a sentence. It really didn't make sense, so it's hard to paraphrase the quote here.

But it was obvious KOB was trying to put words in the spokesperson's mouth, rather than report what she said. Reporters are supposed to go out and get the story, not mold the quotes for a desired effect.

# posted by karlos @ 7:11 PM