In the heart of downtown Santa Fe, the sandstone obelisk that paid tribute to Kit Carson, a renowned 19th-century frontiersman and soldier, suffered partial destruction on Thursday night, marking the second such incident since 2020.
The initial incident took place almost three years ago during Columbus Day when protesters toppled the Soldiers’ Monument located at the Santa Fe Plaza.
Standing at a height of 20 feet, the Kit Carson monument, adorned with the words “He Led the Way,” had been shielded by a plywood enclosure since 2020, a precautionary measure adopted to prevent a fate similar to that of the Soldiers’ Monument. However, on Thursday night, it was reported that the top portion of the monument situated in front of the U.S. District Courthouse was dismantled, presumably by an individual driving an older white GMC pickup truck, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.
Around 9:30 p.m., a New Mexican reporter witnessed the truck parked just inches away from the wooden barrier, with fragments of the monument strewn nearby and a cable linking the vehicle to the fallen obelisk.
Democrat Mayor Alan Webber released a statement, saying, “I’m outraged and I want those who did this to be caught and held accountable. Santa Fe Police are working with other law enforcement agencies to investigate this cowardly act. There is no place for this kind of criminal conduct in our community. We should all condemn it.” He previously advocated for the monument’s removal but hit roadblocks due to it being under federal jurisdiction.
The Santa Fe police received the initial call at 8:04 p.m., according to Sgt. Ryan Alire-Maez who noted that federal authorities would take charge of the case due to the courthouse’s federal jurisdiction.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported, and the police continued their search for the suspect or suspects, who appeared to have fled on foot.
An anonymous individual disclosed that he stumbled upon the scene as the monument was being toppled and positioned his truck in front of the suspects’ vehicle, effectively trapping it.
By approximately 9:45 p.m., a small crowd of onlookers had gathered, and the police had cordoned off the streets near the fallen monument. Several law enforcement vehicles, primarily from the Santa Fe police force and one from the federal Department of Homeland Security, were on-site to manage the situation.
The Kit Carson monument had previously suffered acts of vandalism since the 2020 toppling of the Plaza obelisk, including graffiti painted on the sandstone structure and the protective enclosure. In the months leading up to the Indigenous Peoples Day protest, the monument was spray-painted with the words “Stolen Land in red letters near its base.
This latest act of vandalism coincided with the upcoming Fiesta de Santa Fe, an annual celebration of the peaceful Spanish reconquest of the city in 1692. Earlier in the week, the Santa Fe school board narrowly voted to allow the Fiesta Court to continue visiting public schools during school hours. Supporters regarded these visits as a celebration of heritage, while some extremist voices argued that such activities glorify colonialism.
Kit Carson died in Colorado in 1868 and was laid to rest in Taos. The monument dedicated to him was unveiled on Memorial Day in 1885, with approximately 5,000 attendees, including many who had served alongside Carson at the Battle of Valverde in Central New Mexico. On the day of dedication, the obelisk was revealed with a flourish, wrapped in an American flag, while an artillery battery from Fort Marcy fired a resounding salute, as noted by the esteemed New Mexico historian Marc Simmons.
Countless other instances of anti-Hispanic hate have plagued Santa Fe in recent years as extremist hate groups and their members have actively attacked monuments dedicated to Hispanics, such as one monument dedicated to Catholic priest Fray Angélico Chávez and the Cross of the Martyrs dedicated to those who lost their lives at the hands of blood-thirsty domestic terrorist Popé, who led the violent revolt, killing 400 Spaniards.
The cowardly domestic terrorists who toppled the Solders’ Monument were all let off scot-free by the local district attorney, being given a “restorative justice” slap on the wrist with no time in prison.
The courage and integrity that Kit Carson exhibited in the development of this area should be an example to the current Judges and Prosecutors in this state. Will it happen?
Read about trail of tears
This happened because we let communist radical revolutionaries take over our education system indoctrinating the youth. Kit Carson’s life was a study into the great and awesome courage and strength that our past was. What a interesting comparison of the men of the past to the ‘soy boys’ of today….what a shame
Read about Trail of Tears
The Indians were the losers in a clash of civilizations. It has happened over the history of mankind. Is it pretty? NO! Did it happen? YES! How did the Navajo treat the Pueblo Indians? Or the Aztecs treat each other. Before you start trashing history you had best learn it.
The destruction of those monuments has nothing to do with anger over those which figures did what, no this has to do with control. History is history no matter how good or bad and history must not be destroyed.
So Truthfully I agree with you 100%
I am so disgusted with these so-called “woke” individuals who feel they have every right to destroy any monument/statue that offends their beliefs. These people are cowards! Live you life and we will live ours, complete with our monuments and statues that we respect and admire. They are part of our rich New Mexican history and culture.
History is just that and needs to be preserved! What joy do people get from trying to destroy it? You can’t destroy history! It happened in the past and is important to many of us today. Our forefathers thought enough of it to share it for all time with a monument. You can either like and respect it or not, but it is not yours to destroy as it can’t be destroyed! It’s History!!
Socialist cancel culture behaving criminally, violently and destructively… status quo.
Kit Carson may not have been perfect — who is? He did amazing things deserving of recognition – we can focus on the positive and still discuss other aspects (alleged or otherwise). In what socialist country can you discuss negative traits about their historic figures?
Go to North Korea or China and bring up negative qualities about their “heroes”, see how long it takes for the thought police to show up at your door and drag you away to a labor camp or just straight make you disappear.
Fascists, like these vandals, always believe they are incapable of being evil or doing wrong. That’s how they end up justifying mass murder, they believe they “just have to get rid of that one group”, and then everything will be utopia. They completely lose sight of the good, evil and complexity that every *human* is capable of and in the end become pure evil in the name of their perceived version of good.
Regarding the previous vandalism, I’d like whoever spray painted “stolen land” to answer the question – “who did your people steal the land from to make it yours?” – you can live in the past, or look to the future; if you don’t like how things *were* done, don’t do them that way again.
The reason that these kinds of things continue to happen is because we have leaders in this state who only want to punish the law abiding people, then go on to coddle and release everyone from people who do this, to violent criminals. This kind of stupid thinking will not stop this illegal type of thing, but will only make it worse because they, the criminals, think there will be no consequences. And it will happen here too. The police and the mayor say they are actively looking for these “cowards” but when they get them it will be a slap on the wrist before letting them go, so they can do this kind of thing again. Nothing short of punishment to these cowardly criminals will work to stop it.
Yep!
I’m not about defacing any monument. But you guys obviously don’t know the truth. The truth is that Kit Carson and soldiers led 6,000 Navajos and made them walk 300 miles known as the trail of tears. Women, Children, Men, and the Elderly. There was reports of pregnant women being shot.Imagine walking with limited supplies. If you couldn’t make it you were either shot or left behind. If you don’t believe me read about it.
You are so sadly misinformed. It was the “Long March”. and had nothing to do with the “Trail of Tears”. Those Navajo’s were removed at the request of the pueblo tribes and hispanics and Kit Carson was ordered by his superiors to carry out the move.
Read how the Navajos treated the Pueblo Indians or any tribe against each other. Not a pretty picture. Also read about the Aztec and Inca human sacrifices. The Indians were no better than any and they were the losers in a clash of civilizations. Never pretty and that is the human race. Get used to it cause it will only get worse if the communists take over.
Enough of crying for Navajos. They dont even try bettering themselves now a days with all the opportunities that abound. All of them I have known want to drink and drug to no end. They have no honor and deserve none.
I believe you Gabriel, right or wrong, but history is still history and we should all learn from it, not attempt to destroy it. You just can’t destroy it! It’s history and we need to learn from it.
So true
This thug is so “special”. The mayor is Santa Fe “Special “.
Special Ed !
The cowardly domestic terrorists who toppled the Solders’ Monument were all let off scot-free by the local district attorney, being given a “restorative justice” slap on the wrist with no time in prison.
Keep voting Democrat so we gradually turn to a communist state.
I thought I read that the Obelisk was not only a monument, but also it’s “tip” was used as a reference point to survey Santa Fe. Is that true?
Punks!! No respect for history nor other peoples rights,property or beliefs! You can say “thank you” to the piglet in the roundhouse,the useless mayor,a few NO MORALS lawyers and no cajone`s judges for letting riff-raff run the streets.. I’m all for the punks serving hard labor when they get caught!
What’s next on their list? Burn down Loretto Chapel and St. Francis Cathedral? I’m sure the California mayor of Santa Fe is secretly pleased. By the way the Navajos had been raiding and making slaves of the Pueblo and Spanish villages for centuries so the US Army came and put a permanent end to it. Kit Carson was ordered by General Carleton to wipe them out (this was during the Civil War), but Carson refused and put them in a concentration camp instead. Kit Carson spoke several native languages fluently, lived with the tribes, and had a daughter named Prairie Flower with his Arapaho wife. He had 7 children with his 3rd wife Josefa Jaramillo and you can still go in their historic house near the Taos Plaza. Go before the communist democrats tear it down. If you knew history you would know that they always tear down historic monuments before their violent revolutions.
Thank you for an informed comment.
Santa Fe LIBTARD MORONS in action… history and cultural ignoramuses, doing what the Commies, NAZIS and Muslims do: rewriting and/or destroying history. Products of our ‘public schools’, misfits and worthless parasites on Society.