Armed militia member arrested, identified after man was shot at Albuquerque protest

[mia]

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/06/16/a


Protesters in Albuquerque wrapped a chain around the neck of a bronze statue and began tugging and chanting, “Tear it down,” shortly before sunset on Monday. Their efforts to pull down a monument of Spanish conquistador Juan de Oñate suddenly stopped as four shots rang out.

Most people instinctively turned toward the noise, videos from the scene show. A few screamed. Just yards away, a group of militia men sporting militarylike garb and carrying semiautomatic rifles formed a protective circle around the gunman.

The gunshots, which left one man in critical but stable condition, have set off a cascade of public outcry denouncing the unregulated militia’s presence and the shooting. On Tuesday morning, the Albuquerque Police Department announced that detectives had arrested Stephen Ray Baca, 31, in connection with the shooting....

On Facebook, the group has shared materials encouraging people to arm themselves, promoted military training on infantry tactics and “ambushing,” and shared multiple posts opposing the leveling of monuments to Confederate figures in the South and Oñate in New Mexico. Members of the group recently told the Eastern New Mexico News that their aim was to protect businesses from damage during protests. They said they had been in contact with police and were following guidance given to them by officials....



Read more: Washington Post

[KG]

1. one of those responsible gun owners I keep hearing about. till the moment he wasnt.

yay. gunz.

[louzke9]

6. I HAVE...

been saying that for years, also. One minute a lawfully armed gun owner, next minute a criminal. Because these people want to USE their weapons on others. Think about what these idiots see in their minds when out target practicing....they don't see BAMBI in their scopes. ESPECIALLY these "unregulated militia". They are "DOMESTIC TERRORIST" practicing for the day they can enact on their goals.
Forget "ANTIFA"! These are the REAL TERRORISTS.

[PatSeg]

12. And so many have been gearing up

for a race war for years now. They really want an excuse to use those weapons.

[maxsolomon]

2. Defending the legacy of the Conquistadors

with paramilitary violence. What a noble line in the sand you've drawn.

[DBoon]

4. defending the heritage of the confederacy as well

The Klan in camo

[marybourg]

3. " a group of militia men"?

Last edited Tue Jun 16, 2020, 01:32 PM - Edit history (1)

Wapo just accepts these thugs' characterization of themselves as a militia? Aren't the editors working from home any more?

Edit: wapo changed their language.

[LizBeth]

5. Everything explained with the problems today, police identifying them as "armed friendlies".

Why the hell does a section of our community get to carry guns and be a part of law enforcement simply because they are white males with the same political beliefs as the cops.

[bluescribbler]

9. "Armed friendlies"???

So the others are "unarmed hostiles"??? These are warfighting terms. I remember them from my Navy training. This really pjsses me off.

[LizBeth]

10. Right. It is like in Oregon, police told the arm carrying right white males to go into business or

cars while they started pushing back protesters so it would not appear as favoritism. As long as our police uses this language they are clearly showing the problem with the force.

[ancianita]

7. SRA exists in NM and provides background for its existence. Which is why Killer Mike endorses them.

https://socialistra.org/news/story?id=1523892011

The Socialist Rifle Association would like to thank award-winning rapper and political activist Killer Mike for giving us a shout out last night on MSNBC with Joy Ann Reid! Mike Render has always been an ally of the left, and a strong defender of African Americans' rights to own and carry guns. His hard hitting lyrics, his political activism with Bernie Sanders' 2016 Presidential Primary campaign, and his work organizing in the Atlanta area since, have been a massive help to progressives and left wing gun activists everywhere.

More info at the link.

[BComplex]

8. So now it's ok to have armed gangs roaming the streets because they're WHITE?

And because they're calling themselves militia instead of "gangsta" they're somehow above the law? And WTF they have permission from "officials"?

We've been saying that the white supremacists have infiltrated the police departments, so this must be why they're not going after this type of "Militia-gangster". That was still attempted murder.

[keithbvadu2]

11. "... in contact with police and were following guidance given to them by officials"

"... in contact with police and were following guidance given to them by officials"

That goes along with "ambushing"?

[Warpy]

13. He's a typical wannabe cop, dad was a sheriff

and his occupation is listed as free lance process server and skip tracer. I don't know if he ever actually tried to join law enforcement and washed out, or his dreams were bigger than that. What I do hope is that he never has access to a gun again as long as he lives.

Unfortunately, there is a case being made for self defense since there was a scuffle at the time and one of the people trying to get rid of that statue was seen swinging some kind of green board.

He's exactly the type of yahoo who needs to be kept away from hurtful things like firearms and police forces. Whether or not they talked to cops or heard any guidelines, they had no right to be there armed to the teeth.

As for that Onate statue, history was better served when a foot got sawed off it. That's what he did to indigenous people he enslaved who decided they wanted to leave. A Conquistador missing a foot would provoke the kind of hard questions that need to be asked around here.

[rockfordfile]

14. everyone of those terrorist losers should be arrested.