Police issues remain forefront during the public comment portion of the Council meetings. On Monday, March 7, councilors heard from a distraught Sylvia Fuentes, the mother of Len Fuentes, one of the 14 people shot by the Albuquerque Police Department in 2010. Fuentes [“A Mother’s Plea,” Nov. 18-24, 2010] challenged the Council to look at her “because this is the face of a mother of human waste.” She was referring to Officer Trey Economidy III, who listed "human waste disposal" as his job on his Facebook page [see “Peace Officer”]. In a somber moment, Councilors approved the designation of ghost bikes as descansos, which protects them under state law. There’s long been a debate statewide as to whether ghost bikes qualify as memorials, and the city has removed some in the past [" A Question of Descansos," Sept. 9-15, 2010]. Sherry Anderson spoke in support of the white bicycles. Her husband, David Anderson, was killed while riding along the bike path adjacent to Paseo del Norte about a year ago. The ghost bikes are placed at the scenes of accidents where a bicyclist has been killed by a motor vehicle. Anderson said the memorials are meaningful to families and friends of killed cyclists, as well as the large cycling community in Albuquerque. Councilors also approved the Bernalillo County Commission’s initiative to purchase about 570 acres of the old Price’s Dairy land in the far South Valley. The land would be set aside as a bird and wildlife refuge. There was no money handed out, just support for the county’s project.
Council Watch:
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