Councilor Jones:
Just prior to the last Council meeting on 6/21, I requested in an e-mail that you and other councilors ask 15 questions of the administration about the APD killing of my neighbor Chris Hinz on June 10. Neither you nor anyone else on the Council cared enough to even ask one of them. Three of these were:
1.Who in the City reported to KOAT-TV 7 that Mr. Hinz had a “criminal history” that was repeated by anchor Shelly Ribando on the evening news and is there any basis for that assertion-defamatory statement?
2.When is APD’s internal investigation of the Hinz killing going to be completed?
3.Has APD evolved into a closed privileged society that operates under its own rules with no fear of accountability for their actions?
Neither did you nor anyone else in the City express any public remorse about the killing that could more properly be called an execution. Chris’ brother Eric Hinz pointed out to you and the others that the City knowingly put out false information intended to vilify him-something he properly described as “sickening and reprehensible.” He referred to a statement released “by the City” to KOAT TV 7 reporter Ilana Gold saying that Chris had a “criminal history” and that many of my neighbors supported the killing. Those lies were repeated later by KOAT news anchor Shelly Ribando on the evening news. I assume that since APD killings have become almost routine now, that Mayor Berry, Darren White and Chief Schultz just couldn’t find any time to speak to Ilana. Instead Darren’s spin-doctor/PIO (former Journal reporter) T.J. Wilham was trotted out to try to portray this killing was fully justified and that Chris was a criminal and thus deserved to be killed. You read the personal e-mail accounts of that horrific evening from neighbor Angela Durham which I sent to you and many others including propagandist Wilham and Mayor Berry.
Likely during Ilana’s interview with Wilham were the falsehoods of the “criminal history” told her along with the alleged support of many neighbors of APD’s execution. That night of the council meeting you and the others approved another $1.4 million to hire outside attorneys to defend yet other civil suits against the city. Citizen Bob White’s talk likened these non competitive funding authorizations-one as high as $350/hour as the “lawyers full employment act.” Your seemingly only worry and the worry of those in the Mayor’s office were whether the Hinz family also intended to sue-thus having to add more to the City’s favored lawyers’ fund-at taxpayers’ expense. The manipulation of the media coverage and destruction of Chris’ good reputation-all intended to misinform the public was to be part of the damage control. The Journal and KRQE TV 13 willingly cooperated with the Mayor’s office by deeming the many testimonies given to the council on 6/21 unworthy to cover.
As you know, well before the 6/21 council meeting and afterwards, I repeatedly asked KOAT’s Shelly Ribando, Ilana Gold and their news department for proof of that outrageous defamatory statement. I also asked Mayor Berry, Darren White and Chief Schultz in repeated e-mail for proof of that. All I could find out about Chris’ “criminal history” was a speeding ticket and seat belt violation. Nothing but silence from all-and you apparently went along with the blatant lying and stonewalling. As Chris’ neighborhood association president, right after the shooting that was very close to my home, I even asked for a meeting with Mayor Berry to be assured of an honest City investigation. Not surprisingly, he ignored me and along with Darren White and Chief Schultz chose instead to hide in their offices rather than give these assurances or express any public remorse. You and they simply didn’t care and apparently don’t value human life unless it is that of APD officers.
Not even once during or after the Council meeting did you ever express any remorse or state that you expected the investigations of this shooting to be thorough and honest. You heard the testimonies of the ordeals that APD put Chris’ mother and daughter through including the lies told to them by officers-one of whom seemed more concerned with who was going out for hamburgers during the stand-off. One even threatened to arrest his mom that night. You also heard the harsh comments that night from his brother Eric, from me and Chris’ many friends and even from those who did not know him but cited other examples of APD wrongdoing and the cover-ups. Visually impaired citizen Art Tannenbaum echoed daughter Krystal’s earlier talk when questioning why APD's crisis intervention task force never showed up in the two hours prior to the APD execution? This is a task force that Art apparently has little respect for because of some earlier experiences with them. He also said that in the summer of 2003, there was an incident with APD cops that caused him to be far more afraid of them than any of the many thugs who would routinely intimidate/hassle him on the City streets. The recent egregious mistreatment of attorney Ron Bell by a Bernalillo County cop-one formerly under Darren White’s supervision is yet another example. The fabricated DWI charge against Ron (that was later dropped) and the Journal’s apparent dedication to destroying his reputation were inexcusable-but typical. People justifiably fear some law officers in APD and in the County-and for very good reason. You just don’t get it-nor do the others-or are in denial. A badge is NOT a license to kill!
You also heard the condemnation at that 6/21 council by Andres Valdez of Vicinos United of Darren White, of Chief Schultz and of you as willing enablers of the ongoing “APD corruption.” Andres cited the intentional contamination of the crime scene by APD officers who removed the bloody sheets and the mattress at the home of fellow officer Leroy Chavez who allegedly shot and killed his wife. Andres pointed out the civil suit and $662,000 punitive court ruling against the City for civil rights violations of an APD officer who dared break the blue code of silence in APD’s mishandling of the Al Unser matter. He also mentioned the excusal of the APD officer who drove his car on to a property killing the elderly grandmother in her yard. Citizens termed it
gross negligence but APD-with the DA’s blessing excused it as a mere accident. No accountability is ever expected by APD officers for their egregious actions.
I mentioned during my talk the demonization and banishment to APD’s Siberia on the west side of our former Foothills Area Commander Marie “Sisi” Miranda after she dared to break the blue code of silence and exposed the thefts in APD’s evidence room. Sisi’s career was ruined merely for doing the right thing while then APD Chief Gallegos who many believed should have been fired, was instead allowed to retire as a hero and even flown to his ceremony on an APD helicopter. Chief Schultz took over and seemingly perpetuated the Gallegos legacy with the blessing of Mayor Chavez. Darren White arrived on the scene last December and made the situation even worst with APD shootings increasing even more under his watch. There are likely many good APD officers who were there that night of the execution and elsewhere on the force who were sickened by what happened and don’t want this shoot first policy and cover-ups to continue. Possibly some will be called to testify should the Hinz family sue-which they should.
You expressed no remorse publicly or called for an honest investigation of the killing at the council meeting likely fearing Mayor Berry would get mad that this might jeopardize the cover-up being planned. Instead, after my talk you left it up to Councilor Harris to mention you were on vacation and couldn’t attend the 6/17 candlelight vigil but would be willing to talk to Chris’ mother only privately? You then came to Chris’ mom’s seat during the meeting and escorted her out into the lobby to talk privately. Apparently you explained then that you were out of town during the vigil for Chris. I guess your policy analyst Elizabeth Shields who knew of the vigil didn’t feel it necessary to attend on your behalf. Nor did I see either of you two at the memorial service at Hoffmantown Church last Thursday or did I recognize anyone else from the city. Your decision to avoid any public statement before, during or since that 6/21 Council meeting seeming confirms to many the perception that you are indeed an embarrassing enabler of such APD killings and cover-ups as Mr. Andres Valdez vilified you there for.
Apparently City leaders even got the Journal to completely ignore our testimonies given at the council meeting when reporting on it the next day. Apparently the wasteful $430+ million downtown Events Center and three year union negotiator contract-both of which you supported, were the only things of interest to Journal beat reporter Dan McKay and his bosses that night. KRQE who seemingly feels our Public Safety Officer-Darren White is their hero, also ignored reporting on our many testimonies for Chris and against APD that night. Isn’t it more than coincidental that since Darren White was hired, that killings by APD have gone up dramatically? It can’t be blamed on the poor economy-as some downtown would have us believe. Is the recent retirement of a good Foothill Area Commander Levi Anaya right after the shooting also coincidental? Has he secretly become the APD scapegoat for this high level White/Schultz trigger happy-shoot-first policy seemingly blessed by Mayor Berry, by those in the administration and you and others on the City Council?
It’s curious that you and the others were so concerned with the image of the City that you wanted to continue the Chavez administration policy of banning the “COPS” nationwide TV show from ever coming again back to Albuquerque. COPS likely presented a very realistic view of Albuquerque and likely might have prevented even more killings when they were here riding along with APD officers. Had COPS been here on June 10 along with the army of APD officers during the many hours leading up to the shooting, the two officers may not have taken Chris’ life. APD would have feared nationwide publicity if they continued their trigger happy solution to such problems-many of which could have been resolved non-lethally-as could clearly this one. Were you ever shown the APD videotapes of that horrific night or heard any of the tapes of the audio recorders carried by each officer? Or don’t you and the others even care? Human life is seemingly not sacred to you and the others downtown.
It was almost hypocritical on the part of Councilors Garduno and Sanchez to call for the firing of Susana Martinez’s senior prosecutor Lisa Kuykendall for merely passing along an internet joke that was clearly in very poor taste. A reprimand by Martinez just wouldn’t suffice. Yet are they, you and the others going to publicly demand proof from those in the Mayor’s office and in APD of the damning assertion that Chris had a criminal history told to KOAT’s Ilana Gold and passed along and broadcasted by Shelly Ribando to hundreds of thousands of her viewers? If there is no criminal history are you willing to call for the firing of the individual(s) who lied? Will Councilors Garduno and Sanchez do so or does the executed Chris have to be a Mexican or Hispanic in order to prompt them to do this?
The real questions all of us in District 8 and throughout the city should be asking is just whose side are you on? Is it that of Mayor Berry, Darren White and APD Chief Schultz who are all still hiding in their offices and trying to suppress any media publicity about what really happened or is it us who you are supposed to represent?
More than disgusted with you and the others.
Silvio Dell’Angela
EANA
296 3241
No comments:
Post a Comment