All posts by nedhamson

Activist, writer, researcher, addicted to sharing information and facts.

Of All Arizona and New Mexico Tribes, Navajo had More Violent Crimes in 2014

In this Feb. 12, 2014 file photo, Navajo police officers closely keep watch on two men who lie handcuffed on the ground early Wednesday morning after executing a search warrant in Shiprock. Navajo Times | Donovan Quintero

In this Feb. 12, 2014 file photo, Navajo police officers closely keep watch on two men who lie handcuffed on the ground early Wednesday morning after executing a search warrant in Shiprock. Navajo Times | Donovan Quintero

Navajo Times | Donovan Quintero The Navajo Nation Drug & Gang Unit along with the Strategic Reaction Team aim their weapons at the front door of a suspected meth dealer on an early Feb. 12, 2014 in Shiprock while executing a search warrant. Officers arrested two men without incident. During their search, officers found 2.2 grams of meth and stolen firearms.

Navajo Times | Donovan Quintero
The Navajo Nation Drug & Gang Unit along with the Strategic Reaction Team aim their weapons at the front door of a suspected meth dealer on an early Feb. 12, 2014 in Shiprock while executing a search warrant. Officers arrested two men without incident. During their search, officers found 2.2 grams of meth and stolen firearms.

Published January 21, 2016

WINDOW ROCK, ARIZONA — New Mexico continues to face a higher degree of violent crimes than most other states, according to figures released recently by the FBI.

National figures put out by the FBI for 2014, the latest year that is available, places New Mexico as the fourth highest state when it comes to the amount of violent crime per capita.

And figures provided for crime in Indian Country shows violent and property crime per capita far higher on the Navajo Reservation than for any other tribes in the country.

These figures coincide with figures released annually by the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety.

New Mexico in 2014, according to FBI figures, showed 8,653 cases of violent crimes in metropolitan areas, 2,908 in the smaller cities in the state and 895 in rural areas in the state.

Violent crimes include murders, rapes, and aggravated assaults (usually with a weapon of some kind).

Looking at the counties in the state, San Juan ranked third (behind Bernalillo and Valencia) and McKinley County rates third in the state behind Otero and Taos for crime in non-metropolitan areas.

McKinley County Undersheriff Paul Lucero said Wednesday that crime in the county is high “but it seems to be getting a little better.”

Editor’s Note: This article was first published in the Navajo Times. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

 

The post Of All Arizona and New Mexico Tribes, Navajo had More Violent Crimes in 2014 appeared first on Native News Online.

Good-bye to a popular Ambassador

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El Salvador is saying good-bye to US Ambassador Mari Carmen Aponte.  The Ambassador, who was appointed by president Obama, is ending her five years of service to El Salvador.    She has been appointed by the US president to be the new permanent representative to the Organization of American States, but that nomination is still pending confirmation in the Senate.

The US Embassy website describes some of the recognition being bestowed on the ambassador:

Foreign Minister Hugo Martinez awarded the National “Jose Matias Delgado” Order in the Grand Cross Silver Plaque in recognition of her work and commitment in strengthening the relations between El Salvador and the United States.  

“We found in Ambassador Aponte an exceptional professional, with a great spirit of solidarity and a renewed vision,” said Minister Martinez…..

The second recognition received by the Ambassador this week was the Golden Zenzontlat, granted by the municipal government of Sonsonate, for her humanitarian work in the performance of her duties as a diplomat in the country. 

The ceremony was held in front of the town hall in the center of Sonsonate, led by Mayor Roberto Aquino. 

During his speech, which took place in front of the Municipal Palace of Sonsonate, the Mayor Roberto Aquino told the Ambassador: “To us, you are a leader who has invited us to moderation and dialogue. You are leaving your mark across El Salvador. “

What Puerto Rico born Aponte brought to the job, which her two predecessors lacked, was a great heart for the Salvadoran people and the ability to speak Spanish.  She was respected by political figures on both the left and the right, and the Salvadoran people responded warmly to her outgoing personality.   She will be missed.

Aponte will be replaced by incoming Ambassador Jean Manes. Manes is a career State Department officer. Her two most recent assignments include serving as the Director of Resources for the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy, overseeing $1.2 billion in resources for public diplomacy domestic and worldwide operations. She recently returned from Afghanistan where she served as the Counselor for Public Affairs at the U.S. Embassy.

Video: Daily Show Helps Convince Whitesboro To Change Racist Seal

Video: Daily Show Helps Convince Whitesboro To Change Racist SealEarlier this month, the upstate town of Whitesboro became the focus of a lot of national attention when the village voted on whether or not to keep its controversial seal, which depicts a white man apparently strangling a Native American man (or a “friendly wrestling match,” depending on how you look at it!). The residents voted 157-55 to keep the seal—but today, Whitesboro announced that they would reverse that vote and change it. And it turns out that Jessica Williams and The Daily Show have a lot to do with it, as you’ll see in the clip below. [ more › ]

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Sarah Palin, This Is What PTSD Is Really Like – The New York Times

Because there is a stigma attached to mental health issues, there is a personal and professional risk attached with admitting an unseen ailment. I have the benefit of being a veteran, but I still worry about future graduate school applications or academic job searches. I worry about my own tenuous employment as an adjunct English lecturer. I also know that I’ve managed to improve my symptoms greatly by seeking counseling, avoiding destructive behaviors and writing about my experiences. I can function in society because I was able to seek care, and I want to make that care more accessible to people who need it.That process begins by speaking frankly. Facing up to destructive or abusive behavior comes next, along with the assertion that we are responsible for our actions, no matter what burdens we carry. Post-traumatic stress is no excuse for violence or abuse, nor should it be considered a default association. I’d like to hope that, beneath the bluster and the political talking points, Sarah Palin understands this. I hope even more that her son seeks care and finds peace.

Source: Sarah Palin, This Is What PTSD Is Really Like – The New York Times