Justice system focus of ‘talking circle’ held at UNM

The incoming district attorney shared a story about how a traffic stop when he was a teenager made him angry at police officers.

The assistant police chief talked about how troubled he was by the way young adults’ perception of law enforcement has changed over the years.

But some students talked about how they remain fearful of the police’s power over their lives and city.

About 40 college students, community members and the city’s highest ranking law enforcement officers spent more than two hours sharing stories and frank discussions about the local justice system Thursday night in a conference room at the University of New Mexico.

The “talking circle” was held as part of an upper-level restorative justice course taught at the university. Thom Allena, a professor and community and organizational psychologist, said the event is held every year.

He said restorative justice is a concept that leads to rehabilitation and an understanding of why crimes happen for victims, offenders and community members.

Incoming 2nd Judicial District Attorney Raúl Torrez, Albuquerque Police Chief Gorden Eden, Assistant Chief Robert Huntsman and City Councilor Pat Davis were among the local officials who attended the circle.

Torrez told a story of getting pulled over as a teenager and ordered to the ground by an officer with a weapon drawn. It wasn’t until he told the officer that his father was a local federal prosecutor that he was allowed to go home.

He said the stop initially made him angry at police, but

his opinion ultimately changed when he started working as a prosecutor.

“It’s easy to think of us as institutions,” Torrez said. “The reality is the job is done by humans.”

The conversation warped into issues of justice in Albuquerque. While many expressed optimism about improved relationships between the community and police, some said they continue to be fearful of law enforcement.

Huntsman said he has been troubled by the way young people’s attitudes toward officers has changed throughout his 34-year career. He said people who once were respectful are now more likely to try to curse at officers to try to instigate an outburst.

“(The remark) kind of put it on the community,” said Nicole Bailey, a senior who said after the event that she remains fearful of police. “I think it comes from the police. If you give respect, you get respect.”

She is married to a federal law enforcement officer.

“It’s not that I’m anti-cop,” she said. “But that doesn’t make me less fearful that I could still get stopped, that my son could get stopped.”

Brandon Luna, a senior, said the students spent the semester discussing criminal justice issues in class, and the event brought several different parts of the community together.

“It’s experiential,” he said. “We experienced it in the classroom. Now we experienced it in the community.”