New Mexico in Focus; 1139; March for Our Lives and Lieutenant Colonel Cindi Feldwisch

FUNDING FOR NEW MEXICO InFOCUS PROVIDED BY THE MCCUNE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION. AND VIEWERS LIKE YOU. >> THIS WEEK ON NEW MEXICO InFOCUS ... NEW MEXICO STUDENTS MARCH FOR THEIR >> WE'RE ALL FROM DIFFERENT CULTURAL AND POLITICAL BACKGROUNDS, BUT WE DO ALL AGREE THAT NO MATTER WHAT, YOU KNOW, OUR KIDS DESERVE TO BE SAFE, AND I DON'T THINK THAT SHOULD BE A DIVISIVE ISSUE. >> AND, ONE OF THE FIRST WOMEN TO SERVE IN THE AIR FORCE HONOR GUARD. NEW MEXICO InFOCUS STARTS >> LATER THIS HOUR, THE LINE OPINION PANELISTS LOOK AT HOW NEW MEXICO CITIES MISS OUT ON TAX THE STATE COLLECTS FROM AMAZON, AND WE'LL DEBATE WHY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TOOK $10 MILLION IN GAMBLING REVENUE FROM POJOAQUE PUEBLO. BUT FIRST, WE TURN TO A STUDENT-LED MOVEMENT THAT'S SWEEPING THE NATION. LAST WEEK THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY TURNED OUT FOR MARCH FOR OUR LIVES RALLIES TO CALL ON ELECTED OFFICIALS TO ADDRESS

GUN VIOLENCE AND SCHOOL SHOOTINGS, INCLUDING ACROSS NEW MEXICO. STUDENT ORGANIZERS IN ALBUQUERQUE SAY THEIR WORK ON GUN VIOLENCE IS JUST GETTING STARTED, AND PRODUCER SARAH GUSTAVUS SAT DOWN THIS WEEK WITH SOME OF THE ORGANIZERS TO TALK ABOUT THE CHANGE THEY HOPE TO SEE IN THEIR SCHOOLS AND >> I HAVE FOUR ORGANIZERS FOR FIGHT FOR OUR LIVES WHO ORGANIZED A MARCH FOR OUR LIVES RALLY IN ALBUQUERQUE WITH US IN STUDIO THIS WEEK. ZOE CRAFT IS A SOPHOMORE AT LA CUEVA HIGH SCHOOL. RIAZULLAH ALKOZAI IS A SENIOR AT HIGHLAND HIGH SCHOOL. BLAIR DIXON IS A FRESHMAN AT UNM. AND JONATHAN ALONZO IS A SOPHOMORE AT THE NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITY ACADEMY. THANKS FOR BEING HERE. >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. >> ZOE, I WANT TO START WITH YOU. WITH GUN VIOLENCE WHAT CONCERNS DO YOU HAVE ABOUT GUNS COMING INTO YOUR SCHOOL RIGHT NOW? >> SO, I THINK ONE OF THE MAIN CONCERNS IS THAT WE DO NOT WANT OUR TEACHERS ARMED. RIGHT NOW, OVER 70% OF APS'S SCHOOL DISTRICT IS MADE UP OF MINORITY STUDENTS, AND THOSE WOULD BE DISPROPORTIONATELY EFFECTED

IF WE BROUGHT IN MORE GUNS AND STARTED TO OVERPOLICE OUR SCHOOLS. SO THAT'S DEFINITELY ONE OF OUR MAIN CONCERNS RIGHT NOW. >> JONATHAN, PICK UP ON THAT A LITTLE BIT. WHY IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOUNG PEOPLE ARE PARTICULARLY CONCERNED ABOUT RIGHT NOW THAT YOU'RE WORKING WITH? >> I THINK RIGHT NOW, ESPECIALLY IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, BECAUSE OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT THEY LIVE IN WHICH ARE SO COMMONLY LABELED AS GHETTOS OR WAR ZONES, WE SPECIFICALLY SEE THOSE STUDENTS TARGETED THROUGH OVERPOLICING OR EXCESSIVE FORCE, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE, AS STUDENTS, SHOULDN'T STAND SPECIFICALLY INCLUDED IT IN OUR CAMPAIGN. >> AND HAVING A SCHOOL WHERE BLACK AND BROWN STUDENTS ARE OFTEN EXPELLED OR SUSPENDED AT MUCH HIGHER RATES THAN THEIR WHITE PEERS, IS THAT BRINGING IN OF GUNS ADDING SOMETHING TO THE MIX THAT'S EVEN MORE DANGEROUS FOR THOSE YOUNG PEOPLE? >> YES. >> OKAY. BLAIR, WHAT ABOUT YOU? ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT GUNS ON CAMPUS AT UNM? >> OH, ABSOLUTELY. AFTER PARKLAND HAPPENED, I REMEMBER LAYING IN BED THAT NIGHT AND KIND OF THINKING TO MYSELF, YOU KNOW, I THINK BECAUSE I AM A FRESHMAN IN COLLEGE AND I GUESS YOU DON'T REALLY SEE THAT HAPPENING VERY FREQUENTLY. AND THEN THE VERY NEXT DAY, THERE'S A GUNMAN ON CAMPUS, AND THE UNM ADMINISTRATION

DID VIRTUALLY NOTHING. THERE WERE ELEMENTARY KIDS DOWN ON CAMPUS THAT DAY THAT THEY HAD TO SEND HOME, AND WE DIDN'T EVEN LOCK DOWN. SO I KNEW IMMEDIATELY THAT I HAD TO GET INVOLVED. >> RIAZULLAH, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS AS YOU'RE WATCHING THIS GO ON? YOU MOVED HERE FROM AFGHANISTAN, AND YOU'RE NOW AT HIGHLAND HIGH SCHOOL. WHAT'S BEEN SURPRISING TO YOU IN WATCHING THIS DISCUSSION ABOUT GUN VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS IN AMERICA? >> I THINK AT FIRST, WE SHOULDN'T EVEN TALK ABOUT IT. ONCE I MOVED HERE, PEOPLE WERE LIVING WITH THE SAME FEAR THAT THEY ARE LIVING IN AFGHANISTAN, THAT ONE DAY THEY'RE GOING TO BE SHOT. >> HAVE YOU FELT UNSAFE AT SCHOOL? >> YES, SOMETIMES. I PERSONALLY KNOW SOME PEOPLE IN MY SCHOOL AND THEIR PROFILE PICTURES, THEY'RE LIKE AR-15s. SO I DEFINITELY AM SCARED, AND I DON'T WANT TO LIVE WITH THAT SAME FEAR THAT I ESCAPED. >> JONATHAN, DO YOU HEAR STUDENTS AT THE NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITY ACADEMY TALKING ABOUT GUN VIOLENCE? >> YEAH, I THINK GUN VIOLENCE IS SOMETHING IN OUR

COMMUNITIES THAT ISN'T REALLY, LIKE, ALL THE TIME IT'S A SCHOOL SHOOTING. IT'S ALSO THROUGH SUICIDES AND THROUGH STREET VIOLENCE. SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE SEE IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT'S OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL. BUT ALSO INSIDE SCHOOL, THERE HAVE BEEN, LIKE, THREATS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE. TO ME, SPECIFICALLY, I'VE HAD THREATS THAT I'VE HAD TO DEAL WITH, AND THAT PUTS ME IN AN UNCOMFORTABLE SITUATION, BECAUSE THEN I HAVE TO MAKE THE DECISION, DO I CALL THE POLICE, DO I LEAVE THIS, AND THEN THAT PUTS ME IN AN EVEN MORE DANGEROUS SITUATION BECAUSE THEY KNOW WHO I AM, WHERE I'LL BE, AND IT'S JUST REALLY UNSAFE FOR EVERYONE. >> I KNOW YOU'RE SOMEONE, TOO, WHO THINKS ABOUT KIND OF THE STRUGGLES OF YOUNG PEOPLE, SOME PEOPLE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED VIOLENCE AND ARE PERPETUATING VIOLENCE, THAT THEY NEED SOME SUPPORT, AND THAT'S HARD, THOUGH, WHEN YOU ALSO FEEL UNSAFE IN THAT SITUATION. >> YEAH. >> SO BLAIR, THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE TURNED OUT FOR THE MARCH FOR OUR LIVES RALLY IN ALBUQUERQUE. THEY ALSO TURNED OUT AT RALLIES AROUND NEW MEXICO AND IN OTHER STATES. WHAT DO YOU THINK WORKED ABOUT THE RALLY IN ALBUQUERQUE? >> I THINK IT WAS THE TURNOUT OF THE YOUTH, ACTUALLY. YOU KNOW, BARACK OBAMA SAID THAT EVERYTHING THAT HAS BEEN CHANGED IN OUR GOVERNMENT AND IN OUR COUNTRY HAS BEEN DRIVEN BY

YOUTH, AND I THINK THAT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS TOTALLY TRUE AND I THINK THAT WE REALLY SAW IT IN THE TURNOUT OF THE EVENT. WE WERE ANTICIPATING 3000 TO 5000 PEOPLE, AND WE ENDED UP WITH ABOUT 10,000, WHICH WE WERE JUST NOT PREPARED FOR. ALL OF OUR SHIRTS SOLD OUT BEFORE THE MARCH EVEN STARTED, AND WE WERE JUST OVERWHELMED WITH SUPPORT. IT JUST REALLY WARMED MY HEART, IN PARTICULAR. >> ZOE, DID ANYTHING SURPRISE YOU ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED ON SATURDAY? >> I WAS DEFINITELY SURPRISED BY THE TURNOUT. I WAS EXPECTING, YOU KNOW, 2000 TO 3000 PEOPLE, AND WE ENDED UP WITH CLOSE TO 10,000, AND I THINK ONE OF WORKED ABOUT OUR ORGANIZING STRATEGIES IS THAT EVEN ACROSS THE ORGANIZERS, WE'RE ALL FROM DIFFERENT CULTURAL AND POLITICAL BACKGROUNDS, BUT WE DO ALL AGREE THAT NO MATTER WHAT, OUR KIDS ARE THERE TO BE SAFE, AND I DON'T THINK THAT SHOULD BE A DIVISIVE ISSUE. >> RIAZULLAH, I NOTICED THERE WERE LOTS OF DIFFERENT AGES THERE. I TALKED TO SOME STUDENTS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL OUT AT THE RALLY, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, COLLEGE STUDENTS. DO YOU THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO BRING ALL THOSE AGES TOGETHER? >> OH, DEFINITELY. I THINK WE NEED EVERYBODY TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS.

IT'S NOT JUST A STUDENT PROBLEM, IT'S EVERYBODY'S PROBLEM. IT'S NOT ONLY SCHOOL SHOOTINGS, THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE GETTING SHOT IN THE STREETS AND ON THE WAY TO WORK. SO, DEFINITELY. >> JONATHAN, YOU MENTIONED THAT JUST A MOMENT AGO, THAT VIOLENCE IS NOT JUST ABOUT GUN VIOLENCE IN SCHOOL, IT'S ABOUT SUICIDE AND GUN VIOLENCE IN THE COMMUNITY. WHAT DO YOU HOPE WILL CHANGE IN ALBUQUERQUE SPECIFICALLY, WHAT CHANGES ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? >> I THINK FOR ALBUQUERQUE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, WE'RE LOOKING FOR MORE FUNDING TO GO TOWARD PREVENTION, INTERVENTION AND SUPPORT PROGRAMS, SO GIVING OUR TEACHERS AND OUR SCHOOLS MORE COUNSELORS AND THERAPISTS THAT ARE TRAINED NOT ONLY IN DEESCALATION, BUT ALSO CRISIS INTERVENTION AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, IN GENERAL, SO WHEN THERE IS A STUDENT EXPERIENCING THESE KINDS OF ISSUES, THAT THE COUNSELORS KNOW WHAT TO DO AND HOW TO HANDLE IT. >> ZOE, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT? DO THEY NEED THAT AT LA CUEVA? >> I WOULD DEFINITELY AGREE WITH THAT. I THINK LA CUEVA HAS FUNDING FOR A LOT OF DIFFERENT PROGRAMS, BUT THE COUNSELING DEPARTMENT THERE AND OTHER SUPPORTIVE RESOURCES ARE DEFINITELY OVERLOOKED, INCLUDING RESTORATIVE JUSTICE PROGRAMS, AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S DEFINITELY NEEDED IN

OUR SCHOOLS HERE. >> WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT, RIAZULLAH HAD MENTIONED SEEING PEOPLE WITH AR'S IN THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES. YOU MENTIONED EXPERIENCING A THREAT, AS WELL. I'VE HEARD OF PEOPLE BEING THREATENED ONLINE. IS THERE A NEED TO TALK ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA AND WHAT'S HAPPENING ON SOCIAL MEDIA WHEN IT COMES TO GUN VIOLENCE? WHAT DO YOU THINK? >> I THINK THAT IN SOME WAYS, YOU KNOW, GUN VIOLENCE ON SOCIAL MEDIA IS JUST A SIGN OF THE LARGER ISSUE AND HOW GUNS ARE REALLY PERPETUATED IN OUR SOCIETY. GUN CULTURE, THE CULTURE OF VIOLENCE. BUT I THINK WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT VIDEO GAMES BEING VIOLENT, VIOLENCE THAT WE SEE ON SOCIAL MEDIA, THAT'S A SIGN OF A LARGER PROBLEM AND PATTERN. >> BLAIR, DID YOU WANT TO ADD SOMETHING? >> I COMPLETELY AGREE. I THINK THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE KIND OF TEND TO OVERLOOK THE FACT THAT SOCIAL MEDIA HAS A GREAT AMOUNT OF PULL IN OUR MODERN DAY SOCIETY, AND THAT THESE THINGS THAT WE'RE PUTTING ONLINE, THEY'RE THERE FOREVER, AND IF WE OVERLOOK THESE, LIKE ZOE IS SAYING, THIS IS A HUGE SIGN OF WHAT IS PART OF THE LARGER PROBLEM. SO IF WE'RE OVERLOOKING

THESE, THEN, YOU KNOW, WE'RE JUST CONTRIBUTING TO NOT COMING TO A SOLUTION TO HELP PREVENT THESE FURTHER THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO HAPPEN. >> WHAT ABOUT YOU GUYS, WHAT DO YOU THINK? >> I THINK MOST PEOPLE, THEY PUT IT THERE SO THEY CAN LOOK STRONG, I THINK, AND I THINK IT'S NOT THE POINT. LIKE, I THINK THEY'RE COWARDS. TO ME, THEY'RE COWARDS. THEY'RE NOT THINKING OF OTHERS, THEY'RE PEOPLE WHO DO NOT EVEN SEE -- I THINK PEOPLE, SOME PEOPLE ARE AFFECTED BY IT, AND IT'S DEFINITELY, I THINK, SCARY. >> DO YOU THINK THAT ADULTS SHOULD BE WATCHING WHAT'S GOING ON ON SOCIAL MEDIA? >> YEAH, I THINK DEFINITELY. I THINK ESPECIALLY WHAT WE'VE SEEN RECENTLY FROM THE PARKLAND SHOOTER WAS THAT THERE WERE A LOT OF POSTS ON HIS SOCIAL MEDIA, LIKE, WITH GUNS AND HIM, LIKE WITH HIS PERSONAL WEAPONS AND WHAT HE HAS, AND I THINK THAT IF SOMEONE HAD REPORTED THAT AND NOT ONLY REPORTED IT, BUT LIKE WHEN THEY DID REPORT IT, THAT IT WAS TAKEN SERIOUSLY AND NOT JUST ANOTHER KID THAT'S POSTING GUNS ON HIS SOCIAL MEDIA, AND THAT WHEN WE START FOCUSING ON THOSE SIGNS THAT

ARE, LIKE THEY SAID, PART OF THE GREATER ISSUE, THEN WE CAN REALLY START TO FOCUS ON THE ROOT CAUSES AND HOW WE CAN BEGIN TO SOLVE IT. >> SO, YOU GUYS HAVE NOW TRANSITIONED INTO FIGHT FOR OUR LIVES. YOU'RE GOING TO BE DOING MORE WORK FOLLOWING THE RALLY. JONATHAN, YOU WANT TO TAKE THIS TO GOVERNOR MARTINEZ. WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM HER? >> SO, WHAT WE'RE DEMANDING FROM GOVERNOR MARTINEZ IS AN IMMEDIATE EMERGENCY LEGISLATIVE SESSION TO SPECIFICALLY ADDRESS THE GUN LAWS IN NEW MEXICO. SINCE 2014, WE'VE SEEN TWO SCHOOL SHOOTINGS IN OUR STATE, AND WE HAVE YET TO SEE A LEGISLATIVE CHANGE. AND SHE SAID GOING INTO HER -- I FORGET EXACTLY WHICH YEAR, BUT SHE HAD SAID BEFORE THAT SHE STANDS FOR PROTECTING NEW MEXICO CHILDREN, AND WE WANT TO SEE HER UPHOLD WHAT SHE SAID. >> BLAIR, ANY SPECIFIC POLICY CHANGES YOU'D LIKE TO SEE FOR NEW MEXICO? >> WE'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THE BANNING OF HIGH-CAPACITY MAGAZINES, AND WE'D LIKE TO SEE MORE REGULATIONS ON SEMI-AUTOMATIC AND FULLY AUTOMATIC WEAPONS. >> OUR BOTTOM LINE IS ALSO THAT WE DO NOT WANT TO ARM OUR TEACHERS, AND SO THAT IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING WE WOULD BRING TO THAT LEGISLATIVE SESSION. >> SO THE NEXT LEGISLATIVE SESSION IS A 60-DAY SESSION. THAT MEANS THERE'S MORE TIME

TO TALK ABOUT ISSUES. DO YOU GUYS SEE YOURSELVES GOING UP TO THE LEGISLATURE AND ENGAGING WITH LAWMAKERS NEXT YEAR? >> WE DO HAVE PLANS TO GO TO THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION AND DO SOME POLICY WORK, BUT FOR US, IT'S REALLY ABOUT A SPECIAL SESSION, BECAUSE WHAT WILL MOST LIKELY HAPPEN, WHAT WE'VE SEEN IN THE PAST, IS THAT WHEN WE DO TAKE GUN REFORM BILLS TO THE LEGISLATURE, IS THAT THEY'LL BE WAITED ON, AND EVEN THOUGH IT IS A 60-DAY LEGISLATIVE SESSION, WHO'S