‘Becoming the Beloved Community: Unity in Diversity’ this year’s theme

Community members from various backgrounds and ethnicities gathered at the Gallup Cultural Center Jan. 15 to honor Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on his birthday. The event included a march from the train station to the Larry Brian Mitchell Recreation Center.

“Becoming the Beloved Community: Unity in Diversity” was the theme for the Gallup tribute to the late civil rights leader who would have turned 89 this year, if not for his untimely death.

For many participating, like Ettie Anderson, the march offered a platform to protest racism and the current president.

“I wanted to participate in the march because of my frustration with the current administration,” she said. “We need to stand together right now for change.”

Representatives from the Bahá’í, Christian, Jewish and Native American faiths shared prayers during the “Interfaith Litany for Peace and Justice,” which included a reading of the “The Inner Truth,” a speech given by King at the Riverside Church in New York City on April 4, 1967.

“The oceans of history are made turbulent by the ever-rising tides of hate. History is cluttered with the wreckage of nations and individuals that pursued this self-defeating path of hate,” King said in the address.

The Gallup Police Department, Gallup Fire Department, Community Service Aide and Gallup Express participated in the march, blocking traffic to the front and rear of the marchers.

Anna Rondan and others carried a banner for the McKinley Worker Justice Coalition at the front of the group. Others carried placards with an image of King.

Activist Kim Wahpupah carried a sign that read “Protect the Sacred” on one side and “We Stand for Bears Ears NO DAPL” on the other.

When the group of 50-plus marchers reached the Larry Brian Mitchell Recreation Center, the “City of Gallup Tribute to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.” began inside the facility, with a huge American flag as the backdrop.

For this event, “Celebrating Diversity in McKinley County” was the theme. It featured entertainment by the Miyamura High School Choir and the St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church Choir.

Steve Rogers, retired Gallup teacher, provided the welcome address to an emotional crowd.

“On behalf of the city of Gallup, we want to welcome you to this event to honor and celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday,” he said. “Our world seems to be going through some drastic changes lately and now, more than ever, we need to take action to remedy some of the problems we see coming up with regard to racism, materialism, and sexism.”

Cal Curley, field representative for Sen. Tom Udall, D-NM, addressed the audience next and shared a message from the senator.

“Dr. King’s dream was that we could emerge from the battles of marches of the civil rights movement as a better nation,” Udall’s message read. “He and others sacrificed so that African Americans and people of all races and backgrounds could live together as equals.”

Udall’s comment addressed the racist, derogatory remarks made by the president and said such actions demand people to stand up and make it clear that the American people will not tolerate racism and accept hate.

Community members offered personal reflections on the influences of King.

Laura Jijon, adult education director at the UNM Gallup North Campus, thanked the audience for participating. She grew up in Compton, Calif. and her Jewish background kept her grounded during one of the most violent times of the civil rights era.

“It was a very poor community, a very violent community and we struggled with a lot of issues that we struggle with in Gallup, of addictions, domestic violence and crime,” Jijon said.

The blessing of heroic teachers shaped her life, she said, adding that media coverage on school shootings and other violence was non-existent in Compton, because nobody cared about the poor people.

“The schools I attended in Compton, [shootings] happened all the time. We regularly had bombings at our schools. Not bomb threats, but bombings, and we’d have to be evacuated,” Jijon said.

When she was 13, she witnessed a murder during a gang war on campus. The daily support of her teachers protected her during those times. The assassination of King, however, brought the possibility of race riots.

“It was one of the great American tragedies,” she said. “What we educators call a teachable moment. The seed was planted and from that day forward, I decided to become a teacher.”

She has now taught for more than 40 years.

Rogers, who grew up in a small, rural, all-white town in Iowa, spoke next. His father was a minister and his mother home schooled him.

“I found it kind of ironic that when I tried to talk about [civil rights] with my friends, they didn’t understand because there was no experience,” he said.

However, the speeches of King on television made an impact on his heart and in college, he volunteered to go to McComb, Mississippi.

Upon entering the town, all seemed quiet. The streets were well lit, the houses neat with freshly mowed lawns.

“And then we drove across the railroad tracks. Suddenly there were no lighted streets. The streets were not paved. They were dirt roads,” he said.

They found the house they were to stay at easily enough, however, because it was lit up with spotlights. This was because the home had recently been riddled with bullet holes.

“This was America, the land of freedom. I was in shock,” he said.

The next day, they went house-to-house with questionnaires for the residents. Their houses were riddled with bullet holes, too.

“Teenagers from the other side of town, white kids, they come over and target practice on our house. The police won’t come,” Rogers quoted the residents as saying.

The experience impacted Rogers’ life and he continued to support the civil rights movement through the years.

Rev. Fredrick Davis also delivered a fiery speech. He is the pastor of St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Gallup.

“My mother always told me don’t let what people do or say cause you to go down to their level, raise them up to yours,” he said. “She said everybody’s green, we just have some light greens and dark greens. Everybody’s got two eyes, two ears, two arms, two legs. Everybody’s got a beating heart and kidneys. Everybody, if we cut our hand, we would bleed red.”

We are all the same, Davis said in conclusion, adding that racist thinking is something that is taught by the parents. His message was clear: don’t teach your children to hate.

The City of Gallup sponsored the Jan. 15 tribute and events.

A fight outside of Smokey's last night, 505 N. Hwy 491, resulted in one man being stabbed.

The suspect fled the scene, and the victim, who was stabbed in the arm, was airlifted to Albuquerque for treatment.

Gallup Police Department Capt. Marinda Spencer said the call came in at 9:21 pm.

The Native American male suspect fled on foot. He was reportedly wearing a blue or black jacket with a light blue shirt over it, black shirt, and blue jeans. He's about 6 ft. tall, 170 lbs.

Condition of the victim is unknown at this time, but Spencer said the cut to the arm was severe. It's unclear whether either men were inside of Smokey's prior to the altercation, which occurred in the restaurant west parking lot, facing Rio West Mall.

The suspect was last seen heading northwest on foot. Spencer asks that anyone with information on the suspect to call Metro Dispatch at (505) 722-2002.

The New Mexico Real Estate Commission has ordered the suspension of local real estate agent and broker Jason Valentine for his involvement in allegedly passing along a fraudulent document.

According to official notification from the Commission, Valentine also faces some hefty fines.

According to records obtained by the Sun, Valentine gave a fraudulent document to a fellow real estate agent for the pre-qualification of a homebuyer. The letter was issued from the Bank of Colorado Mortgage Division on Nov. 13, 2013.

The amount of the pre-qualification was for $399,000.

James Hallinan, who serves as the communications director for the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office, spoke to the repercussions of the Commission’s findings.

“Any criminal action would be based upon a referral from the board,” Hallinan said Jan. 4 during a phone interview, after being asked if criminal charges would be pursued.

The fraudulent letter bears an electronic signature from Andy Roach, a senior loan officer with the Bank of Colorado. Roach is no longer with the bank.  Bank letterhead was used to create the fraudulent letter, according to the Commission.

The Real Estate Commission found that Valentine made a “substantial misrepresentation,” and that he violated New Mexico state statute covering fraud.

Wayne Ciddio, the Commission’s executive director, said these two infractions were discussed in executive session on Nov. 20. Following that session, the board ordered to suspend Valentine’s license for six months and imposed on him a $5,000 fine.

He was also issued a letter of reprimand and fined an additional $1,000 for a second violation.  He was ordered to pay for administrative hearing costs.

Ciddio declined to comment on the matter, and deferred questions to the New Mexico Licensing and Regulation Dept.

Several calls were made to Licensing and Regulation’s spokesperson Bernice Geiger, which went unanswered.

Tommy Haws, senior vice president of Pinnacle Bank, said parent company Bank of Colorado, acknowledged in a letter that the pre-qualification letter for a homebuyer was fraudulent.

“This letter is to confirm reports to you that a letter dated November 13, 2013 regarding a pre-qualification for a mortgage loan … was fraudulently generated,” Haws wrote.

Further findings of the real estate commission state that on Dec. 13, the “respondent [Valentine] admitted he altered the pre-qualification letter.”

Clark Johnson, who serves as the president for the Bank of Colorado Mortgage Division, also spoke to the actions taken by the New Mexico Real Estate Commission.

“They have apparently [done] their due diligence and taken the right course of action,” he said during a Jan. 4 telephone interview.

The bank declined to take action on the matter, according to the Commission’s findings and relied on the matter being handled internally.

REGRETS

Valentine responded to the allegations against him during an interview on Jan. 8.

“There are some inaccuracies,” he said. “I’m going to clear some of that up.  There is some additional information.”

When asked if he has received notice from the state’s Real Estate Commission, Valentine replied, “My attorney is working today on that order, so I’ll have to defer to him until then.”

Valentine’s legal counsel is Rudolph Chavez, an Albuquerque-based criminal defense lawyer.

The beleaguered Valentine went on to say that real estate agents make mistakes. Valentine is listed on the front door of Coldwell Banker High Desert Realty, 970 Metro Ave., as the qualifying broker. It’s not clear who will assume the office’s top supervisory role when Valentine begins his suspension sentence.

“Making mistakes is part of life,” Valentine said in an emotional outpouring. “I won’t be ridiculed for mistakes.  This will make me a better real estate broker.”

Valentine was born in New Jersey and has been a real estate broker in Gallup since 2010.  His office is in the north business district in Gallup at the El Mercado Shopping Center.

“I am absolutely thankful … even though I made bad decisions, no one was harmed,” he said.

Asked if he plans to remain in the Gallup area following the fulfillment of his suspension, Valentine replied, “I don’t know (if) I would fit in anywhere else.”

REPERCUSSIONS

The Commission had issued a stay on Valentine’s infractions per an agreement with Valentine’s attorney and the Attorney General’s office, temporarily halting his suspension for 30 days.

“They wanted the suspension to go into effect immediately,” said Chavez, attorney for Valentine. “We talked and we both agreed that you have to give someone the time to know what they want to do.”

The suspension goes into effect Jan. 15.

Additionally, Valentine has been ordered to take a 30-hour continuing education course for brokers within 90 days. He was also ordered to pay $769.06 to the New Mexico Real Estate Commission.

Additional disciplinary action may occur if Valentine fails to comply with the decisions of the Real Estate Commission. He has been given 30 days to file an appeal.

Chavez said that appeals are expensive, but that his client has up until Jan. 15 to decide whether he will appeal the decision.

By Deswood Tome

Sun Correspondent

Staff Reports

ALBUQUERQUE – Jothonnie Yazzie, 29, of Rocksprings, N.M., pleaded guilty this morning in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to an indictment charging him possessing child pornography.  Yazzie entered the guilty plea under a plea agreement recommending a sentence within the range of 37 to 63 months in prison followed by ten years of supervised release.  He also will be required to register as a sex offender after he completes his prison sentence.

The FBI and McKinley County Sheriff’s Office arrested Yazzie on Dec. 20, 2016, on the indictment, which was filed on Dec. 7, 2016, and charged him with possessing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  According to the indictment, Yazzie committed the crime between Jan. 2016 and May 2016, in McKinley County, N.M.

During today’s change of plea hearing, Yazzie pled guilty to the indictment.  In his plea agreement, Yazzie admitted that from Jan. 2016 through May 2016, he downloaded videos and images of child pornography from the internet and saved them onto his cellular phone.  Yazzie further admitted that the phone contained approximately 366 images and 61 videos of child pornography.  Yazzie remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.

This case was investigated by the Gallup office of the FBI and the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Mease as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/(link is external).

The case also was brought as a part of the New Mexico ICAC Task Force’s mission, which is to locate, track, and capture Internet child sexual predators and Internet child pornographers in New Mexico.  There are 86 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies associated with the New Mexico ICAC Task Force, which is funded by a grant administered by the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General.  Anyone with information relating to suspected child predators and suspected child abuse is encouraged to contact federal or local law enforcement.