GRANTS, N.M. – The Cibola County Republican Party held a protest in support of the police, in contrast to protests across the country to defund the police.
The protests took place on September 22, with a large crowd in attendance, with elements of limited social distancing and few masks in sight. The crowd was made up of citizens from across the county and in some cases from across the state. There was a police presence at the event as Grants police officers, Milan Police officers and Cibola County Sheriff’s deputies attended the event.
Two City of Grants councilors, Erik Garcia and Fred Rodarte, one Village of Milan Trustee, Roseanne Lopez; one Cibola County Commissioner, Robert Windhorst who also serves as Cibola County Republican Party chair, attended the event. The crowd admonished those elected officials who did not show up.
“We are Americans before anything else; we should never be divided,” Windhorst said.
Grants Police Chief Steve Chavez thanked the crowd for showing up to support the police, saying, “The effort that you are doing here is not a partisan issue, liberty should always take precedent over … whatever your own beliefs are.”
GPD Chief Chavez said that crime has gone down exponentially thanks to the efforts of his officers, “I promise every citizen that your police department needs to be funded because if we allow the feds to run our police department, which is the endgame of the left, then they won’t be answerable to you … we’re answerable to you right now.”
Milan Police Chief Lionel Desiderio also attended the event, thanking the community for coming out. He thanked the community for supporting law enforcement, saying that it has been a nice adjustment to have people be kind to the law enforcement versus making things difficult for them.
“I can tell you all support your police department and I appreciate it. Law enforcement is the only part of government that responds when help is needed, to help with everything. The hardest part is giving your time and understanding for what [the community] need[s],” Milan Chief Desiderio said.
Cibola County Sheriff Tony Mace said that defunding the police was, “ridiculous,” citing an idea that government officials – particularly Democrats – want to see law enforcement underfunded and see police unions abolished, along with qualified immunity taken away from police. (Qualified immunity protects a police officer if they break a law while trying to apprehend a suspect. It was established in the late 1960s as federal doctrine to protect law enforcement, according to the NM Political Report)
Democrats have proposed bills in congress to see qualified immunity done away with; in late August a nine-member board was commissioned to explore the idea of revoking the immunity, they have been given until November 15 to present their findings to the N.M. governor and legislature.
“I don’t know what the word ‘truth’ means anymore. I feel like I am living in The Twilight Zone sometimes – we live in a nation that has lost its collective mind. Here’s what’s in store: remove qualified immunity, do away with unions, have all police certifications expire in 2022, and have the governor’s committee of nine people who aren’t law enforcement gauge if someone is good at law enforcement,” Sheriff Mace said.
“The great inalienable ship of America has hit an iceberg and we need to make a choice,” Sheriff Mace said, before endorsing congressional candidate Yvette Herrell on stage.
Herrell took the stage along with several other Republican candidates who spoke about their appreciation for the police and about their plans for the community.
The three law enforcement officials acknowledged that the protest was sanctioned by the Republican Party and agreed in principal that public safety should not be a political issue.