Insurrection

CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M. – An insurrection in Washington D.C. interrupted a constitutionally mandated process to certify the presidential election for President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris. The violence resulted in stolen computers containing national security secrets, at least one dead capitol police officer, and rioters inflicted damage across the Capitol building.

The insurrection in D.C. also caused the Roundhouse in Santa Fe, New Mexico to be placed on lockdown by the New Mexico State Police after protestors gathered. The crowd was waving flags and wearing attire with the same logos as the people who attacked the U.S. Capitol. The rioters’ flags were emblazoned with the name of current U.S. President Donald J. Trump, the participants wore “Make America Great Again Hats,” and most of the rioters who have been arrested admitted to or have been identified as conservative talking heads.

Cibola’s congressional delegate, Representative Yvette Herrell, was taken alongside the two other delegates from New Mexico to an undisclosed location in the Capitol during the rioting where she used Twitter to verify her safety to her constituents.

New Mexico’s US Senators, both of whom represent Cibola County, also tweeted their safety after being escorted from the Senate chamber.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Justice Department are actively searching for all the people who were involved in the insurrection. The FBI has warned state governments to expect massive protests and rallies at state capitols and courthouses during the inauguration of President-Elect Biden on Jan. 20.

Protests or riots in Cibola?

Cibola County leadership is not too worried about problems in Cibola.

Cibola County Sheriff Tony Mace said that the people in this county have proven that they can work together.

“We’ve had the Cowboys For Trump through here before; we’ve had BLM [Black Lives Matter] protests and we’ve even had Antifa [antifascist groups] guys through here before and there weren’t any issues. Did people stop and yell obscenities at the protestors? Sure. But that was it; they did not threaten each other or cause any issues. They all had their protests and marches and then went home.”

The sheriff said that the county is not currently facing any threats and noted that the Cibola County Sheriff’s Office receives reports from the FBI informing them about any issues that may be coming their way and so far, the office has no worries about potential situations that may occur in the county.

Local leadership reacts

The Cibola County Board of Commissioners manages the government of the county.

Commission Chairman Daniel Torrez said, “I don’t feel we should open up that can of worms. The people have voted, and it should be left at that. No normal person would think that it’s okay to go and destroy the government and our democracy.”

Chairman Torrez said that the commission has discussed their safety with the sheriff and decided that for right now they will continue to meet as they have been with COVID-19 restrictions.

“I believe [the insurrection] was an eye-opener for us all,” Torrez said.

The City of Grants Council manages the government of the city.

Grants Mayor Martin “Modey” Hicks did not answer his cellphone to comment.

City Mayor Pro-tem Rick Lucero said, “I think I can speak for all the councilors that the insurrection at the Capitol by President Donald Trump was unacceptable. I hope they find everyone involved and subject them to the full force of the law.”

“Nobody has brought it up yet,” Pro-tem Lucero said about extra security.

“Maybe that’s something we could talk about. The police chief and the fire chief are at almost every meeting, and sometimes the county sheriff is there too.”

Lucero talked about the safety of the people of Grants, saying that the city council meets in-person and allows citizens to view their meetings in-person and virtually. Lucero mentioned that he is not sure if masks are mandatory in the chamber but that they are required by state law outside. When asked if there is a public health risk associated with the lack of masks Lucero said, “Well, sure, I think there is a risk; I’ve worn my mask the last several meetings.”

When asked who has the responsibility for protecting the public health, Lucero said, “I don’t know if it’s the council’s responsibility, the [city] manager’s or the mayor’s.”

Repeated attempts were made to reach Village of Milan Mayor Felix Gonzales. All calls went unanswered except for one on Tuesday, Jan. 12, where the Cibola Citizen was informed that the mayor was in Gallup and not available. Due to the crunch of press deadline, there were no comments received from Village of Milan officials about the insurrection D.C. or what is being done to safeguard the trustees.

Sheriff Tony Mace said that there is not currently a threat posed to Cibola County and he expects the people of Cibola to treat each other like Americans regardless of the outcome of the election.