Vehicles went TO A salvage yard

Terrance Yellowhorse of Gallup was arrested by Gallup Police Department officers on Oct. 26 for an arrest warrant stemming from the alleged theft of 10 vehicles, sold for scrap over the summer, taken from another man’s lot.

According to the affidavit for arrest warrant, Yellowhorse, 42, stole the vehicles from a storage lot off N.M. 118.

“Terrance had cut the lock to the gate securing the business,” the affidavit reads.

From there, with the help of another man, Yellowhorse hauled the vehicles to All City Recycling & Towing, 3109 Industry Dr.

“We have him on a security camera, from All City,” McKinley County Sheriff’s Officer Inv. Gabrielle Puhuyesva said, adding that Yellowhorse spread out his visits to All City, selling the vehicles for scrap on six different occasions.

Two of the stolen vehicles were destroyed before All City caught onto the alleged scheme.

To make it work, Yellowhorse convinced his helper to use his ID to get the cash for the vehicles. The man told sheriff’s investigators that “he would not have used his own ID if he had known” the vehicles were stolen, and that he was hired by Yellowhorse “for cleaning up the yard.”

Yellowhorse faces larceny, criminal trespass, breaking and entering, and criminal damage to property charges.

“Altogether it’s a fourth degree felony,” Puhuyesva said.

On Oct. 26, Yellowhorse made his first appearance in Magistrate Court. He has a preliminary hearing set for Nov. 9 in Judge Cynthia Sanders’ chambers. As of Oct. 27, Yellowhorse remains in custody at McKinley County Adult Detention Center, held on a $5,000 cash-only bond.

By Babette Herrmann
Sun Editor

The Gallup Police Department was dispatched to the Redwood Lodge Motel, 907 Hwy. 66, in reference to two male subjects in a white Dodge truck brandishing a firearm back on June 5.

When GPD officers arrived on scene, they located the white Dodge truck with two men inside. The white Dodge truck drove around the Gallup officers and almost struck their Patrol unit. The white Dodge truck merged onto Highway 118. The truck fled and a pursuit was initiated.

As Gallup Police officers pursued the Dodge truck, the driver of the Dodge turned their headlights on and off and traveled in opposing lane traffic. The Dodge got onto Interstate 40 eastbound at mile marker 16. During the pursuit, the passenger began throwing objects from the bed of the truck at officers. Near mile marker 22, the driver of the Dodge crossed the median of Interstate 40 and began to travel the wrong way, heading eastbound in the westbound lanes. A Gallup Police supervisor terminated the pursuit.

New Mexico State Police Sergeant Steven Owens responded to assist in the pursuit after he learned the pursuit was headed towards him. Owens overheard on his police radio that the two occupants inside the Dodge were armed with weapons. Owens positioned and parked his department issued patrol vehicle in the median of Interstate 40 near mile marker 26.

As Owens observed the Dodge approach, he observed the Dodge traveling the wrong way, eastbound in the westbound lanes of Interstate 40. In an attempt to disable the Dodge truck, and to prevent a head-on collision with another vehicle, Owens fired at least one shot from his department issued shotgun towards the Dodge.

The Dodge pickup continued to travel eastbound in the westbound lanes of Interstate 40 and struck a Commercial Motor Vehicle head-on. The driver of the Dodge pickup, later identified as Gerard John, 25, of Brimhall, N.M., and passenger, Ray Lee Jim, 21, of Wingate, were both ejected from the pickup.

John and Jim both sustained fatal injuries and both were pronounced deceased on scene by the Office of the Medical Investigator. The driver and passenger of the CMV were both uninjured in the crash. Their names will not be released by State Police as they are not facing any charges.

Upon further investigation, State Police Investigations Bureau agents learned John had two active Felony arrest warrants for his arrest from the 11^th Judicial District Attorney’s Office for Attempt to Commit a Felony to wit: First Degree Murder, Armed Robbery, Robbery, Aggravated Battery (Deadly Weapon), Aggravated Battery (Great Bodily Harm), Unlawful Taking of a Motor Vehicle (2 counts), Conspiracy to Commit Unlawful Taking of a Motor Vehicle and Receiving or Transferring Stolen Vehicles.

No officers were injured during the incident. Owens was placed on standard administrative leave. Owens has been employed with the New Mexico State Police for approximately 15 years and is currently stationed in Gallup.

Upon completion of the investigation, the case will be forwarded to an assigned district attorney’s office for review.

The words “Disarm Racism” will grace Coal Avenue between June 19 and the end of the first week of July.

The mural designed by Navajo painter Jerry Brown is being completed overnight June 19 with a team of painters, as part of a celebration of Juneteenth, the oldest national commemoration of the ending of slavery in the U. S.

The mural translates the message into several languages.

The street mural and a “Bring Your Own Chalk” event are temporary art installations.

The largest Indigenous Pride gathering adjusts to pandemic

From starting with about 250 attendees at the Window Rock Flea Market in 2017 to pulling in over 6,000 visitors over two days in 2019 at the Window Rock Tribal Park and Veteran’s Memorial, Diné Pride has become the largest Indigenous pride event in the United States.

When plans to host an even larger event this year had to be scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Alray Nelson, executive director and one of the co-founders of Diné Pride, said the event was redesigned to be the largest virtual Indigenous pride gathering in the country.

The theme for this year’s event is “Sacred Together.”

“We thought we should come up with a theme that reflects the times we’re living in right now,” Nelson said June 10. “When we’re living our lives through that theme, we’re sharing our experiences with youth and relatives and our culture.

“We were always seen as sacred beings. We will continue to be sacred together [even if] we can’t be together physically,” Nelson said.

The schedule for Diné Pride 2020 includes four events, all of which will be streamed on the event’s Facebook page:

Indigenous LGBTQ+ Youth Panel, June 24 at 5 pm.

Sovereign Nations Leadership Panel, June 25 at 6 pm.

Trans Indigenous Leadership Panel, June 26 at 6 pm.

Welcome Ceremony and Pride Drag Show, June 27 at 6:30 pm.

All of the events will be free to tune into, and will be recorded as well.

New to this year’s event is a scholarship created for Indigenous LGBTQ+ youth, the Naatáanii Scholarship. It was created to empower and uplift the next generation of youth leaders after western enculturation distorted the identity and the existence of Indigenous LGBTQ+ people, according to Diné Pride.

“We plan to change that narrative by helping our own students excel in their higher education journey,” their Facebook page reads.

The scholarship is a one-time $1,000 dollar scholarship to be awarded to two high school seniors from the Navajo Nation who self-identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and/or two-spirit. Applicants must contribute to the LGBTQ+ community and actively address concerns facing their peers today. The application is available online at navajonationpride.com.

The deadline for the application is June 19 at midnight.

THE MOVE ONLINE

Nelson said the decision to make the event virtual was both a financial and time investment, but one he thought was worthwhile.

“At the end of the day, it is hard to be living through what we’re living through right now, and to not have our friends and family around us and for us to have that physical touch and laughter,” he said.

Nelson said Navajo people are living through new times where a virus, one of the smallest things in existence, is taking lives across communities, including the LGBTQ+ community.

“We’re feeling [the effects], and we want to make sure our events are respectful of what’s happening right now,” he said.

But more than celebrating their community, Nelson said he wants to make sure the efforts for the future of LGBTQ+ youth are celebrated.

“Diné Pride has never focused on just older people. We continue to encourage our young people,” he said. “We want Navajo LGBTQ leaders to step up and speak on behalf of the community and provide opportunities of leadership for them.”

This is why Diné Pride has grown from being a pride event to a movement, Nelson added.

“Because of our event, you see more tribes taking on the challenge of taking on an [Indigenous pride event] and replicate the same success as Diné Pride,” he said.

Between 2017 and 2019, the event grew from being hosted in the flea market parking lot to being hosted right next to the Navajo Nation Council Chambers in Window Rock, with rainbow pride flags being flown next to the Navajo Nation flag. Diné Pride also gained the support of Navajo Nation government officials who advocated for changes in Navajo law to protect their LGBTQ+ citizens.

As it has grown, Nelson said Diné Pride has gotten the attention of people from across the world who were planning to make the trip to Window Rock this year and be part of the largest Indigenous Pride gathering before the pandemic disrupted their plans.

Still, Nelson remains hopeful they can reach their goal of doubling the number of attendees from their last Diné Pride Symposium for their next gathering in 2021.

“What we can do now is remain hopeful, pick ourselves up and move forward,” Nelson said.

Diné Pride Communications Director DeAndra Wagner shared Nelson’s sentiments.

“The LGBTQ+ community has overcome many obstacles over the years and has always emerged stronger and more unified,” Wagner said. “Diné Pride will be one [event] to remember regardless of a physical experience this year, and our hope is to resume in-person events in 2021. Our community will once rise up against this adversity and stand together in solidarity.”

For more information on Diné Pride 2020, as well as event details and how to tune in, visit https://www.facebook.com/NavajoNationPride.

By Cody Begaye
Sun Correspondent