Vigil For Victim Of Vicious Gay Bashing in Santa Fe, New Mexico
(Santa Fe, New Mexico) About 300 people attended a candlelight vigil Saturday night to show support for a young gay man who was beaten unconscious a week ago outside a Santa Fe hotel.
James Maestas, 21, remained hospitalized but spoke from his bed Saturday for the first time since the beating. Police said a group of at least three men confronted him outside a restaurant where he had eaten with a group of friends. [...]
Rachel Rosen, a friend of the Maestas family and chairwoman of Equality New Mexico, said Maestas spoke from his hospital bed for the first time Saturday when he asked for a mirror.
“I’ve got to see this face,” Maestas said, according to Rosen. Upon seeing his injuries, Maestas added: “That’s the fattest lip I’ve ever seen.” (source)
I was so afraid that we had another Matthew Shepard on our hands with this young man. I was so relieved that he will live and hopefully fully recover.
Gov. Bill Richardson attended the vigil and said, “What happened to James Maestas should never happen anywhere, on any planet. We as a society have got to find ways to end hatred.”
If the governor really wants to do something to send a message against violence based on hatred, perhaps he and the state should consider a hate crimes law. My understanding it that, although the state police have called this a “hate crime”, New Mexico does not have a hate crimes law to enforce that label.
Related Stories:
March 2, 2005 - Hate Crime in Santa Fe
March 3, 2005 - Man beaten in gay bashing clings to life
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I attended the vigil for James Maestas Saturday night. It was an extremely supportive and heartfelt gathering. We all gathered as the sun went down, hundreds of candles lighting the faces of the most diverse group. This truly represented the good and moral people of Santa Fe.
The beating and the vigil, led to to think back to the previous weeks I've spent lobbying at the NM legislature. The DOM bills were at the top on my agenda. I waited most of the day along with many others for the committee to go through their agenda. We did not get out of the committee session until 8:30 pm that night. We were successful.
That James' beating comes at the same time that new laws are being drafted to discriminate against a specific group is particularly meaningful.
Guess what folks...you might be next...because you are Jewish, female, or just might have a bumper sticker that pisses off some angry mean-spirited and ignorant person.
Under the current Neo-Con Christian Right Fascist
administration, all of our rights are at risk. Get busy now...get involved. It is now or never for our mother earth, democracy, the Constitution,
and our human/civil liberties. I hope people learn about what is really going on in this country. The crimes committed in all our names in nations across the planet have rendered us, as Americans, to be the most hated population in the world.
hate...Hate...HAte..HATe...HATE....
That is where we are headed if this nation continues to sit on its' collective ass and trusts that the powers that be will take care of us.
"We the People" need to take back our country. How about we do it for James...and the next few hundred people that will be beaten for just being who they are.
Now get busy....
Thanks Jo for clearing that up for me. I said that because I do remember reading that New Mexico did not have a hate crimes law. I remember that one of the police officers made mention that it was a "hate crime". Then, the article went on to say that there could be no further time added because the state did not have a hate crimes law. I remember thinking at the time, "...how odd for the officer to use the exact term 'hate crime' if the state had no such statute."
At any rate, I'm glad they do and thanks again for clearing that up.
New Mexico does have a Hate Crimes Law that was signed by Governor Bill Richardson two years ago. He promised he would sign it if we got it through the legislature and he kept his word. In fact, this law is one of the most inclusive laws on the books in the US, including transgender folks in addition to gay, lesbian, bisexual, along with the classes protected by federal statues.