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As a newcomer to this community that is working on her masters thesis on criminal justice and small town politics; Alamogordo is the ideal community to place under a microscope and view societal behaviors towards those formerly marginalized communities coming out of incarceration and or persons of color and or persons coming off the streets of homelessness or coming off of addiction. Alamogordo is the perfect small town conservative leaning city to study.
Statistics show that the criminal justice system prosecutes, convicts and incarcerates individuals of color and whites of lower income backgrounds at a higher rate than any other segment of society. In small southern leaning snd rural towns the rates are even higher.
Alamogordo is not unique in its spike in crime and most especially murders the last year.
Alamogordo is unique in having an extremely high rate of violent crimes that are ruled a suicide by the local police agencies. Monthly young adults are reported as an “unattended death” found and the ruling is a suicide.
Recently the city faced a lawsuit on one such case. Because of its delayed handling by police and the DA’s office the statute of limitations in tort filings passed and the grandfather, of the individual that was executed, is left with an unsolved mystery.
The grandfather of the victim asked the former chief to reopen an investigation. The chief claimed he would then retired.
The case was modified changing the cause of death from “suicide” to “undetermined” and yet the state said the city police don’t have the authority to make that change without the labs consent.
What is the real story in this incident? Suicide, murder by a police informant as the grandfather has alleged or is there something else going on?
Recently two other incidents of suspicious deaths of young individuals have occurred and yet they were ruled quickly “suicide.” Should we be worried? Is there a coverup of murders or just a rash of suicides by young adults and youth suddenly in Otero County?
These are the stories I will be looking into in 2024 in depth and with assistance of my colleagues at the University of California, as I continue my assignment interning with AlamogordoTownNews.com and KALH Radio with reporting from the Roundhouse and locally.
I’m looking forward to digging into Alamogordo and Otero County’s judicial system and seeing how it processes criminal complaints and creates justice for the region.
I’ve been intrigued by the broohaha politically and the community divide around the Alamogordo Public Schools leadership.
I then had an awe ha moment. I began to read social media comments attacking the coverage provided by Alamogordo Town News. The attacks were not really of the coverage but the attacks were personal against the reporter writing the opinion piece and his followup stories. The attacks became very personal and some individuals went so far as to dig up a story from a bias opponent that explained that the author of the school board stories had a past run in with the law over a decade ago and was incarcerated as a part of a plea bargain agreement.
Interesting, as an outsider, to this community of Trump lovers that they condemn this behavior yet he was charged with federal indictments that follows a script very similar to that of former President Trump. A double standard? Yes!
The individual in question to paid restitution and served in a federal camp. The individual completed the sentence, completed probation and is a member of society free and clear. The individual contributes to community dialogue, provides a community service, pays taxes, is gainfully employed, served on a jury and is a voter.
That is the ideal turnout and outcome that most people that work in the criminal justice system want to see of the life of someone formerly convicted of a crime.
Locals in Alamogordo? Not so much if the individual is vocal visible and differs in opinions from the status quo that is unless it’s their son or daughter of family member or immediate friend.
12% of Alamogordo graduates will face a criminal conviction during their lifetime.
One in five families within the city limits of Alamogordo has a convicted felon as a family member.
Every day when shopping working or engaging in business activities you encounter an individual formerly incarcerated and contributing to society yet either you don’t know it or you don’t want to no it.
In reading social media dialogue: in Alamogordo an individual that has committed a crime or was formerly homeless or involved in drugs snd then moves on to success is frowned upon when they speak up and exercise their right to express themselves and be publicly engaged
.
They are fine to work as laborers, building trades, as plumbers, housekeepers, in restaurants and in the area hotels and car repair shops.
But don’t let them become business owners, or exercise influence opinion or thought as that is just too much!!!
The attitude I see displayed is a bias with racial undertones or undertones of discrimination against those that don’t follow the right ring conservative agenda.
The ex felon like the legal immigrant or the poor need to remain in their place and work for minimum wage, and be quiet, don’t make waves and don’t question the wisdom of those that “have been here.”
That similar attitude existed in Alamogordo for persons of Color who could not purchase real estate across 10th Street until 1968. Let them remain in their place was the mentality then and it still exists now.
Hypocrisy lives deep in Red Trump loving Alamogordo and daily in social media is the proof.
Those same leaders that support former president Trump who has already been convicted of sexual crimes in a civil courtroom with a $83 Million dollar judgement from a jury of 7 men and 2 women in one of his many cases, gets a pass but not a local business leader or others that speak out.
A preacher building a ministry in recovery, a former felon who builds a business they are accepted as long as they don’t question the sheriffs wife, the county commissioner, the school board or the mayor.
Where is the Sheriffs wife, the mayor, the chair of the county commission, the District Representative or other - “Christian pillars of the community”- in putting a stop to those comments and defending individuals that do care about their community and have stepped beyond their past who have the courage to speak their opinions even if they differ from theirs, rather aligned with their beliefs or in opposition?
How can the elected state Representative represent himself as a Christian yet he doesn’t exercise Christian values of forgiveness and compassion instead he promotes vindictive retaliation and engages in an attempt to bring down the character of his opponents. And then his supporters silently and some vocally cheer his hypocrisy.
Be glad when those coming out of incarceration or drug treatment or a bad situation engage in civics! Isn’t that the vision of a democratic republic citizen engagement?
Better engagement in civics than engagement in crime!
Christ died on a cross with convicts to each side.
Christ forgives but Alamogordo’s extremist Christian leaning politically engaged citizens and politicians can’t see past someone past to engage with them in political dialogue. Those same individuals have no regrets in seeking services from those individuals, asking them to support their causes, asking them to assist their family, friend, business or experience but for Gods sake don’t speak out on your beliefs!
In my interview for this job as an intern. I addressed my support of Black Lives Matters. I explained that all lives matter and that’s the point of Black Lives Matter. Many who read this won’t even get that point and that is the point.
Rural communities put lesser value of people of color, people of lower economic status and sadly on those formerly incarcerated. Is it because they are poorly educated or just plain bigoted or ignorant? Are they a product of their environment or do they just have underlying hate in their genes?
The formerly incarcerated are sentenced to a life of a scarlet letter. Those white and formerly incarcerated then learn to understand and appreciate what it feels like to be a person of color in America.
Always looked at twice, being questioned as to why you have a plate at the table.
The joke is the scarlet letter runs a deeper color for white collar crimes and for drug crimes than for murder charges, trafficking or charges around violence. Violent offenders face fewer post conviction discriminatory laws than do former white collar criminal or those coming out of drug convictions.
My first three months in Alamogordo has produced some pretty interesting material already for my masters thesis. A community that runs deep red and Christian is already showing itself to be exactly the kind of place that fits the criteria for my research project.
Thanks Alamogordo, you are meeting expectations and living up to the reputation that peaked my interest to begin with
Mica Maynard signing out until the next moonlight in the “white” sand.
