Not to be deterred with the closure of Roosevelt Park, a group of more than 75 advocates for the legalization of marijuana congregated Sunday in the wooded area directly west of Hodgin Hall to celebrate 4-20.
"I went to Roosevelt today and the fact that I can't ride my bike through a park I paid tax dollars for violates the Constitution," said Cyrus Gould, a TVI sophomore.
In previous years, Roosevelt has been the site of an April 20 gathering of Albuquerque citizens against marijuana prohibition. But this year a decision handed down from the mayor's office and enforced by the Albuquerque Police Department sealed the park's closure for the day.
Some members of the neighborhood association surrounding the park supported the mayor's decision, but Gould said not all of the area's residents agree.
"I talked to some of the people in the area," he said. "One resident said they were harassed by the cops and told to go back inside after they said it [the closure] was wrong."
However, there were no police at the field to prevent the gathering at about 5:30 p.m.
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With the pungent smell of patchouli oil and burnt marijuana wafting through the air west of Hodgin, several other students and local residents spoke out - between hits from joints and large glass pipes - about what many called a violation of the right to assemble.
"I think closing the park was whack," Albuquerque resident LeRoy Gallegos said. "It's not like people are getting elementary school kids high."
Trevis Thomson, a student at the Albuquerque Arts and Design College, agreed with several others, saying that the park's closure is an infringement on the right to protest and gather.
"This is more like a rally about pot being illegal," he said. "It's just a gathering of people - something to do in Albuquerque."
Thomson and Gallegos added that they do not smoke marijuana.
Matt Tillison, an Albuquerque native now attending Oklahoma State University, returned home to attend the celebration at Roosevelt Park.
"I think it sucks," Tillison said of the park's closure.
He added that going ahead with the celebration at UNM "might let people know we're not here to start a riot. We just want to hang out."
Passing a pipe back to Tillison, Josh Cornwell of Oklahoma said he thinks marijuana is not a legitimate reason for closing the park.
"The problem is that this is illegal," he added. "But pot doesn't make anybody violent. No one robs a liquor store for pot money. If alcohol's going to be legal, so should pot."
Cyrus Gould said not all those attending the celebration were helping the cause.
"Individuals who are wrestling, buffoons, do not represent the larger culture of the marijuana legalization movement," he said, gesturing to a group of men rolling on the ground while their dogs barked at them.
"I'd rather see some intelligent people having a conversation, smoking a joint, than groping each other and yelling with 4-20 written all over them," Gould said.
Many of the celebrators said they would not vacate campus if police arrived on the scene, nor did they have any plans to visit Roosevelt Park.
