Public Comment on The Soldiers' Monument: 70+ Residents Speak, Mayor Calls Recess After Racial Slur Said Aloud

The Santa Fe City Council held a public comment session on the Soldiers' Monument this week, where over 70 residents spoke across several hours about the future of the toppled obelisk and its plinth on the plaza. According to one council member, speakers were roughly split, with about half in favor of rebuilding and half opposed. About three hours in, the mayor called a five-minute recess after a sharp reaction from the audience when a speaker read the monument's inscription aloud, which includes an anti-Indigenous racial slur. The exchange that followed between Mayor Michael Garcia and community members who remained in the chambers is included at the end. This is part one of our ongoing coverage. Up next, we'll break down the feasibility study, the paths forward, and Mayor Garcia's resolution to move the obelisk fragments to the New Mexico History Museum. For more on the history of this monument and the different reasons it was constructed, search "obelisk" at 505omatic.com.