StephenSpitz.com – New Mexico People Places and Ideas

Slavery and the legacy of slavery are frequently analyzed these days. Native American slavery, however, is often glossed over. Why? How extensive was it, who were the enslavers, and who exactly were the enslaved?

Joining host Stephen Spitz to discuss this is Dr. Estevan Rael-Gálvez, who was New Mexico’s official State historian for 8 years. He has just received a 1.5 M award from the Mellon Foundation to develop an interactive digital database focused on enslaved Native Americans in New Mexico and the Southwest. Dr. Rael-Gálvez is an Indigenous slavery scholar, who, it turns out, also descends from enslaved people. We will explore both his personal and professional perspective on these important questions.

Produced with assistance of Lynn Schibeci, Elias Henley, Tristan Clum, and Roman Garcia.

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On Jan. 18, 2013, 15 year-old Nehemiah Griego shot dead his father, mother, and three siblings. Why?

In “Sins of the System”, Dr. Regina Griego, Nehemiah’s aunt and guardian, lays out his complex family history as well as a broken justice system and the frayed safety nets that failed to save her nephew. It turns out that he was seriously malnourished, beaten two or three times a week by his militaristic father, abused by his mother, and surrounded by loaded weapons of every kind. On the other hand, his crimes were horrific, such as the point-blank murders of his younger brother and sisters.

Please join host Stephen Spitz and author Regina Griego as we explore these troubling crimes.

Produced with assistance of Lynn Schibeci, Elias Henley, Tristan Clum, and Roman Garcia.

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Last year we interviewed Albuquerque, representative Javier Martinez as an up and coming legislator. His most prominent legislation was tapping our $ 25B Permanent Fund to expand early childhood education and legalizing marijuana. He has since become House Majority Leader and, with the retirement of Brian Egolf, is in line to become Speaker of the House.

On this month’s show, Representative Martinez joins host Stephen Spitz to discuss his journey from his childhood home in Juarez, Mexico, to an organizer in Albuquerque’s South Valley, to a legislative leader. We’ll find out if Speaker of the House comes next.

Produced with assistance of Elias Henley, Roman Garcia, Tristan Clum, and Lynn Schibeci

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Politics inside New Mexico’s “Roundhouse” are notoriously complex with legislative success dependent on personal connections, intra-party rivalries, the power of lobbyists, and basic deal making. A good example of that complexity is the lack of success of Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s crime and hydrogen hub agenda this 30-day Session.  It was a partial lost but was it a political win for the Governor who insulated herself from Republican attacks on these issues?

New Mexico People Place and Ideas host Stephen Spitz will put that to this month’s guest, Joe Monahan, the lead political blogger in New Mexico: he will provide listeners with an inside look at what happened this Session and why.

Produced with assistance of Elias Henley, Roman Garcia, Tristan Clum, and Lynn Schibeci

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In 2020 PNM and Avangrid, an energy company with utilities and generation facilities in 24 states, announced their intentions to merge. The $8.3B purchase is worth a very healthy 20 times PNM’s projected earnings and would result in a hefty $713 million cash buyout to PNM shareholders.  PNM would then become a subsidiary of Avangrid, which is itself a subsidiary of Iberdrola, a Spanish company worth $85B, and one of the largest energy companies in the world. One lawyer stood in the way, Mariel Nanasi of New Energy Economy; 23 other parties, including the NM AG, Hector Balderas, did not. In December the NM Public Regulation Commission (PRC) sided with Nanasi.

On this month’s show host Stephen Spitz sits down with Mariel Nanasi to find out how a single lawyer obtained such an outsized victory and whether she is right on the merits.

Produced with assistance of Elias Henry, Roman Garcia and Lynn Schibeci

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Joining host Stephen Spitz this month is Don Hancock, Director of the Nuclear Waste Program for the Southwest Research and Information Center (SRIC). We will discuss the proposed expansion of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in southeastern New Mexico. WIPP is the nation’s only deep geologic long-lived radioactive waste repository.

Its mission is to dispose of transuranic waste 2,150 feet underground in an ancient salt formation. This waste consists primarily of clothing, tools, rags, and other debris contaminated with trace amounts of radioisotopes. The Energy Department intends to dramatically enlarge this mission with the disposal of plutonium left over from the Cold War. Mr. Hancock and the SRIC oppose this change as dangerous and inconsistent with WIPP’s state certifications. We will explore the basis for this opposition and ask how and where the plutonium should be disposed.

Produced with assistance of Tristan Clum, Roman Garcia and Lynn Schibeci

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Growing up in Baltimore, UNM Music Professor Richard Antoine White did his best to care for his mother, who was battling alcoholism, while experiencing homelessness and hunger. Searching for his mother one night resulted in a near death experience in the snow and being taken in by his adoptive grandparents. Under the care of his adoptive family, White discovered his purpose and passion for music and began his journey to musical success.

On this month’s show Dr. White joins host Stephen Spitz to discuss his new memoir, I’m Possible, which recounts how he went from the streets of Baltimore to becoming the first Black musician to earn a doctorate in Tuba Performance and the principal tubist for the New Mexico Philharmonic.

Produced with assistance of Elias Henry, Roman Garcia and Lynn Schibeci

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How should our criminal justice system deal with crimes committed by substance abusers? 

Our guest, UNM Sociology Professor Noah Painter Davis, is presently studying drug diversion and parole/probation programs in NM. The promise of these programs is that we can both help the offender and stop the revolving door by treating the underlying substance use disorder. However, such treatment programs have a relapse rate of 40-60% even in the general population. Do these programs actually reduce crime?

Host Stephen Spitz will raise this as well as the success rate and cost of different diversion, prison, and re-entry programs.

Produced with assistance of Roman Garcia and Lynn Schibeci

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What should the approach be to increasing homelessness in Albuquerque?

UNM’s Paul Guerin is the Director of the Center for Applied Research and Analysis and one of the author’s of a definitive study, demonstrating that for vulnerable Albuquerquians, “housing first” saves money.

Host Stephen Spitz will question how admittedly higher housing costs can be outweighed by fewer emergency room visits, prison time, and extended hospital stays. We will then look into whether the new Gibson Shelter fits with this model. Finally, a significant number of our low wage workers are homeless or are rent burdened. This is because of an increasing shortage of affordable housing.

We will examine how, if at all, this can be addressed.

Produced with assistance of Roman Garcia and Lynn Schibeci

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Homicides in Albuquerque have soared and will likely double the high rate of 2020. But is crime really out of control? After all, the homicide rate has dramatically increased in most cities during the Pandemic. And what does the data show with regard to other violent crimes and property crimes?

Host Stephen Spitz will put these questions to newly appointed APD Police Chief Harold Medina. Other subjects will include APD’s lack of progress, according to the Court Monitor, on complying with the DOJ’s consent decree, the failure to increase the police force as the City promised, and the impact of the George Floyd protests on policing.

Produced with assistance of Tristan Clum and Lynn Schibeci

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