Española, New Mexico — A man was shot during a protest in Española, New Mexico, against the reinstallation of a statue honoring a controversial Spanish conqueror, Juan de Oñate. The protest turned violent, leading to an arrest.
Officials in Española planned to put the statue of Juan de Oñate back, but they canceled the event due to safety worries. However, protesters were still there, and a fight broke out.
A 23-year-old man, Ryan Martinez, is accused of shooting someone during this fight. He was arrested by the New Mexico State Police and now faces serious charges.
The injured man was taken to an Albuquerque hospital, but we don’t know how he’s doing. The police are looking into the shooting.
Juan de Oñate’s statue was removed in 2020 because he was involved in a terrible event where many indigenous people were killed. He also cut off the feet of some survivors and sold others as slaves. Later, he was found guilty of using too much force and was banned from New Mexico. People have strong feelings about his statue.
Despite the controversy, county officials decided to put the statue back in a new location in Española, in front of a county building.
The ceremony to put the statue back was supposed to happen on Thursday, but it was delayed because of safety concerns. Still, some protesters came to the site to show they didn’t want the statue reinstalled.
A video shows a fight before the shooting, and a man escapes from others and points a gun at them. We don’t know why the fight started.
A witness said the shooter drove away in a car, with someone following him.
The sheriff disagreed with moving the statue and wrote a letter to county commissioners, saying it wasn’t the right time to do it. He thanked two commissioners who decided to stop the statue’s installation on Thursday, recognizing the difficult situation.
This incident shows how statues of controversial figures can divide communities and spark debates about our history and its symbols
October 26th, 2023 at 8:16 pm
What is this, Jesus?