CORRECTION: Union Protectíva files suit over obelisk destruction

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Jun. 18—Correction appended

Members of the Hispanic fraternal organization Union Protectíva de Santa Fé have filed a lawsuit asking a judge to order Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber to restore the Plaza obelisk, which activists pulled down with ropes and chains last year during an Indigenous Peoples Day protest.

During a news conference Thursday on the Plaza, speeches from members of the group were sometimes drowned out by the music and words of Ashkia Trujillo, who is of Ohkay Owingeh and Diné descent and who performed the Men's Northern Traditional dance from the Plains Indians in full regalia and spoke about the history of Native people on the other side of the boarded-up remains of the monument.

The Plaza obelisk — which honored Civil War Union soldiers but was dedicated, in part, to "heroes" who died in battle with "savage Indians" — has been a focal point for long-simmering racial tensions.

While some have cheered its destruction as a victory against the oppression of Native Americans, others, including members of Union Protectíva, have mourned the incident as an attack on Hispanic culture.

"The mayor has placed us in this position," Protectíva President Virgil Vigil said in a phone interview Thursday. "We had been quiet for over 100 years and our mission was the protection of our history, culture and our religion. And the mayor has broken the law and failed to protect landmarks that are important to the people of Santa Fe."

The group's lawsuit, filed Wednesday in state District Court, accuses the mayor of violating the New Mexico Prehistoric and Historic Sites Preservation Act by bowing to pressure from Native rights groups by calling for the removal of the obelisk and other controversial statues without first engaging in "all possible planning to protect the site" and find a "feasible alternative."

Vigil said Union Protectíva wants the monument rebuilt but agrees the language on the plaque referencing "savage Indians" should be rewritten as long as laws regarding the protection of historic sites are followed.

Vigil was also critical of the Santa Fe Police Department's decision to have officers stand down during the destruction of the monument and the district attorney's decision to enter into a restorative justice arrangement with most of the people criminally charged in connection with the toppling of the monument. He said ordering "counseling" for such behavior condones lawlessness.

"It doesn't matter who you are," Vigil said. "If you are in charge, you are not above the law. And this mayor believes he is above the law, and we are here to tell him he is not above the law."

Webber held his own news conference hours later on the lawn in front of City Hall.

"I'm not gonna comment on the lawsuit, on legal matters. I think that would be inappropriate, but I am going to talk about the moment that we're in and how we moved forward," he said.

"It seems clear to me we are at a moment in the country and here in Santa Fe [where] there are voices who are seeking to divide us and divide the city. These are people who are willing to distort facts and spread misinformation. Their purpose is to promote anger and create division, but it's not who Santa Fe really is. ... We can allow these voices to distract us and take us down a path of division and anger, or we can chose unity. We can move forward together and find healing and create a process that looks at our past to create a better future," he continued.

Webber said the city's Culture, History, Art, Reconciliation and Truth process — which calls for conversations and meetings to gather public input on controversial public art — is the vehicle for deciding what will stand in the center of the Plaza in the wake of the obelisk's destruction. As of last month, the city was still working on selecting a consultant to oversee the CHART process.

"The contract has been going through the procurement process, the negotiation process and finalization process, and [it's anticipated] the consultant will be introduced to the governing body through the committee process in July," city spokesman Dave Herndon said Thursday.

Correction: This article has been amended to reflect the following correction. A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Protectiva's president was critical of the mayor decision to have police leave the plaza when activists were pulling down the obelisk. The Police Department made the decision, not the mayor.