Daily Lobo new mexico
friday March 6, 2015 | Vo l u m e 1 1 9 | I s s u e 1 1 7
The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895
ASUNM to UNM: Support Muslim students By David Lynch
Kanan Mammadli / Daily Lobo / @Kenan_Mammadly
Members of the Muslim Student Association -- Omkulthoom Qassem, left; Sarah Hassan, middle; and Ihsan Wadud-Rodriguez, right -- attend ASUNM’s meeting on Wednesday. ASUNM passed Resolution 6S, which supports Islam in the UNM Community.
In the wake of recent attacks targeting Muslims on American college campuses and around the world, ASUNM unanimously passed a cautionary resolution at Wednesday’s meeting urging UNM administration to state their opposition to Islamophobia. Sen. Udell Calzadillas Chavez, who introduced Resolution 6S, said there is a widespread culture of fear and ignorance that perpetuates violence against Muslims. The purpose of the resolution is to provoke better understanding of Islam in the UNM community. “This is a proactive approach to events in the United States and around the world,” he said. Citing domestic attacks against Islam such as the February killing of three Muslim students at the University of North Carolina and a Molotov cocktail being thrown at the Albuquerque Islamic Center last year, as well as the continuing fight against ISIS in the Middle East, the legislation states that UNM “should stand strong in opposition of Islamophobia and related hate crimes.” The document defined Islamophobia as “dislike or prejudice against Islam or Muslims, especially as a political force.” Ihsan Wadud-Rodriguez, a senior
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Legislature moves Retired officer talks APD abuses two Lottery bills By Jonathan Baca
By Marielle Dent Two bills that could affect UNM’s lottery scholarship recipients are making headway in the state Legislature. Senate Bill 286, which would send forfeited lottery prizes to the scholarship fund, will advance to the Senate after the Senate Finance Committee approved the bill. And Senate Bill 355, approved with a 2516 vote, would allow debit cards to be used to purchase lottery tickets. Supporters of SB 355 said it could increase lottery ticket sales and lead to larger prize amounts, which would in turn boost funding to the scholarship in the long run. However, the bill would also eliminate the requirement that at least 30 percent of lottery revenue be dedicated to the scholarship fund. The 30 percent stipulation originally arose from a proposal made by Think New Mexico, a Santa Febased think tank, and resulted in an additional $9 million per year going toward the fund, said Kristina Fisher, the organization’s associate director. The bill will advance to the House of Representatives before going to the Governor’s desk. “If it does work out, it’s only going to be for the benefit of the Lottery (Scholarship),” New Mexico Sen. Bill Payne (R-Bernalillo county) said in an interview with the Albuquerque Journal. “I think we certainly need to give it a try, because we’ve got noth-
ing to lose at this point in the game.” The bill contains a last-minute provision requiring that the minimum amount given to the scholarship fund must always be equal to the total amount given in 2015. The provision was meant to appease critics of the removal of the 30 percent minimum, but opponents of the bill said there is now no incentive for lottery management to ever give anything more than that amount. “There is no incentive for the lottery to deliver one penny more than that 2015 amount,” Fisher said. “So even if the lottery grows and more people buy tickets and the revenues go up, there’s no incentive for anyone to give the students another dollar. We think the lottery scholarship will get frozen at the 2015 amount going forward.” Almost 70 percent of students at research universities across the state received aid from the Lottery Scholarship during the 2012-13 year, according to an Associated Students of UNM resolution. “(The New Mexico Coalition for Equity and Justice) is opposed to this bill along with numerous students across the state,” said Virginia Necochea, a UNM graduate student and member of the Coalition. “It leaves everything in limbo. I don’t see it as beneficial to students.” Lottery CEO David Barden said that one of the Lottery’s contracts
see
Lottery page 2
In 2006 veteran Albuquerque Police Department officer Sam Costales testified in court against Bernalillo County Sheriff’s officers in a high-profile case involving the unjustified and abusive arrest of racecar driver and local celebrity Al Unser, Sr. After the case against Unser was thrown out, then-APD Chief Ray Shultz opened a new investigation — into Costales, for breaching the “blue wall of silence” and turning on fellow law enforcement agents. Costales said he was forced into retirement, but was eventually awarded $662,000 in a lawsuit against the city.
Since then, Costales has become an activist, speaking out against the brutality and abuse of power he witnessed during his 20plus years as an APD officer. At the second in a series of lectures on police brutality on Thursday, hosted by UNM associate professor of American studies David Correia and his Police Violence and Social Control class, Costales spoke about a culture of unwarranted violence, unconstitutional arrests and intimidation. “I really think this needs to be said: I’ve already taken the hardest road — coming out initially. I don’t want to turn back now,” Costales said. “People often ask, ‘When will it be over for you, as far as your activism
Nick Fojud / Daily Lobo / @nfojud
Sam Costales, who retired from APD after 20 years, speaks at the 2015 Police Violence and Social Control lectures on Thursday at the SUB. Costales spoke on topics such as excessive force, police-involved sexual assault and the difficulty of speaking out about things he witnessed.
against the police department?’ And I say, ‘When I die.’” At the lecture, students, activists and members of the public asked Costales questions about his career, his transition from officer to activist and what can be done to change the department. Correia, who was arrested last year at a protest against APD, said it was important to keep the event open to the public as well as students because of the high level of interest and discussion. “The lecture series is about exposing the students to people in the community who can talk about their experience, either as police officers like Sam, or people who have been working to reform APD, elected officials, activists,” Correia said. “It brings the students into contact with people who can educate them better than I can.” Costales said that the culture of intimidation at APD causes good officers to remain silent about the things they see on the job. “People say there’s a few bad apples. That’s not true: there’s more bad apples than there is good,” he said. “People are afraid to come forward against these officers. I’m as guilty as the rest of them. I kept my mouth shut.” He told a story about a woman who came to him complaining she’d been pulled over by a male officer who said she had a warrant out for her arrest. She was sure she didn’t, but the officer told her he would let her go if she gave him oral sex.
see
APD page 3