Daily Lobo new mexico
The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895
friday November 7, 2014 | Vo l u m e 1 1 9 | Is s u e 5 8
Captain suspended from team on assault charges By Liam Cary-Eaves
The New Mexico women’s basketball team will be without its starting center for some time. Redshirt senior Ebony Walker has been suspended indefinitely and stripped of her captain label after being charged with domestic violence and aggravated assault against a household member Tuesday night. According to the Albuquerque Police Department report, officers were dispatched in response to a confrontation between Walker and her boyfriend, Tredarius Moten. According to the report, a witness called APD’s attention to the altercation after she allegedly saw Walker chasing after Moten in the parking lot of the apartment complex, throwing knives and nearly striking him with one. Walker told an officer, according
Ebony Walker
to the report, that the altercation began after Walker found out Moten had been calling her teammates without her knowledge. Walker told the officer she pushed Moten while telling him to leave the apartment. Walker said in the report that Moten retaliated against her until
she was pushed into a wall, leaving a dent. Walker said she grabbed some kitchen knives, dropping all but one, before throwing it in the opposite direction of Moten. The criminal complaint said Moten was reluctant to speak with police, and stated that he didn’t want to get Walker into trouble. Moten told an officer he saw Walker throw an item into the street that he thought was a knife, but was not worried it would hit him. While the aggravated assault charges against Walker have been dropped, she is still facing simple assault charges, a misdemeanor. Despite the lessened charge, UNM’s stance remains firm and Walker will not be joining the team for the time being. Head coach Yvonne Sanchez said despite the felony charges being dropped, she will make a decision on
Walker’s role in the team once she has gathered all of the information from the domestic violence charge. “It’s an unfortunate situation,” Sanchez said. “When people put their hands on each other in an angry manner, it’s not ok.” Sanchez said the situation, regardless of gender, is not acceptable. The head coach said not all of the facts have been given, but the school and the team have been affected by the charges. “It’s put a black eye on our team,” Sanchez said. “I want to do what’s right for Ebony and I want to do what’s right for this program. Those can be completely different things.” In Thursday evening’s press conference that lasted almost 19 minutes, Sanchez said she will make the decision of if or when Walker returns at the conclusion of the investigation and when she is certain
of what the right decision will be. “I’m going to continue to do things the right way,” Sanchez said. “That’s the statement I want to make.” Walker’s return home has not been an ideal one. Attending high achool at Sandia, Walker led her team to a state title and was listed as a Top 25 prospect by ESPN HoopGurlz. Walker left the Land of Enchantment to play at Texas Tech during her freshman and sophomore campaign before returning to New Mexico. Due to NCAA regulations, Walker was required to redshirt during her junior year, not appearing in any games. In her first two games back in Albuquerque, Walker was averaging over 10 points and over five boards before an Achilles injury ended her junior campaign early.
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Campus may divest from fuel companies By Marielle Dent UNM is considering an end to its investments in fossil fuels as a way of showing the University’s commitment to sustainability, thanks to a very successful petition that’s circulating on campus by the Fossil Free campaign. On Thursday, the administrators of the UNM Foundation and the Office of Academic/Student Affairs met with Tom Solomon, co-chair of 350.org New Mexico, to discuss the University’s possible divestment from fossil fuel companies. Fossil Free, a global campaign affiliated with 350.org, is working to convince institutional leaders to freeze new investments in fossil fuel companies and to divest any stocks within the industry within five years after their initial commitment. The group has led campaigns at major universities around the country. Solomon’s presentation included a list of available fossil free investment options and suggested that the University begin divestment by freezing investments in primary companies such as Goldman Sachs and Quantum Resources. The policy to divest will ultimately be approved by the UNM Foundation and the Board of Regents. Jim Mackenzie, Solomon’s co-chair, said that 350.org hopes to present to the Board of Regents sometime in January. The Foundation still needs to be convinced that it’s a good investment, and after the meeting Solomon said some of them seemed hesitant because they have ties with the oil companies. The Board of Academic/Student Affairs didn’t have many questions for Solomon. “This was the most cogent version of this information I have seen,” said Regent Bradley Hosmer, who is also
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Sergio Jiménez / Daily Lobo / @SXfoto
Naomi Martinez relaxes inside her home at the Sundowner Apartments on Thursday. Martinez found her studio apartment through the Supportive Housing Coalition, an organization that helps find permanent housing for chronically homeless people.
Group helps homeless find housing By Lauren Marvin
This story is part of a weekly series on homelessness in Albuquerque. For eight years Naomi Martinez was chronically homeless, occasionally staying at friend’s houses, but without a home of her own. After applying with almost 15 different organizations, though, Martinez contacted the Supportive Housing Coalition of New Mexico and now has a studio apartment that is hers and hers alone. “There is nothing more gratifying then being able to put a key through the door, turn that key and walk in and close that door,” Martinez said. “It’s yours. You don’t have to worry about people coming in and taking it from you, you don’t
have to worry about somebody hurting you, you don’t worry about being out in the cold.” Mikayla Ortega, resource and communications director for the Supportive Housing Coalition, said the organization helps find permanent housing for chronically homeless people, and has done so for more than 400 people so far. People like Martinez, who was housed in just two months through the Heading Home Initiative because she has a physical disability – Martinez lost both of her legs to infections caused by heroin addiction – and was chronically homeless. However, for most, the wait may be up to three years through other resources such as The Housing Choice Voucher, also
known as Section 8, which is a city program, she said. The Supportive Housing Coalition helps with move-in and eviction prevention assistance, crisis housing and the Housing First Initiative, she said. Hank Hughes, executive director of New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness, said the coalition helps write grants for the Continuum of Care program and helped the Supportive Housing Coalition of New Mexico start. The Continuum of Care Grant aims to fund certain programs such as prevention, street outreach, emergency shelter and transitional housing and permanent supportive housing, according to the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness website.
“We have a lot of case managers around the state working really hard to get people into housing and they are always faced with waiting lists and lack of housing,” Hughes said. Traditionally, the only option homeless people had to sleep indoors was going to a homeless shelter. There are 20 homeless shelters located throughout Bernalillo County, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. According to a 2013 report from the Coalition to End Homelessness, there are at least 3,000 homeless people in Albuquerque on a given day, although the report notes that an exact count is impossible to achieve.
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