Latest news with #NatalieFigueroa
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Advocates call for hate crime charges for woman who defaced Pilsen mural
A nonprofit civil rights advocacy group called Wednesday for hate crime charges to be brought against a woman accused of attacking another woman, who caught her defacing a painting of a Palestinian man on a mural in the Pilsen neighborhood. Natalie Figueroa said she was walking home from her workplace late Friday when she noticed a woman defacing the mural on 16th Street and Ashland Avenue. When Figueroa tried to interfere, the woman struck her in the head with a metal three-hole punch and pummeled her face. Onlookers called the police, who arrived at the scene but made no arrests. Representatives at CAIR-Chicago, which advocates for civil rights for Muslims, urged Chicago police to charge the suspect with aggravated assault and a hate crime. Various speakers at the news conference lamented the desecration of a mural that they saw as a symbol of peace. No arrests had been made in the alleged attack, police said Wednesday evening. The mural, painted by Palestinian artist Taqi Spateen, depicts a Mexican man lying in a field with a Palestinian man, and is meant to represent solidarity between the Latino and Palestinian communities. The woman who vandalized the artwork burned off the section depicting the Palestinian man's face. 'Here in Chicago, we are seeing a significant escalation of hate crimes rooted in anti-Islamic and anti-Arab sentiment,' said Heena Musabji, legal director at CAIR. 'We are here to demand … that criminal actions based on hate are charged as actual hate crimes.' A still-bruised Figueroa, who sported a sizable lump on her forehead, told reporters she approached the woman and yelled at her to stop defacing the mural. The woman, she said, swung around with a metal three-hole punch in her hand and hit Figueroa on her head. As the women fought, Figueroa ended up on the ground, the other woman pinning her down and repeatedly pummeling her face. Figueroa said that her assailant taunted her during the attack, jeering that police would not arrest her. So far, Figueroa has been unable to prove her wrong. CAIR's news conference urged Chicago police to arrest the suspect, who, according to Figueroa, walked away from the scene after police had arrived and was not followed. Four days after the attack, Figueroa still had two black eyes and a bruised left arm. Arriving at her job at the event space Hoste on Wednesday morning, she said, she was confronted with 'Nazi symbols' spraypainted on the building. She believes them to be related to Friday's incident. Human rights attorney Farah Chalisa is working in partnership with the legal team at CAIR to represent Figueroa and another victim, who was attacked by the same woman at the same mural in May. 'What happened was not simply an act of vandalism — it was a hate-driven assault,' Chalisa said. A hate crime charge is a Class 4 felony in Illinois. Spateen's mural was commissioned as part of the Mural Movement, founded in 2020 by Delilah Martinez. All 231 murals Martinez has organized nationwide are related to social justice and peace. Spateen is from Bethlehem, a Palestinian town, and is staying in Chicago as part of an art residency. His mural, one of dozens in Pilsen, is the only work that the suspect has defaced. According to Figueroa and the other victim, she has thrown trash at the mural and placed feces around it. 'This mural — if that's not an artwork of love, I don't know what love is,' said CAIR Executive Director Ahmed Rehab. 'The defacing of that mural — if that's not an act of hate, I don't know what hate is.' Ald. Byron Sigcho Lopez, 25th, explained that many people in Pilsen view the attacker as a threat. Last week, Lopez said, she showed up at a community meeting wearing a wig and sunglasses and prompted Lopez's staff to call security.
Chicago Tribune
11 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Advocates call for hate crime charges for woman who defaced Pilsen mural
A nonprofit civil rights advocacy group called Wednesday for hate crime charges to be brought against a woman accused of attacking another woman, who caught her defacing a painting of a Palestinian man on a mural in the Pilsen neighborhood. Natalie Figueroa said she was walking home from her workplace late Friday when she noticed a woman defacing the mural on 16th Street and Ashland Avenue. When Figueroa tried to interfere, the woman struck her in the head with a metal three-hole punch and pummeled her face. Onlookers called the police, who arrived at the scene but made no arrests. Representatives at CAIR-Chicago, which advocates for civil rights for Muslims, urged Chicago police to charge the suspect with aggravated assault and a hate crime. Various speakers at the news conference lamented the desecration of a mural that they saw as a symbol of peace. No arrests had been made in the alleged attack, police said Wednesday evening. The mural, painted by Palestinian artist Taqi Spateen, depicts a Mexican man lying in a field with a Palestinian man, and is meant to represent solidarity between the Latino and Palestinian communities. The woman who vandalized the artwork burned off the section depicting the Palestinian man's face. 'Here in Chicago, we are seeing a significant escalation of hate crimes rooted in anti-Islamic and anti-Arab sentiment,' said Heena Musabji, legal director at CAIR. 'We are here to demand … that criminal actions based on hate are charged as actual hate crimes.' A still-bruised Figueroa, who sported a sizable lump on her forehead, told reporters she approached the woman and yelled at her to stop defacing the mural. The woman, she said, swung around with a metal three-hole punch in her hand and hit Figueroa on her head. As the women fought, Figueroa ended up on the ground, the other woman pinning her down and repeatedly pummeling her face. Figueroa said that her assailant taunted her during the attack, jeering that police would not arrest her. So far, Figueroa has been unable to prove her wrong. CAIR's news conference urged Chicago police to arrest the suspect, who, according to Figueroa, walked away from the scene after police had arrived and was not followed. Four days after the attack, Figueroa still had two black eyes and a bruised left arm. Arriving at her job at the event space Hoste on Wednesday morning, she said, she was confronted with 'Nazi symbols' spraypainted on the building. She believes them to be related to Friday's incident. Human rights attorney Farah Chalisa is working in partnership with the legal team at CAIR to represent Figueroa and another victim, who was attacked by the same woman at the same mural in May. 'What happened was not simply an act of vandalism — it was a hate-driven assault,' Chalisa said. A hate crime charge is a Class 4 felony in Illinois. Spateen's mural was commissioned as part of the Mural Movement, founded in 2020 by Delilah Martinez. All 231 murals Martinez has organized nationwide are related to social justice and peace. Spateen is from Bethlehem, a Palestinian town, and is staying in Chicago as part of an art residency. His mural, one of dozens in Pilsen, is the only work that the suspect has defaced. According to Figueroa and the other victim, she has thrown trash at the mural and placed feces around it. 'This mural — if that's not an artwork of love, I don't know what love is,' said CAIR Executive Director Ahmed Rehab. 'The defacing of that mural — if that's not an act of hate, I don't know what hate is.' Ald. Byron Sigcho Lopez, 25th, explained that many people in Pilsen view the attacker as a threat. Last week, Lopez said, she showed up at a community meeting wearing a wig and sunglasses and prompted Lopez's staff to call security.
CBS News
3 days ago
- CBS News
Two people attacked for attempting to stop vandal in Pilsen push for hate crime charges
Chicago police are looking for a woman who ran off after getting into a fight with another woman who caught her vandalizing a mural in Pilsen Friday night. The mural was supposed to resemble peace and love. However, the victim said she was attacked for speaking up against hate. A video posted to Instagram by Natalie Figueroa showed a woman she said vandalized the unique mural. "Then I looked at the words, and she wrote 'Israel' all over it. So, I knew it was about hatefulness," she said. Figueroa said that when she tried to stop the woman, she was attacked and left with two black eyes. "My body's aching. I have physical scars. My head is messed up. She destroyed my glasses, which is how I can see," she said. Chicago police said the two women argued by the mural in the 1600 block of West 16th Street on Friday. They confirm it turned physical when the suspect hit Figueroa in the face. The attacker ran off. "We call on the police department, along with CAIR, to make sure that this is addressed as a act of hate," attorney Farah Chalisa said. Chalisa represents Figueroa and said hate crime legislation and statutes exist for a reason. "Evidence that has in fact been presented to the police department, that this act of violence, both acts of violence, were in fact motivated by a hatred towards the Palestinian national origin," she said. Laith, who doesn't want to give their last name, said they, too, were attacked by the same woman on May 9. The suspect was defacing the mural, and they also tried to stop it. "I pull out my phone to film her, and at that point, she knocks my phone out of my hand. She starts punching me. She grabs my clothes," they said. The mural depicts a Palestinian man and a Mexican man resting together in a field. It was finished on May 1 by a Palestinian man who traveled to Chicago to create it. The mural was organized through a local group, The Mural Movement, founded by Delilah Martinez. "It's mentally disturbing to know that there's a person that's out here in our community harassing people, attacking people, and vandalizing murals," Martinez said. When asked if the woman had been arrested and if any charges had been filed, police said the investigation remains open.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New bill would allow independent voters to vote in primaries
SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – Primary elections in New Mexico could soon look different, if a group of democratic senators gets their way. They're sponsoring a proposal to allow voters not registered with a political party, to vote in the primaries. 'My hope with this bill and what I would expect to see if it passes is increased voter participation in our primary elections,' said Senator Natalie Figueroa, (D-Albuquerque). Story continues below Crime: Thief returns stolen crystal to the store it was taken from in Albuquerque News Insiders: Are There ICE Raids Happening In New Mexico? Traffic: BernCo issues hundreds of citations on road with new speed camera It's a bill that would change how voters participate in primary elections. Democratic Senator Natalie Figueroa is the primary sponsor of the bill, that would let decline to state or unaffiliated voters cast a primary ballot with one of the state's designated major parties– democratic, republican, or libertarian. Currently, if someone is not registered with a political party, they can still use same-day registration to register with a party during early voting or on election day. However, Senator Figueroa says many voters want to participate without registering with a party, even temporarily. 'The majority of young people in the age 18 to 24 age group are registering as declined to state or unaffiliated voters, they want to vote, they are registering to vote, they don't particularly want to join one of our clubs,' said Sen. Figueroa. However, New Mexico's Republican Party says the bill doesn't have enough safeguards, for instance if someone first requests one party's ballot, then changes their mind and requests another. 'They're just wanting to remove the barrier of changing their party affiliation and in their words they're just trying to make it easier. so sometimes when things are easier that doesn't always bring a level of integrity to our elections,' said Leticia Muñoz, Executive Director, Republican Party of New Mexico. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party says this bill will only help improve voter participation. 'Yes you can show up for same day registration, you can change your registration to a major party for that time but then you have to change your registration back if you'd like to remain an unaffiliated voter, that simply puts more hurdles between a voter and their ballot,' said Jessica Velasquez, Chair of the Democratic Party of New Mexico. The bill has passed through the senate. It is now headed over to the house. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate approves bill allowing easier path for independents to vote in NM primary elections
Feb. 19—SANTA FE — Does a more inclusive democracy open the door to more political shenanigans? That question hung over the Senate's debate Wednesday over whether to make it easier for independent voters to cast a ballot in New Mexico primary elections. The bill, Senate Bill 16, ended up passing the chamber on a 27-11 vote that did not strictly follow partly lines, although most Republicans voted against it and most Democrats voted in favor. Several GOP senators said the proposal, if enacted, could allow more gamesmanship in New Mexico primary elections. "I do not want the Lobos picking the New Mexico State University football team, ever, and that's how this feels to me," said Senate Minority Leader William Sharer, R-Farmington. But backers of the proposal described it as a basic fairness issue. "Taxpayers who register to vote need to be allowed to vote," said Sen. Natalie Figueroa, D-Albuquerque, the bill's sponsor. If approved, the bill could affect more than 330,000 New Mexico independent voters who would be able to vote in primary elections without having to change their party affiliation. It would not fully open New Mexico's primary elections by allowing all registered voters to pick and choose from among all candidates. Rather, the proposal would allow independent voters to request a major party's primary ballot and then decide who to vote for. Independents, or voters who decline to state a political affiliation, have made up an increasingly larger share of New Mexico's voter rolls in recent years. As of last month, they represented more than 23% of the state's 1.4 million registered voters, according to Secretary of State's Office data. Under the state's current system, most recently revised in 2020, independents can only vote in primary elections if they first change their party affiliation to Democratic or Republican. Only a small percentage of independent voters have utilized that option, however, with fewer than 1% of such voters casting ballots in the state's 2022 primary election. Similar proposals to further open New Mexico's primary elections — some advocates have described the proposed law as a "semi-open" primary — have failed to win final approval at the Roundhouse. A 2023 bill also passed the Senate, but ultimately stalled in a House committee. Four Republicans voted "yes" on the bill approved Wednesday — Sens. Crystal Brantley of Elephant Butte, Craig Brandt of Rio Rancho, Gabriel Ramos of Silver City and Joshua Sanchez of Bosque. Sen. Debbie O'Malley of Albuquerque was the lone Democrat to vote against the bill.
