An Albuquerque councilman says he wants the City Council president censured over how a proclamation recognizing indigenous people on Columbus Day was handled.
The City Council issued a proclamation Wednesday declaring Monday as Indigenous Peoples Day. Six councilors signed the proclamation and three did not.
Councilor Dan Lewis filed the censure motion Friday criticizing Rey Garduno for putting through a proclamation that said Albuquerque occupied Native people's land, which Lewis suggested denigrated the founding fathers and the first Europeans to arrive in the Americas.
Lewis' motion lauded the contributions of Native communities, but said he didn't sign the proclamation because of language he called "inflammatory."
Garduno says councilors don't typically weigh in at length before deciding whether to sign proclamations. He also says Indigenous Peoples Day represents a unifying movement.
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