We are all at fault for Amelia Baca’s death.

Yes, a cop shot her. He was not in danger. Maybe he felt he was, or that others were, and maybe reasonably so. We’ll hear his explanation eventually; but he shouldn’t have killed her. I express no opinion on whether or not criminal charges are appropriate; and I know hindsight is 20-20.

I guarantee that he did not think, as he donned his uniform and strapped on his gun, that he wanted to kill someone.

Her family bears some responsibility. They knew she had dementia and chose to keep her in her home – and I love and admire them for that. I’d have done the same in their place, if I had their patience and a large family to help. It’s incredibly hard to put a parent or other loved person away. Their decision came from love and respect, but left Amelia a possible danger to herself and perhaps others. I’m not criticizing, but acknowledging.

They called the police. The officer acted unwisely, but they (and we) helped put him in the situation. Likely he hadn’t a clue how dangerous she was to whom. Still, we should be able to trust the authorities to respond appropriately.

I fault LCPD for inadequate training/supervision.

I fault city government for refusing to set up a civilian police oversight committee, and for not having tried something like what they do in Portland, Ore.

But I also fault all of us, including myself, for our failure to demand more of our city leadership. I’ve certainly suggested an oversight board in my column, and I’ve discussed the Portland model on radio. But I didn’t do more. We didn’t make it happen. Many of us are now fighting to create a CPOC.

Why do I insist that we are all responsible?

First, attitudes. If part of what was in the shooter’s head and heart was that as a sufferer of dementia Ms. Baca was the Other, or mattered less than other citizens, he shared that with many. How we treat “mental illness” – and brain disorders, such as dementia -- played a role in this.

He immediately hollers at her in English, when hollering isn’t the way to treat folks with dementia and there’s a distinct possibility she might not understand English. He’d been nearly a decade on the force, in a largely Hispanic city. But then, Anglo society tends to disrespect an elderly Hispanic lady.

More directly, we accept living in a society where health plans and insurance companies make vast profits, while large numbers of people are un- or under-insured medically. We do not provide the medical, psychological, and legal resources to help a family (at a time of tremendous pain and confusion, with maternal respect and abuelita’s incompetence banging against each other) find the best available care. We don’t provide the guidance a wealthier or better-connected family would probably obtain. I’ve seen personally how hard it is for even the most resourceful folks to handle such situations. (Just figuring out the legalities of guardianship is a nightmare!)

If we insisted on better health care for all (a basic right in most civilized countries), and mental health care for all, that cop likely wouldn’t have been placed in a situation where he felt he had only one choice.

Watching the videos is a painful reminder of how we all failed Amelia Baca.

                                           – 30 --

[The above column appeared this morning, Sunday, 19 June 2022, in the Las Cruces Sun-News, as well as on the newspaper's website and KRWG's website. A related radio commentary will air during the week on KRWG (90.7 FM) and on KTAL (101.5 FM / http://www.lccommunityradio.org/) and be available on both station’s websites.]