Assaulted Albuquerque Protester Has Lubbock Ties: What We Can Do to Help

You may have heard the news of a man who was shot and critically injured another man during a peaceful protest in Albuquerque. What you may not know is that he is originally from Midland, Texas, and has many friends here in Lubbock.

While I don't know Scott Williams personally, many of my dear friends do, and they are devastated, of course. I am heartbroken for them as well.

From what I can gather from a variety of sources is that a peaceful prayer protest against the Ońate sculpture was interrupted by an alt-right agitator, Steven Baca, when he violently shoved a woman to the ground. After a scuffle with protestors, he shot into the crowd and hit Williams, critically injuring him. I'm left to wonder, who takes a gun to a prayer group? Actually, I can think of one.

In case you're wondering, this statue was erected in honor of Juan de Oñate, who massacred up to 1,000 Acoma Indians and forced survivors into servitude by cutting off one of their feet. In other words, he was a monster and should be remembered as such.

If you would like to help with Scott's recovery, and the woman who was assaulted, you can donate at this GoFundMe:

The purpose of this fund is to help with legal and medical fees incurred by protestors at Albuquerque Art Museum who gathered for a peaceful vigil around the removal of the Ońate sculpture, who were violently assaulted by Steven Baca. We are overwhelmed with the generosity of people reaching out to support anti-racist demonstrators, many of you whom we know were present at event. The family of the person who was shot has been contacted and we would like to support their needs as a priority, but we also would like to help the survivors of the assaults that Baca committed right before the shooting. SWOP believes in radical transparency and accountability, there will be no percentage taken by the organization. The bulk of the funds will be distributed to the man who was shot and we will also supplement what we can for the women who were assaulted. Thank you for your kind support and so many of you reaching out during this difficult time. The family appreciates your desire to help and value the gesture of solidarity.