http://youtu.be/Ye66J1R4wYU
Doña Ana County District Attorney Mark D’Antonio is holding town halls in the smaller cities throughout the county.
Residents of Sunland Park gathered at the senior center to ask questions and get answers from District Attorney Mark D’Antonio. The town halls are part of his “justice matters” campaign; making sure people are treated fairly by law enforcement. D’Antonio says it’s important to get out into the smaller communities.
“People are concerned that they have equal access to justice,” D’Antonio said. “They want to make sure the police force is acting in their best interest, and that they control their own destiny. We’ve heard about some smattering of public corruption allegations, and we’ll look into that. But people have to trust the government, they have to trust the police, and they have to know the DA is going to step in and make things right. Also, I’ve talked to the Attorney General Hector Balderas and he has a real interest in making sure that justice happens in these smaller communities.”
One woman at the town hall spoke of her difficulty in reporting crime because she is an undocumented immigrant. District Attorney Mark D’Antonio says this is the one of the biggest problems in law enforcement.
“The number one issue in Sunland Park is that children and women of undocumented families are victims of crime and they are reluctant to report those crimes,” D’Antonio said. “Because they feel they will get in immigration trouble. We have a special program through Catholic Charities that allows them to report crimes and get visa’s to stay in the country and be witnesses. It’s very important that the most vulnerable of our society here in Sunland Park understand they have rights just like everybody else.”
He says he hopes the town halls will begin to build trust and encourage undocumented victims of crime to come forward and report.
“It’s a two step process,” D’Antonio said. “Get the information out to the people, so they are aware that they have these rights, and then work hand in hand with the police to make sure that they’re doing these people justice. That’s both my responsibilities, I take it very seriously.”
Many other concerns expressed had to do with the state of infrastructure in Sunland Park.
