The irony is not lost to those of us who opposed Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham during the election.
Her pick for the state's Indian Affairs Department has a shady past. Although there was not enough evidence to prosecute James Mountain, he still has a cloud over his head. Native American groups, including the president of the Navajo Nation, oppose his appointment.
Lujan Grisham should have been sensitive enough not to appoint such a person. Then again, she has her own tawdry history of groping, hence the irony. Birds of a feather?
The Santa Fe New Mexican reported:
A coalition of advocates dedicated to stemming the tide of violence and missing persons cases in Indian Country is demanding more transparency from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, saying there should be greater accountability in the system for vetting state-appointed positions that serve Indigenous communities.
About 30 protesters gathered Friday in the state Capitol Rotunda to voice concerns about the Democratic governor’s contested pick to head the state’s Indian Affairs Department. They want the governor to withdraw her appointment of James Mountain, citing charges he once faced. They were joined by legislators, including Democratic Sen. Shannon Pinto of the Navajo community of Tohatchi. The Navajo Nation president also has said he cannot support the appointment.
“For so many survivors, when we see James Mountain, we see our abusers,” said Angel Charley, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women.
She said Mountain’s appointment has overshadowed a stalled proposal in the Legislature to make crime victims’ reparations funds available to the families of missing and slain Native Americans.
“He knows how much division there is because of his nomination,” she said. “Step down.”
Lujan Grisham’s appointment has sent shockwaves through tribal communities. While the governor so far has continued to defend Mountain, she has yet to submit his nomination to the Senate for confirmation despite the legislative session ending at noon Saturday.
Many in the Democratic-led Legislature have remained mum about the governor’s choice not to push for a hearing, which would offer a public forum for Mountain to be vetted.
A former San Ildefonso Pueblo governor, Mountain was once was indicted on charges that included criminal sexual penetration, kidnapping and aggravated battery of a household member. The charges were dropped in 2010, with prosecutors saying they did not have enough evidence to go to trial.
This is what you get when stupid people in the state re-elect a groping insensitive governor.
To read more, go here.
No comments:
Post a Comment