There is something very, very wrong with the Albuquerque, New Mexico police department, and the citizens have just about had enough. Before I get into the heart of this story, I need to provide you with a little background. The Albuquerque Police Department (APD) is well known for its outrageous and inappropriate use of violence. So much so that it has been under investigation by the Department of Justice, which wrote a letter to the Mayor of Albuquerque on April 10, 2014 condemning the police force. Here’s an excerpt from the letter:
Based on our investigation, we have reasonable cause to believe that APD engages in a pattern or practice of use of excessive force, including deadly force, in violation of the Fourth Amendment and Section 14141.
…
The people are rightfully very upset, which led to a city council meeting being taken over on May 5th protesters. This display of civil disobedience even led to an attempt to serve Police Chief Gorden Eden with an citizen’s arrest warrant. As a result of the protest, the city council moved to prevent protests at their latest meeting, which may lead to free speech related lawsuits. You have to watch the following video:
