Sara MacNeil

Community councils monitor APD

The Albuquerque Police Department’s newly-created Community Policing Councils are seeking UNM students to help them better facilitate communication between APD and the community. CPCs were one of the requirements included in the 2014 settlement agreement between the U.S. Department of Justice and APD, as a result of the DOJ’s investigation of APD’s use of excessive force. In light of its findings, the DOJ mandated that the city establish CPCs in each of the six area commands that APD divides the city into: the foothills, the valley, the northwest, northeast, southeast and southwest commands.

Marching after a mistrial

Early on Wednesday evening, activists gathered in front of the Bernalillo County Courthouse to protest the announcement of a mistrial in the case against former Albuquerque Police Department officers Dominique Perez and Keith Sandy. The protest, though smaller than past rallies against APD, was eventually met with SWAT teams in riot gear, many armed with assault rifles. Perez and Sandy were on trial for second-degree murder after fatally shooting James Boyd, a mentally ill homeless man, in the Sandia foothills in 2014. This was the first time in at least 50 years that an on-duty APD officer was charged criminally for shooting a suspect. The trial ended in a hung jury on Tuesday, with nine jurors voting to acquit and three voting guilty. Raúl Torrez, the incoming District Attorney, will decide whether or not to retry the case when he takes office in January.

Tailgating, a teenage wasteland

Tailgating might be the most dangerous activity at a Lobo football game. Students showed up to party before Friday’s football game versus Boise State as early as 4 p.m. A condensed crowd of students, dressed in red, bobbed up and down to house music at sunset, while paramedics stood by to respond to potential alcohol poisoning or dehydration.

Zimmerman Library murals have drawn ire for decades

A white man, blonde hair and blue eyed, stands center frame. On either side of him, a Native American and Spaniard face the Anglo and extend a hand. The Anglo holds his hands out to them and, while his blue eyes are wide open, the Native and Spaniard eyes are closed as they face the Anglo rather than stare straight ahead. The image is one out of four frames that make up a controversial work of art in Zimmerman Library.

UNM honors black former Lobo athletes

The UNM Black Alumni Chapter honored 15 Sports Hall of Fame inductees, and gave Trailblazer Awards to Attorney Raymond Hamilton and retired judge Tommy Jewell on Friday. Many of the distinguished former Lobo athletes who received awards at the ceremony went on to play football, basketball and track and field for professional teams, later becoming educators and coaches as well as making contributions in their communities.

BLM panel explores subjects of racial politics

The second Black Lives Matter panel meeting of the semester, “Black Lives Matter at UNM: Campus Climate in the Age of Colorblind Politics,” is set for Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in the SUB Lobo A and B to discuss how to make campus more inclusive for black students and faculty. Gary Allison, a BLM panelist, said colorblind politics denies the impact of race and discrimination, suggesting issues have been solved when data in the areas of employment, housing, education and healthcare show the opposite.

Presidential Candidate Gloria La Riva visits campus

Gary Johnson and Jill Stein are two names that voters are discussing as an alternative to the major party nominees, but New Mexico voters have another option as well. Socialist Presidential Candidate Gloria La Riva visited UNM Tuesday to inform students that she’s actually on the ballot in New Mexico.

UNM helps absorb students left in the wind by ITT Tech

On Sept. 6, ITT Technical Institute closed its 138 campuses in 39 states after the U.S. Department of Education found that ITT wasn’t in compliance with accreditation standards, leaving its many students with unfinished degrees. UNM is one of the higher education institutions in the state that will be accepting transfer credits from ITT Tech students as an option for them to continue their education in Albuquerque.

UNM group informs NM teens of opioid dangers

The same week President Barack Obama proclaimed National Prescription Opioid and Heroin Awareness Week, the Daily Lobo confirmed with UNMPD that a student overdosed on fentanyl — a potent synthetic opioid pain medication — in University dorms on June 16. UNMPD Lieutenant Timothy Stump said the overdose resulted in death for the student, and investigators are still working on the case.

UNMPD's hiring process less stringent than APD's

Despite the alleged misconduct by officers during a 2014 UNMPD sexual assault investigation, UNMPD Lieutenant Timothy Stump said there are still a lot of good officers working for the department. Stump said that although the department’s contact info is on the back of every student’s Lobo ID card, many are not aware of what the UNM police department does.

Reginald Johnson talks about Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African-American men.

Jorge Limas holds a campaign leaflet that Gloria LaRiva handed him on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2016 at Frontier. 

Gloria LaRiva hands a campaign leaflet to Jorge Limas, who told LaRiva he had two felonies and wasn't able to vote. LaRiva is running under the Socialist Party for the 2016 presidential election.