2020.06.16 La Jornada, Albuquerque, New Mexico USA
On June 16, 2020, the city of Albuquerque removed the statue after a protest at the site the day prior turned violent when a right-wing counter-protester opened fire and shot a civilian in the back 3 times.
Juan de Oñate monument defaced with red paint. Source: Albuquerque Journal
The chaotic scene was met by armed members of the New Mexico Civil Guard, a militia who has patrolled recent Black Lives Matters demonstrations claiming to defend private property, and were evidently there to defend the statue. Video circulating online shows the shooter, a 31-year-old man named Steven Ray Baca, throwing female protesters to the ground and hitting others with pepper spray before opening fire and wounding a protester.
Photo: Adria Malcolm, New York Times
Photo: John Acosta, via Twitter
The Juan de Oñate monument titled “La Jornada”, formerly located at the Albuquerque Museum of Art, has been a site of controversy in New Mexico since its commission in 1998. Oñate was a Spanish Conquistador who is historically known for his cruel and brutal treatment of the Aak'u (Acoma Pueblo) people who live in what is now known as central New Mexico.