Native Artist Shot in New Mexico at Rally Over Colonizer Statue

A Native activist was shot within the city of Española, New Mexico, yesterday, September 28, throughout a protest of a statue of Juan de Oñate, the Sixteenth-century Spanish governor of New Mexico who launched a war towards the Acoma Pueblo. Suspect 23-year-old Ryan Martinez was taken into custody for allegedly capturing and injuring Jacob Johns, a Hopi and Akimel O’odham local weather activist and artist.

Native activists from teams together with the Red Nation, NDN Collective, and Three Sisters Collective arrived Tuesday and camped in a single day on the city plaza the place the statue was slated to be put in in entrance of the sheriff’s workplace. The sculpture has lengthy been a contentious challenge within the small metropolis of Española, and the work was taken down in 2020 after protests demanding its elimination. Town determined to position the monument again on view and scheduled the rededication ceremony for Thursday, September 28.

Confronted with a rising variety of protestors on the website, the town stated in a press release on Wednesday, September 27 that it had reserved an area for the activists. Later that day, the town announced it will postpone the occasion “on account of unexpected circumstances.”

The protestors positioned choices on the foot of the pedestal the place Oñate’s likeness was anticipated to be positioned. They taped indicators to the cement base studying, “We don’t need Oñate; say no!” and “Go away us alone; give up invoking trauma!”

Images of the scene present Martinez carrying a pink “Make America Nice Once more” hat and standing amongst the gathered crowd. He reportedly started arguing with the activists and police requested him to depart. A chilling video exhibits the moments earlier than the capturing. Martinez tried to reenter the protesters’ house, however after crowd members bodily prevented him from doing so, Martinez jumped over a brief wall, pulled a handgun from his pocket, and fired into the gang, hitting Johns within the chest. Martinez reportedly drove away in a white Tesla. 

The Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s Workplace took Martinez into custody shortly after. The company has not but responded to Hyperallergic‘s request for remark.

The sufferer, Jacob Johns, is described in a GoFundMe web page launched yesterday as a muralist and musician specializing in “non-violent, peaceable ‘artivism.’” Johns was airlifted to the hospital and obtained surgical procedure, from which he’s recovering. The marketing campaign has raised over $64,000 to date.

“Though we’re searching for justice for our brother, we can’t negate the truth that this group has been re-traumatized by an act of terrorism at a peaceable meeting, a gathering wherein we have been exercising our First Modification rights,” Native activist group Three Sisters Collective wrote in a statement.

An eerily comparable incident occurred in Albuquerque in 2020. Activists had assembled to take away an Oñate statue there, and after a confrontation, a person was shot, allegedly by members of the right-wing militia New Mexico Civil Guard.