On Monday, March 1, 2020, a useless anti-police bill, H.B. 156, sponsored by Reps. Brittney Barreras (D-Bernalillo) and Roger Montoya (D-Colfax, Mora, Rio Arriba & San Miguel), seeks criminal penalties for law enforcers who commit sexual crimes, which is already on the books in state statute. Nonetheless, liberals are trying to ram through the bill to malign the reputation of law enforcers.
This bill is duplicative of state law that is already on the books, as reported in the fiscal impact report, which “notes that the bill is similar to the existing second-degree felony for criminal sexual penetration against an inmate when the perpetrator is a corrections officer or other person in a position of authority over the inmate. See NMSA 1978, 30-9-11(E)(2).”
The “expert witness” the Alexandria Taylor of the New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs insinuated that only officers who commit rape are opposed to the bill, which shows the intent of this legislation: to demonize men and women in law enforcement by calling them “rapists” if they do not support a bill that is duplicative of what is already state law.
Taylor said, “I have had conversions with law enforcement officers about this bill. And those who I spoke with, who are not harming members of the public, did not have an issue with this bill because they are not raping members of the public that they are charged with protecting.”
Law enforcers take grace offense to Taylor’s vile comments, with Aaron Velarde, President of the Bernalillo County Deputy Sheriffs Association, releasing the following statement:
“The fact that Ms. Taylor made the inference that individuals in law enforcement cannot oppose legislation without being guilty of sexual assault is not only offensive but dangerous. I don’t think law enforcement is opposed to House Bill 156, we are simply stating that it is unnecessary because there are already laws on the books that address instances of sexual misconduct by officials in positions of authority, which includes law enforcement officers.
It appears that Ms. Taylor is using hateful and vile rhetoric to demonize or incite violence against police officers who risk their lives every day to protect our communities just to further a political agenda. It’s dangerous enough being a law enforcement officer in this state without political activists using inflammatory rhetoric to mislead the public. This behavior is disgusting and shouldn’t be tolerated. I feel Ms. Taylor owes the men and women of the law enforcement community an apology for her slanderous statements.”
Leftists horrified and on the defensive because of Taylor’s despicable comment, decided to flip the story and claim Rep. Stefani Lord (R-Bernalillo, Sandoval & Santa Fe) was a “racist” for taking offense to Taylor calling police officers who don’t support the bill “rapists.” They claimed this merely because Alexandria Taylor is Black. Anti-police hate group ProgressNow NM, funded by George Soros, has launched a campaign to try and demonize Rep. Lord because she stood up for law enforcers.
Rep. Lord fought back against the unfounded claims of racism, saying, “At the end of the day, these activists are attacking me for defending law enforcement officials from the slander and attacks that they continuously have to endure. When our law enforcement is unjustly slandered, our communities suffer. I will proudly continue to stand up for ALL my constituents’ rights, including those in law enforcement.”
This bill is not as much about protecting victims of rape as it is about building public opinion against and demonizing law enforcers who keep us safe every day in our communities. Help fight back against anti-police extremism by testifying against this horrible bill, which turns heroic law enforcers into villains.
How to testify and information:
HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
GAIL CHASEY, CHAIR – Monday, March 1, 2021 – 1:30 p.m. – Zoom
Contact House Judiciary Committee members here.
Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89543370073 Or iPhone one-tap : US: +16699009128,,89543370073# or +12532158782,,89543370073# Or Telephone: Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 669 900 9128 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 646 558 8656 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 Webinar ID: 895 4337 0073