SENATE MEMORIAL 12

57th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2026

INTRODUCED BY

Pete Campos

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE GENERAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND THE STATE PARKS DIVISION OF THE ENERGY, MINERALS AND NATURAL RESOURCES DEPARTMENT TO IDENTIFY AND RECOMMEND A PUBLIC LOCATION TO COMMEMORATE THE LIFE AND WORK OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS ADVOCATE ANDRES "DRE" ARELLANES.

     WHEREAS, Andres Arellanes, who died in 2023 at the age of thirty-six, was a proud native New Mexican who fought bravely and tirelessly as a social justice advocate for civil rights and police reform and against the unlawful use of force by law enforcement; and

     WHEREAS, in July of 2010, Andres Arellanes settled a civil rights lawsuit with the city of Albuquerque over an incident that occurred in 2007 in which he was confronted on the street in downtown Albuquerque by a group of city and state law enforcement officers and was tasered at least six and up to eighteen times and then charged with assault against law enforcement officers. Those charges were eventually dismissed after an official independent review determined that officers involved in the incident lied to a grand jury; and

     WHEREAS, after that incident, Arellanes and his family worked tirelessly as advocates against unlawful police violence and for reform of use-of-force policies by law enforcement, leading to significant reforms in those policies not only in Albuquerque, but also at the state and national levels; and

     WHEREAS, the efforts of Andres Arellanes and his family to secure justice in his case, along with other similar efforts that followed, caused the United States department of justice to investigate the use of force by the Albuquerque police department, which eventually led that agency to investigate law enforcement use-of-force standards and procedures nationwide, and helped lead to reforms on the local, state and national levels, particularly as those standards apply to taser use of force; and

     WHEREAS, in 2021, following widespread public attention focused on the issue of police violence and use of force by law enforcement and a movement that was sparked by the advocacy and social justice work of Andres Arellanes and other victims of unlawful police violence, the United Nations issued new guidelines and procedures for use of force and firearms by United Nations police, and those standards have had a significant impact on law enforcement policies worldwide; and

     WHEREAS, the advocacy and social justice work of Arellanes and his family over many years took courage to accomplish, has led to substantial changes to the use-of-force policies in local, national and international police departments and has likely helped save countless lives across the United States and around the world;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the general services department, the department of transportation and the energy, minerals and natural resources departments each be requested to identify and recommend to the legislative finance committee a location, such as a state park, campground, roadway, landscaped area in front of a state building or other appropriate location, to commemorate the life and work of Andres "Dre" Arellanes; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the legislative finance committee, the general services department, the department of transportation and the energy, minerals and natural resources department.

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