2023-09-01 07:00:00
SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – For the second time in three years, someone in Santa Fe has taken out an obelisk dedicated to New Mexico’s history. The latest takedown of an obelisk in Santa Fe happened Thursday night outside of the federal courthouse, blocks away from the plaza.
Ron Trujillo said he witnessed the aftermath of the crash. “That’s why so many people come here. It’s our history. It’s our cultures. That’s what makes Santa Fe so diverse. To see this happening is so wrong on so many levels,” said Trujillo.
The Santa Fe Police Department is helping investigate the damage that happened on federal property. The more than 100-year-old obelisk is dedicated to Kit Carson who’s linked to “The Long Walk” which relocated thousands of Native Americans from their homes.
“I think we need to deal with history not hide it. I’m afraid that is sort of what we’re doing. I think we should confront our past. We should talk about it. We should debate it, and we should decide what’s right,” said Professor of History at the University of New Mexico, Paul Hutton.
In 2020, the monument was vandalized with the words “stolen land”; around the same time the Santa Fe Plaza obelisk was torn down. At the time, Santa Fe mayor Alan Webber said the city would contact federal officials and work to remove the obelisk. However, it was only covered with plywood.
“If I had some relations to the people that were affected by him, I would feel very strongly about taking him down. But, there’s a very recent thing that everyone wants to erase our history of statues and monuments but you have to know about your history, you can’t just erase your history,” said a tourist walking by the obelisk.
The Federal Protective Service is now investigating the crash. Santa Fe mayor Alan Webber provided a statement about the crash.
“I’m outraged and I want those who did this to be caught and held accountable. Santa Fe police are working with other law enforcement agencies to investigate this cowardly act. There is no place for this kind of criminal conduct in our community. We should all condemn it.”
Mayor Alan Webber
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