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Homeless Group Calls for Homes, Not Handcuffs

Victor Cassale via Flickr CC

  UPDATE: March 26, 2014—Hundreds marched Downtown last night to protest the Albuquerque Police Department's killing of a foothills camper on March 16. As the demonstration wound down, APD opened fire on a man on the Westside, who police say, fired shots at them first. The suspect died at the hospital.

Anita Cordova of Healthcare for the Homeless says her group’s approach is to look at what’s happened to a person experiencing homelessness rather than what’s wrong with them.

“For Albuquerque Healthcare for the Homeless the increased criminalization of people experiencing homelessness is troublesome. These kinds of activities are scary. We’d like for people to remember it’s homes, not handcuffs for people experiencing homelessness.”

APD says Boyd refused to put down the two knives he was holding despite being shot with beanbags, stun guns and, ultimately, with live ammunition six times.  

In a video released by APD that's since gone viral, James Boyd, 38, argues with the five officers aiming weapons at him. An APD spokesperson said Crisis Intervention Team members were called in, but the video doesn’t show a CIT talking with Boyd. The police department won't say whether CIT was present when Boyd was shot and killed.

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