At a town hall meeting on Monday night at Central New Mexico Community College, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham faced intense scrutiny from residents, including poignant testimony from Sally Sanchez, who lost her son Antonio Jaramillo to violence in 2020. Sanchez shared her heartache directly with the governor, saying, “I, Governor, am the one with a life sentence. I will never get to hear my son’s voice again.”
Sanchez, co-founder of the New Mexico Crusaders for Justice, urged the governor to address concerns about the revolving door of repeat violent offenders. Her advocacy group, which supports families affected by murder, joined several others in pressing for stronger measures to keep repeat offenders behind bars.
Governor Lujan Grisham responded by acknowledging the issue, stating, “Too many cases are not being prosecuted.” She emphasized the need to enhance the justice system to ensure “dangerous people who are convicted of crimes stay in jail until they’re held accountable” while also investing in prevention programs.
This town hall was part of a series aimed at tackling public safety concerns. Lujan Grisham’s earlier town hall in Las Cruces lasted five hours and attracted over 500 attendees. The final town hall is set for Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in Española at the Northern New Mexico College Event Center.
During Monday’s event, Lujan Grisham was joined by a panel including Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, APS Chief Harold Medina, and Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen — all Democrats. The meeting, which extended nearly four hours, allowed the governor to hear directly from the public about their concerns, ranging from mental health services to criminal justice reform.
Attendees voiced frustration over what they perceived as ineffective responses to crime. One participant, expressing dissatisfaction with the pace of legislative action, said, “I’m tired of people getting like strategies, strategies, strategies. It’s like a football team you’re out there in the huddle you’re all strategizing, yet nobody says ‘Break let’s get out there on the field and actually do the work.’”
The governor also faced interruptions from five young protesters who repeatedly disrupted the meeting to protest U.S. involvement in the Israel-Hamas conflict before being escorted out by police.
William Davis, who survived a shooting in Albuquerque 25 years ago, called for a reconsideration of the Bill Davis Kids, Car and Crime Law, which was overturned by the New Mexico Supreme Court after an ACLU lawsuit.
Lujan Grisham had previously proposed several public safety bills during a special legislative session earlier this month, including measures to address panhandling and reduce criminal offenses among individuals deemed incompetent to stand trial.
However, the Legislature only passed a funding bill for wildfire relief and mental health programs, leaving her other proposals unaddressed.
The governor has until August 7 to sign the funding bill, which authorizes $100 million for wildfire relief and $3 million for expanding a judicial mental health program.
State Rep. Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park), who was at the town hall, wrote on social media, “Tensions are high here at the Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham crime town hall. The meeting started with interruptions and booing. People are angry and sick of the crime!”
She added, “It is surreal to hear the Governor discussing bills I have presented, like pretrial detention, to address crime. Yet, how many years have MLG and the radical Dems REFUSED to pass anything to protect the citizens of New Mexico? And now, all of a sudden, crime is an issue in an election year? Where the hell has MLG been all these years? Why do the radical progressives want criminals loose on the streets to re-offend? Why do they REFUSE to listen to the people? It’s time to stop screwing the people with partisan politics and pass common-sense crime bills!”
As the governor prepares for the final town hall in Española, she continues to grapple with public outrage over the lack of action on crime during her over-six-year tenure.
When I feel safe going to my local supermarket, drugstore, mall, driving down Central and/or Lomas, I will believe something is actually getting done. Why does this have to be at this point in time before the politicians to start pretending they care? Visable results are the only satisfactory answer. Talking means nothing.
Never go out without protection. To most that means a gun. When people defend themselves and some of these monsters end up dead, this will stop. Be armed; aware of your surroundings; and prepared mentally to do what you have to. Also, jury nullification is something we all should become familiar with.
That’s why I left the Las Cruces townhall after an hour. I could tell MLG was only there to CYA and to shift blame.
Maybe if we quit importing criminals from other countries via the border things could improve.
I spoke to the Sheriff recently. We had a very honest and fair conversation. Although he is a Dem., other Dems are not necessarily in line with him and his efforts. “A house divided will not stand”.
MLG is going to use the anger she heard while behind those tables towards gun restrictions. She isn’t going to address the roundabout justice system, the border, the Cartels or any other actual problem the public is facing. Guns are not the only problem.
Any person who was complaining in these town halls, and is a Dem themselves is as guilty of these issues as MLG is.
Do Better New Mexico!
Rev. Rico
Read The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn; under socialist/communist rule, the criminals prey on political prisoners without penalties. The communists effectively use the criminals as part of the punishment for “wrongthink”.
MLG is using these criminals as part of a her terrorist/fascist agenda to increase authoritarian/dictatorial control over citizens.
They are her brown shirts and she wants them to drive fear and create violence in our communities. This is MLG implementing the problem-reaction-solution play.
1. Problem – allow criminals to create fear and violently victimize people (using fear and violence as a tool for political manipulation is terrorism and fascism, respectively)
2. Reaction – public outcry comes
3. Solution – present the prepared solution of blanket “gun control” or any other measure that could be made to look like a solution, but doesn’t address the problem that was created.
MLG continues to drive for stripping law abiding citizens of their constitutional rights using terrorism and fascism to get there. No surprise, communists and socialists believe that the ends justify the means. They are too blinded by visions of utopia to see that there is no end to the oppression and tyranny they use; there is no utopia.
Demand clean voting laws, without them we are done for – I don’t buy that NM is dumb enough to keep voting this one into office, the system is corrupt.
Excellent take on the situation. You are correct.
Very well stated and exactly what her strategy has been from the get go!
More population … more crime. More crime… more criminals… More criminals… more prison bed space needed.
Children in need of help, no place to put them except on the desk in CYFD offices.
Homeless Vets on the streets…tear down old schools so they cannot be renovated to accommodate a homeless Vet…
$2,400,000,000.00 (That’s USA dollars with a “T” not Mexican Pesos with a “P” in front of it) surplus in the bank…
DNC of NM says we build a $11,000,000.00 abortion clinic in Las Cruces. Aborted kids means no future crime… Since its mostly used by Texans… Texas crime goes down in 14-17 years…
Solution… Build two more prisons. $100,000,000.00 each. Build 10 shelter Children Youth centers… $23,000,000.00 each and 10 Homeless Vet centers $460,000,000.00. $660,000,000 total spent… there is still $1,800,000,000.00 left in surplus. Spend $800,000,000.00 on jobs for these new places… still a trillion dollars left.
Investing in NM? Nope. Why? Because all the money and these contracts will most likely be awarded to a DNC political operative out of Washington DC with a pay to play scam returning it into MLG’s own pocket at a 10% cut and all the building contractors will be from Texas… Trying not to be sarcastic… but… this is just the way the DNC works.
Election years always bring out the (concern) for the people. They start promising all the things they are going to do, and every year they forget what they promise. To save time they should make a recording and play it every 4 years. That would save some time. We the people need to start voting accordingly.
If you vote for a Democrat, you are voting against your own best interests and that of the country as a whole (unless you are a Dem Pol or criminal). This is self-evident and has been proven over the years.
I feel for the women of this state constantly having to look over their shoulder for someone ready to pounce. It shouldn’t be this way. But, most of these women vote for this level of safety by consistently voting in Democrats who are all bark and no bite. And they’ll keep voting this way forever all the while complaining at the same time. That’s Democrats. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. I think there’s a term for that??? Hmmmm…..
Moochie Loserjan Gruesome has her head up her ass! She doesn’t / wouldn’t know reality if it hit her in the face! NM will be way ahead to oust her as soon as possible!
I moved to New Mexico from Maryland in 2010. Just as a note: Maryland has had ONLY 4 Republican governors in its entire history. The Democrats OWN Baltimore and Annapolis just like they OWN ABQ and Santa FE.
Why does NM have the poorest performing schools? Dems keep the schools underpaid, undereducated, and understaffed. Unfortunately, this problem is nationwide but NM is the worst.
Why is crime so high? Because law abiding citizens are discouraged from protecting themselves through idiotic gun laws and restrictions.
Why are less fortunate people going hungry? Because government leaders take trips (business and/or pleasure) on taxpayers’ dime. I, for one, can barely afford a day trip, or do necessary repairs to house and car much less pay for government trips. (At least now I know where the state surplus money went.)
Bottom line: I left Maryland for the same reasons I am now looking to leave NM. I AM FED UP! Dems have destroyed every state they rule. Just ask Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, California, Oregon, and Washington State.