Editor:
I strongly urge the Sandoval County Commissioners to vote no on the proposed resolution opposing the recommendations of the New Mexico Civil Rights Commission.
Particularly in light of the fact that this commission has not responded with any actions of its own to protect the civil rights of all the people they represent, it is appalling that now they feel some action is needed to deny additional protections for citizens against the very real facts that civil rights violations remain a fact of life here, despite existing protections.
I note the many “whereas” statements within the resolution complain about the process by which the commission created its recommendations. Nowhere do I see any recognition of the extent of the civil rights violations that do take place — and which give rise to public demands for greater protections than those which currently exist.
I am sure it’s no coincidence that any acknowledgment that civil rights violations do happen in Sandoval County is absent from the resolution.
If the authors of the resolution did acknowledge this reality, then it would also be logical to understand that existing protections do not suffice to eradicate civil rights violations.
Charles Goodmacher
Rio Rancho
