UNM property was damaged during an anti-war protest that happened over spring break.
And the University wants Stop the War Machine, the group that organized the protest, to pay for the mess.
The UNM Police Department found red handprints plastered on sidewalks, streets, buildings and signs near the Institute for Public Policy, at 1805 Sigma Chi Road, said Lt. Pat Davis, spokesman for the department.
Protesters at the March 15 demonstration dipped their hands in beet juice and corn starch and marched around campus to protest the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq, demonstrator Suzanne Ziglar said.
"Many people are pushed to the limit," said Carla Josephson, a member of Stop the War Machine. "Some people feel that it is a time for civil disobedience, and different people have differing definitions of exactly what that means."
Davis said the department is investigating the incident, and criminal charges are pending.
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For the inconvenience, UNM is charging the group $200 for the cost of cleanup, said Ryan Lindquist, associate director of student activities.
Josephson said the group should not be held responsible, because its members didn't leave the handprints.
"This was a very large demonstration," she said. "Stop the War Machine was one of about 50 groups that attended the event. We only organized the protest and filled out the necessary paperwork."
Lindquist said that under UNM policy, groups are held responsible for damages to University property.
On Feb. 14, UNM's honors department was fined about $1,000 for the cost of cleaning up a food fight that broke out in Smith Plaza.
"The policy is the same regardless of who the group is," Linquist said. "If an organization was to drive a vehicle - and that's another example - like when MTV sponsored an event earlier this year that drove a bus across Johnson Field and caused $7,700 worth of damage."
Lindquist said both groups paid their fines.
William West, manager of grounds and landscaping at UNM, said he sent two workers March 15 to clean up the handprints.
"We had to call in emergency overtime workers. And then on Monday, we used additional workers to finish cleaning it up," he said. "The University frowns on the defacement of property, and that's why we were called immediately."
A few red handprints remained Tuesday, more than a week after the incident.
West said he expects the rest of the handprints to be cleaned up by today.
Josephson said the group needs to meet to decide whether to pay the $200 fine.
"We have a number of volunteers that rotate and take turns being spokesperson for the group," she said. "There is no one president, and the decision will have to be made as a group through democratic means."
