On Thursday, Sept. 4, a local indigenous Maya woman, Laura Gonzalez, was arrested by Boulder PD in the middle of the night in her home on suspicion of felony retaliation against a judge or elected official, as well as a charge of misdemeanor harassment. According to the City of Boulder, Gonzalez was arrested because of an incident on Sept. 3 in which “…the suspect yelled at [Boulder City Councilman Matt] Benjamin and the other victim regarding recent votes and then pushed the other victim as they walked away.” While the city of Boulder says the other victim, who is Matt’s wife Jessica Benjamin, was pushed, the Benjamins say Gonzalez bumped into Jessica with her shoulder, causing her to lose her balance, but remain uninjured. Gonzalez was released that same night on a $3000 cash bond, but still faces charges in court.
The whole confrontation happened at the Boulder Farmers Market in Civic Park when Gonzalez confronted the city councilman over his complicity in the genocide of Palestinians, as he has repeatedly voted against a resolution calling for divestment from companies invested in the Israeli occupation and a ceasefire declaration. According to the couple, Gonzalez asked Jessica why “she is supporting her husband,” who she also called a “baby-killer” who was “funding genocide.”
An initial court hearing was held on Sept. 16, where the community showed up for Gonzalez, with around 75 attendees gathered in the viewing room as well as outside in the lobby. During this initial court hearing, a status conference was scheduled for Oct. 9 at the Boulder County Justice Center. After the hearing, Gonzalez and attendees gathered outside, where she stated that she would continue to “stand up as a survivor of genocide for other survivors of genocide.”
Gonzalez is an indigenous woman of Mayan descent who is the descendant of survivors of the Silent Holocaust, a genocide of the Mayan people by the Guatemalan government. She had previously been banned from the Boulder City Council for going over the two-minute time limit and for holding a sign too high, causing the city council to enact sign-holding laws that limit the size of signs that can be held during city council sessions.
Members of the Boulder community have been calling for a divestment from companies partnered with Israel, as well as a call for a ceasefire from the Boulder City Council, but efforts have been fruitless, with three speakers being suspended from the Boulder City Council. Furthermore, the city council has added a 45-minute limit on the speaker session and has only allowed 20 people to speak per session.
El Diario de la Gente 
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