NOTES 1 News/History

1 (here)     2  Personal Comments        IN THIS SECTION     Christopher Oskins Highlights of Certain News Topics     Christopher Blea    CO incidents     David Black Sheriff Otero County warning of border patrol manpower shortage-article 2019/05/30    Daniel Payne article on fake media     9/11 in 2019     Racial Tensions         Fake Media     Racial Issues Democratic Primaries     Al Jazeera     Stasi Antics in Reverse Discrimination Border Patrol history early air/cavalry     Why early border history important     NM: Grandfather’s concern over deceased grandson and issues over Farmington, NM Police     NM: Senator Heinrich on Jews in Alb. bombing etc. firm stand 2019/10/18 Chris Oskins Added material - use as a teaching tool as an example of possible skewed information (watch for antics) on one side or another involving a  conflict between races/cultures:  See: Oskins, Chris 2019/10/17  Highlights of Certain News Topics Breitbart (2019/04/19) Laura Loomer files lawsuit against Twitter, Cair https://www.breitbart dot com/tech/2019/04/19/laura-loomer-files-lawsuit-against-twitter-cair/ CFR            Central America’s Turbulent Northern Triangle https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/central-americas-turbulent-northern-triangle ABQ Journ Illegal immigration surging in New Mexico https://www.abqjournal.com/866089/illegal-immigration-surging-in-nm.html Washington Examiner 2016/11/15 9 Somali men in Minnesota sentenced [2016] on terrorism charges   https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/9-somali-men-in-minnesota-sentenced-this-week-on-terrorism-charges The Atlantic (2018/01) Trump and El Salvador https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/01/trump-and-el-salvador/550955/ 2019/10/11 Christopher Blea New Mexico police officer who has moved around and gotten in trouble is in the news again in Rio Arriba County now.  There are two different Christopher Blea’s in/related to police in NM; just realized this here on 10/11/2019 and am sorting it out.  Have made two separate insertions. 2019/10/05 Colorado  Some recent Durango policing issues: Durango Herald: (2019/03/12)  Police take proactive approach to problems at Colorado Pongas: Agency sees positive results working with pool hall on liquor license violations. By Bret Hauff. https://durangoherald.com/articles/267388 Free Beacon: (2017/05/17) Vagrants overrun Colorado town legalized Marijuana https://freebeacon.com/issues/vagrants-overrun-colorado-town-legalized-marijuana/ Colorado Sun (2018/09/10) High Country Colorado Towns wrangle Big City Problems with homelessness https://coloradosun.com/2018/09/10/high-country-colorado-towns-wrangle-big-city-problems-with- homelessness/ 2019/09/24-25  David Black re-inserted today 9/25; Why history of border issues added today 9/25 Border Patrol History Early Air Mixed in With Cavalry United States Army Border Air Patrol:  With the end of World War I in 1918, the Air Service, United States Army was largely demobilized. During the demobilization period of 1919, the Regular Army and its air arm answered a call to defend the southern border against raids from Mexico, and to halt smuggling of illegal aliens and narcotics into the United States and weapons from the United States into Mexico.  12th Aero Squadron Dayton-Wright DH-4 flying liaison with US Cavalry on United States/Mexico border patrol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_Border_Air_Patrol  https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pancho-villa-attacks-columbus-new-mexico Excerpt: Pancho Villa and United States Army and early Air Patrol 1916: how things developed to the point of the heightened American presence at the border - it more or less started with Villa attacking Columbus, New Mexico in 1916….Outraged, Villa turned against the United States. In January 1916, he kidnapped 18 Americans from a Mexican train and slaughtered them. A few weeks later, on this day in 1916, Villa led an army of about 1,500 guerillas across the border to stage a brutal raid against the small American town of Columbus, New Mexico…. The background to all this includes the American involvement with three Mexican leaders-Huerta, Carranza and Villa: In 1913, a bloody civil war in Mexico brought the ruthless general Victoriano Huerta to power. American President Woodrow Wilson despised the new regime, referring to it as a “government of butchers,” and provided active military support to a challenger, Venustiano Carranza. Unfortunately, when Carranza won power in 1914, he also proved a disappointment and Wilson supported yet another rebel leader, Pancho Villa. A wily, peasant-born leader, Villa joined with Emiliano Zapata to keep the spirit of rebellion alive in Mexico and harass the Carranza government. A year later, though, Wilson decided Carranza had made enough steps towards democratic reform to merit official American support, and the president abandoned Villa. Outraged, Villa turned against the United States. In January 1916, he kidnapped 18 Americans from a Mexican train and slaughtered them. A few weeks later, on this day in 1916, Villa led an army of about 1,500 guerillas across the border to stage a brutal raid against the small American town of Columbus, New Mexico. Villa and his men killed 19 people and left the town in flames. Now determined to destroy the rebel he had once supported, Wilson ordered General John Pershing to lead 6,000 American troops into Mexico and capture Villa. Reluctantly, Carranza agreed to allow the U.S. to invade Mexican erritory. For nearly two years, Pershing and his soldiers chased the elusive Villa on horseback, in automobiles, and with airplanes. The American troops had several bloody skirmishes with the rebels, but Pershing was never able to find and engage Villa…. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pancho-villa-attacks-columbus-new-mexico First Aero Squadron or First Recon Squadron of the Second Army Division, started 1913: The 1st Reconnaissance Squadron is the United States military's oldest flying unit, first established on 5 March 1913. The squadron has maintained an unbroken heritage of over a century from its founding. Originally organized in anticipation of a potential breach in security along the border between the United States and Mexico, General John J. Pershing directed the 1st Aero Squadron to become the first tactical aviation unit to participate in American military action.[1] The 1st RS has flown 47 different aircraft while being stationed worldwide at 52 locations, including 4 stints at sea.[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_Reconnaissance_Squadron 12th Aero Squadron Dayton-Wright DH-4 flying liaison with US Cavalry on United States/Mexico border patrol Why this history on border patrol comes up now By understanding we have been dealing with this for over a hundred years, how and with whom, we gain a perspective and key insights.  Understanding Pancho Villa and the mythos still with us today also helps. David Black Sheriff Otero County warning of border patrol manpower shortage - Repeated Insert KOB (2019/05/30) https://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news/otero-county-sheriff-talks-border-crisis-in-editorial/5370420/ key points: Otero County southern part of state borders Texas but has highways linked to Mexican border thru next door Dona Ana County; key highways are 54 and 70; reduced manpower with officers sent to cover Albuquerque’s shortage as of May 2019 when sheriff’s editoral went out in Las Cruces TImes; 2019/09/20 These are being added or fleshed out on the border page: Mexpro  note from Police Factor:  this is being added as an addition to our knowledge of NM borders in general (2017/08/21) Where to Cross the New Mexico/Mexican Border Posted August 21, 2017 by Roxanna Brock McDade & filed under Border Crossing. https://www.mexpro.com/blog/cross-new-mexicomexican-border Excerpt: There are only three border crossings into Mexico from New Mexico, and all cross into the Mexico state of Chihuahua in the western half of the state. If it’s important to you to be able to get to the border quickly and get on your way to your Mexico destination, it may be worth your while to know what roads to take (both going north and south), what services are available and how busy the crossing. Save time by getting the low-down from Mexpro. KOB (2019/01/27) New Mexico ranchers frustrated with situation along U.S.-Mexico border.  By Chris Ramirez https://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news/new-mexico-ranchers-frustrated-with-situation-along-us-mexico- border/5220568/ Global Security dot org  note from Police Factor: excellent overview, gets us right into a wide range of border issues fast Foreign relations US border https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/mexico/foreign-relations-us-border.htm 2019/09/14, 16  some material added on 9/16; some editing and additions 9/18; Daniel Payne article Although the article below by Daniel Payne may be a dated (2017) article by a “far right” site, please realize that the words here are likely more on target than many articles found in the corporate driven media. How do we take back our media and our Primaries? Article by Daniel Payne:  The Federalist (2017/06/16) 16 fake news stories reporters have run since Trump won.  By Daniel Payne: https://thefederalist.com/2017/02/06/16-fake-news-stories-reporters-have-run-since-trump-won/ Excerpt: Since at least Donald Trump’s election, our media have been in the grip of an astonishing, self-inflicted crisis. Despite Trump’s constant railing against the American press, there is no greater enemy of the American media than the American media. They did this to themselves. We are in the midst of an epidemic of fake news. There is no better word to describe it than “epidemic,” insofar as it fits the epidemiological model from the Centers for Disease Control: this phenomenon occurs when “an agent and susceptible hosts are present in adequate numbers, and the agent can be effectively conveyed from a source to the susceptible hosts.” The “agent” in this case is hysteria over Trump’s presidency, and the “susceptible hosts” are a slipshod, reckless, and breathtakingly gullible media class that spread the hysteria around like—well, like a virus. It is difficult to adequately sum up the breadth of this epidemic, chiefly because it keeps growing: day after day, even hour after hour, the media continue to broadcast, spread, promulgate, publicize, and promote fake news on an industrial scale. It has become a regular part of our news cycle… https://thefederalist.com/2017/02/06/16-fake-news-stories-reporters-have-run-since-trump-won/ 9/11 in 2019 2019/09/11 some additions across day Never forget 9/11!  Remember the way the American public was lied to in the media before, during and after it!  Corporate driven media is corrupt!  We most definitely have been lied to and also have had certain key facts omitted from our media.  There is no doubt about this whatsoever.  Real Americans will continue to sniff out the odd and malicious undercurrents behind the war on American soil.   Understand we have to think along various trajectories to sense how the enemy operated and still operates.  Please do your part in spreading the word on stealth and overt jihad; the links between certain strands of communism, socialism and Islamic extremism; the fact certain Jews, but not all Jews, can be in on this, and to know the difference without lumping all Jews together. It is important to understand that there have been similar operations since at least the Vietnam War and likely are behind why we lost - or that the world was told we lost as part of some hidden back room table agreement - and the fact a lot of the games against the USA have been and continue to be run through American two year and four year colleges, and research based universities; that one of the wars on America is financially driven to get it to squander its resources and to leak monies to non-white civil rights groups and their internationalist anti-American allies; that these groups include Hispanic, Native American, Asian and black groups, but that not all persons of color are guilty or complicit; that some of the games include phony or exaggerated lawsuits and unfair grant allocations to non-whites on college campuses.  It also includes loan sharks and non-reciprocal trade agreements in which other countries get more and give little in return.   The games include arts savvy, a tendency for creative and wacky ways that go outside the box and work around our systems. Al Jazeera 2019/09/04-05 On Al Jazeera: There is material on this and other media groups. Know beyond the shadow of the doubt exactly why you are seeing a resource like this on Police Factor and River Gold.  This discussion is to help readers be able to follow the line of reasoning behind an  Al Jazeera article’s inclusion.  There is an Al Jazeera article excerpt and link included on this website Police Factor in the Gangs New Mexico section (on Native American gangs) and in the website River Gold’s Aviation section on problems with Boeing.    There is also one in the North Korea section on River Gold. The first thing you should be doing when you see Al Jazeera or some other controversial media outlet on this website is to mark a red flag in your mind.  Know this is not the first type of resource a website like Police Factor turns to when providing coverage on a subject.  So when you see something like this, know something is up.  In Police Factor, this is a type of alert or head’s up by including an article from this news group.  The alert can be about invasive fingers or perspective.   Invasive fingers means they’re getting into sensitive areas and broadcasting it to the public.  Perspective means they’re showing us a deeper side to the journalism milieu.  So the perspective aspect is a particularly nuanced or poignant social commentary.  It can also include observations about American military or industrial complexes with some significant or interesting data.  For both the invasive fingers and perspective aspects, it means that this very group has been paying attention to, and getting up close and personal with, a particular subject.  We should follow their line of gaze and identify how they are accessing the topic.  We should identify the goals and framework of the writing.  That is, we should know how it is being said, whether there are hidden messages or another layer of intentions behind the more obvious.  We should also get a feeling for the timbre and tone of the writing.   Does Al Jazeera present itself as the brother singing the soulful blues with peoples who feel disenfranchised from the United States? When it comes to Al Jazeera in particular, know exactly where Police Factor stands on Islamic extremism.  If you don’t know where Police Factor stands on this, it is best to start fresh or review the About section on Police Factor and other pertinent sections on River Gold.  Then come back and read this.  Islamic extremism, both the stealth and overt jihad kind, is directly connected to Al Jazeera.  To think otherwise is a mistake.    Al Jazeera is without question directly linked to Islamic terrorism and anti-American agendas.   However, the phrase know thy enemy holds here. The fact they are on board writing news articles on a certain topic should tell us something about the inner portal of this enemy.  For one thing, discussions about groups other than Muslims in the United States tells us more about the wide span of networks, cultures, races, and civil rights perspectives groups like Al Jazeera intersect with.  Al Jazeera is linked to Islamic extremists, but there is a lot more to it than that.  Because of the civil rights movements, other racial groups can be and often are included. If you are a national security agent or gang task force policing person hired to protect the interests of the United States at either the local or federal level, how can you in turn offer a nuanced multi-layered counter-terrorism approach to mirror a group like Al Jazeera?  To do so will require hearing and responding to the soulful pathos.   This will take “national security” to the next level of protecting American liberties against Islamic and other forms of tyranny.  The people need to know you hear them where they live. Because behind the soft liberal civil rights side lies tyrants who want to destroy the American system.  They then want to put up a government that dominates and controls the people.   Groups like Al Jazeera are mirages.  They don’t ultimately care about yours or my civil rights.  They are linked to brutal people who want to rule the world. There are some interesting and thought provoking articles in Al Jazeera that take us to a new space.  They give us new perspectives, both in terms of learning what the enemy knows and how they think and operate.  They also address poignantly some of the problems in our own country.  They do indeed have interesting insights and information, and to avoid them as sheer extremists is a dire mistake.  I don’t read Al Jazeera all the time and only pick a few isolated articles here and there to include here and on River Gold, but when I do, know in your heart of hearts there is something about it that has struck me personally in terms of national security for the United States and in terms of possibly getting to the core of some cultural issues.  It is also perhaps a window into some antics or operatives working against the USA in terms of what they are focusing on. The other thing I want you to think about when you see an inclusion of Al Jazeera or another questionable media outlet is how they are being smart.  Some of the articles are well nuanced and tend to step out of the ring in some way. Because a lot of our media are saying the same things in the same way across the board as if one central outlet is dictating to them,  when someone is not doing that, we have to pay attention.  Sometimes with Al Jazeera you are getting innovative and more in-depth coverage on certain topics as if The Wizard has been pulled back a bit. Even if there is a pro-Islamic agenda way behind the scenes in articles meant for the western world, something is coming at us in a less spoon-fed voice.  That pro-Islamic agenda might be much more obvious in other spheres, but harder to identify elsewhere.  Just know they are always there.  If an anti-American group in the media is The Wizard of Oz, and if daylight seems to have entered the room, they have pulled back the veil for a reason.  Some of the material can be honest and accurate, culturally evocative, and as such lets us in certain arenas we normally are not allowed to tread.  However, we have to question such transparency and rawness.  We must ask where it’s all going, and how our emotions are being steered along certain lines.  We can also ask if operatives are on board - for example, in supposedly decrying Boeing’s rubber-stamping, do we have certain people, both black and white, hammering the US from inside its key military manufacturing arenas.  We can certainly ask that, and we should be asking why Al Jazeera gives a rip about American companies possibly rubber-stamping as som so-called humanitarian revelation.  We can ask if this is stealth jihad, like trying to destroy the USA from within.   The idea here is that Al might be The Wizard. River Gold’s Union Blues section tries to bring out the idea that anti-American agendas can happen in so-called down home meat n’ potatoes, working man’s Americana, too - and possibly has a history of it in early Populism ventures in the late 1800s in which communists, socialists and Irish Catholics were bringing some Old World antics into the backwoods of middle America.  Although such early strands can be hard to pinpoint, there are signs things were afoot.  Whether or not they were, we need to realize things are not always as they seem in such  matters.  The union connection to expose’s about Boeing’s rubber-stamping might have another layer, in other words.  And Al Jazeera could be part of it. Some of the Islamic groups have some very intelligent and capable operatives and writers among them.  Whatever any possible hidden agendas or personal flaws in either writer, let us allow the best of their messages, like those of other writers deliberating these complex subjects, to enter our central sphere of awareness so that we can make more informed decisions for ourselves on a personal, national and global level. 2019/07/17 The Journal 2019/06/29 Shane French’s lawsuit against city, police officers nears end. By Erika Alvera.  https://the-journal.com/articles/143869 Excerpt:  The lawsuit was initially filed on Feb. 5, 2016, against the city of Cortez and police officers Casey Eubanks, Jennifer Lodge (also known as Jennifer Goodall), Boyd Neagle, Ryan Carter, Sgt. David Allmon and Chief Roy Lane. The filing came after French was found not guilty in the 22nd Judicial District Court in December 2014 on all charges relating to the alleged stabbing of a Cortez police officer.The original complaint alleges that Cortez police officers were called to the French family’s home for assistance for a mental health hold for French – a qualified individual with a disability – but then illegally entered without consent.The complaint further alleges that the officers pushed Glenn and Patti French, “tackled Shane French to the ground and handcuffed him,” and then “repeatedly tased Shane French while he was in handcuffs.”French was then charged with four counts of assaulting a peace officer and three counts of resisting arrest. The alleged assault was connected to a small nick on the left side of officer Casey Eubanks’ stomach, according to court testimony. French was in custody for about 10 months before being cleared of all charges by a jury. 2019/03/25 Cortez former police officer pay $100k in misconduct case. https://the-journal.com/articles/132439-cortez-former-police-officer-pay-100k-in-misconduct-case Excerpt: The city of Cortez and a former Cortez police officer agreed in January to pay a $100,000 settlement in a lawsuit filed a year after the officer pleaded guilty in a criminal misconduct case. Officer Reuben Liska resigned Feb. 4, 2017, amid a criminal investigation into an allegation that he had “inappropriate physical contact” with a woman who had called for police assistance. He was charged with one count of official misconduct in Montezuma County, and after pleading guilty in August 2017, was sentenced the following November to two years of probation. 2019/08/11 Martin Heinrich Below is something written by New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich in 2017, applicable now as then, with the recent spate of violence in El Paso and beyond. Federal, state, and local officials must act swiftly to help protect communities of all faiths and ensure that these cowardly threats and acts of vandalism are punished to the fullest extent possible. March 6, 2017 Dear Friend, Last month I visited the Jewish Community Center in Albuquerque on the same day that it was evacuated because of a bomb threat. This was the JCC's second bomb threat within three weeks. These alarming incidents in Albuquerque and across the country aim to introduce fear into our communities and must not be tolerated. During my tour of the JCC in Albuquerque with members of the board of directors, the New Mexico Anti-Defamation League, and the Jewish Federation of New Mexico, it was clear how beloved and central the facility is to the entire community. JCCs provide a safe and welcoming environment where families and children - whether Jewish or not - attend Hebrew classes, play sports, share holidays, and gather in peace. The rising number of bomb threats facing JCCs nationwide and numerous instances of hate-based violence and vandalism are appalling and do not represent the America I know and love. Any faith-based targeting, including anti- Semitism, is unacceptable-period. In order to deter and punish those responsible, I introduced bipartisan legislation to double the federal penalty for making fake bomb threats and provide $20 million in additional funding to the Department of Homeland Security dedicated to safeguarding faith-based community centers. I also sent a letter calling on the Senate Homeland Security Committee to conduct a hearing and asked for answers from the Administration about what actions it is taking, and plans to take, to combat these threats. Federal, state, and local officials must act swiftly to help protect communities of all faiths and ensure that these cowardly threats and acts of vandalism are punished to the fullest extent possible. MARTIN HEINRICH United States Senator A Grandfather’s Concern Over His Grandson and Farmington NM Police 2019/08/03 The Following involves the grandson of a local man in the Farmington and Kirtland, New Mexico area who was killed during an attempted robbery by the victim and home dweller of the robbery.  The grandson was Christopher Gonzalez.  Below is a testimony by the grandfather, sent to me by email last year but I was told it was also on his website.  This man is a retired power plant official who ran for mayor last year and did not win.  Part of his interest in running for the position was to help eliminate wrongful arrests in Farmington.  In looking this over more for the first time, I see that Gonzalez seems to have been a Hispanic and white mix; he was being raised in a Mormon home but his grandfather is a devout fundamentalist Christian, and so apparently with this connection as well, Christopher was going to a separate bible study class (shortly after having attended to a fundamentalist Christian private school) apparently at the time of his arrest.  It looks like his arrest was questionable over a BB gun in his backpack, something the grandfather suggests was shown to a female student who told a teacher with a subsequent search and arrest.  The grandfather indicates the BB was being used as a toy, not a weapon, and that the actual categorization of the gun for arrest purposes is questionable; in addition, the young man’s predicament got worse by putting him around rough characters in the Albuquerque area.  Apparently Christopher showed promise in mathematics and golf, and had a gentle humanistic disposition.  We can ask if he as well as society would not have been better served in another form of disciplinary regime in response to his issue with the bb gun.  We need to hear more from the City of Farmington on why they took the stance they did with and over this young man.  Is there anything we don’t know or are not being told as to why they took the strict stance that they did?  Apparently city leaders as well as the police were communicated with by the concerned grandfather to no avail, from his viewpoint. Christopher was shifted from Farmington to the Albuquerque or Santa Fe area; we might ask if things got worse going to the big city prison system.  There is a lot more probably to this story than provided here, but this is a start.  We need to know which Farmington police officers were involved in Christopher’s arrest, whether a local news article went out on it, when Christopher was first arrested and imprisoned, who the young people were he was with during the fatal robbery attempt in which both he and a 25 year old were killed, and more.  It might be good to research the family (Gonzalez) for any history of criminal activity.  It does sound like the arrest might have been unnecessary and the imprisonment even more so, but it is premature to conclude without more background information.  This is a good background case to study since it is local and more personal.  I did find one news article listed below related to the attempted robbery, the killings and the disappearance of one of the robbers after going on bail.  I also found an obituary related to the burial of Christopher Gonzalez who died in Sept. 2015.  Please excuse any errors here in going over this; feel free to write in with corrections or additions to info at police factor dot com. Albuquerque Journal 2015/10/13  Man accused in deadly home invasion reported missing The robbers wore masks and armed themselves with guns before forcing their way into the home, according to a criminal complaint. According to police, Mack grabbed a gun and shot two of the robbers: Christopher Gonzalez, 18, and Joshua Valker, 25. Both men died. https://www.abqjournal.com/659315/man-accused-in-deadly-home-invasion-reported-missing.html https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/daily-times/obituary.aspx?n=christopher-j-gonzalez-critter&pid=175817077&fhid=8553 excerpt:  Cristopher "Critter" Jordan Gonzalez, 18, of Kirtland, returned home to his heavenly Father on Monday, Sept. 7, 2015. He was born Aug. 6, 1997, in Farmington. Critter was the fifth child born to Jose Humberto and Pollyanna Palmer Gonzalez. Cristopher’s Incarceration                                                                              February 5, 2018 My Grandson, seventeen year old Cristopher Gonzalez was a straight A student at Faith Christian Academy.  At 6 foot 3 inches he was the tallest student in the school.  He was kind and gentle with the smaller students.  His kind an loving manner made him a favorite with the teachers and fellow students.  After school he attended a bible study class at another location.   Christopher had acquired a pellet pistol without his parent’s knowledge.   It looked similar to a real firearm. ( A pellet pistol is similar to an air or co2 powered rifle except that the shorter barrel does not allow the projectile to attain the velocity of a rifle).  The projectile velocity of a pellet pistol is typically less than 400 feet per second while an air powered rifle projectile attains a velocity of up to 800 feet per second).   He showed it off to a girl at the bible study class one evening.   The girl told a teacher who informed Farmington New Mexico Police.  The next day two police officers came to Faith Christian Academy and in violation of the Fourth amendment of the United States Constitution, (my  opinion), demanded a search of his back-pack.  The pellet pistol was in the back pack.  The police officers made the ludicrous claim that the pellet pistol was a deadly weapon and incarcerated Cristopher.   That incarceration effectively ended Christopher’s life.  He was denied the opportunity to attend his final year of high school and to attend  church.  He was denied the opportunity to take part in the First Tee golf program as he had for many years with his grandfather.  (The first Tee program is a widely acclaimed program that teaches nine core values, honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy, and judgment.)  He was denied the opportunity to play golf with his Father and Grandfather which was in his words “one of the funest thing I’ve ever done.”  Cristopher and I were the winners of the last golf tournament that we had the opportunity to play together.  The $100.00 first place prize is still on the books at Riverview golf course.    Despite the best efforts of his parents and teachers to get him released,  Cristopher remained  incarcerated in Farmington until near his 18th birthday.  He was then unexpectedly transferred to Albuquerque where he met people that had a negative influence on his character and lifestyle.   Our beloved grandson was shot in the back and killed as he ran from a home invasion 31 days after his 18th birthday.   He was with a 25 year old man who was also shot and killed. In researching whether or not a pellet gun is a deadly weapon, I found that the Tennessee Supreme had ruled that a pellet gun is not a deadly weapon unless the intent of the user is to inflict harm on a victim.  It appears to me to be clear that Cristopher’s only intent was to show off his new toy.             In another example, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s deputies used pellets that were treated with hot peppers in order to increase the pain on 116 pound 86 year old man who was holding a knife and was begging the deputies to kill him.  This was the day after his wife’s death.   One person told me that they shot Fidencio Duran 63 times with the treated pellets.  They also had a muzzled  K-9 officer attack him,  which resulted in a broken hip.  The man died a month later and his death was ruled a homicide by the medical investigator.  It is apparent that the deputies did not consider the pellet gun a deadly weapon.               How can a police department and a Children, Youth, and Families Department have the will and the power to ruin the life of a young man who was beloved by all his teachers and fellow students, and who had not ever been accused of any criminal act?  I suspect that the elaborate detention facility would be difficult to justify if no one is incarcerated.   I believe that anyone with any concern about the young man’s future would think that he would have a better chance of a good life in his home with his loving parents.             If the citizens of Farmington elect me as their mayor, I will be dedicated to preventing young people being forced out of their homes and incarcerated into a situation that lessens their chance of having a safe and happy life.      Roland W. Berkey