Business owners and operators along Main Street defend their property after property defacement threat creates unrest. (Courier photo by Stephen Jiron).

ALAMOSA — It was an eventful evening for businesses in downtown Alamosa on Monday. Alamosa Police Department and the City of Alamosa worked swiftly to identify the individuals intent on vandalism far before their 11 p.m. plans and contact them, resolving the issue with no citations or arrests. According to Captain Joey Spangler of the Alamosa Police Department.

“We contacted them at a local home at around 11 p.m. and discussed their plans and they called it off,” Spangler said, noting that there were about seven individuals contacted. Tips from business owners and others led APD to believe that 10 to 12 teenagers were planning to graffiti Monday night.

During a time when the business sector has taken more than their fair share of lumps, owners – backed by friends and family – were in no mood to take another. Businesses along Main street decided that the best course of action was to personally protect their interests. Shop owners up and down Main street stood without opposition to defend their livelihood. Monday night also saw a peaceful protest just west of downtown.

Spangler said around 30 people were protesting at the corner of Main and State about 11 p.m. He said the department got a noise complaint around midnight and asked the group to tone it down at which point they started to disperse. The gathering appealed to passing traffic, spreading awareness and asking for justice for George Floyd, the victim who lost his life as the result of excessive use of police force in Minneapolis.

Floyd’s wrongful death has sparked protests and civil unrest across the country, many feared the latter had made its way into the valley. With lines being drawn in the sand across the country, Alamosa struck a nice harmony Monday night with citizens and police working together to help maintain a level of safety and understanding.

Further west, Alamosa’s Walmart was also taking no chances. After having received threats on social media the local store battened down the hatches. Before sending their employees home for the night, the establishment used pallets of product to barricade the doors and windows. Walmart continued operations on Tuesday.

Another group of 20-30 protestors were stationed across the street from the APD offices on Fourth Street on Tuesday afternoon and again remained mainly peaceful, Spangler said, adding that organizers had contacted the department on Monday to discuss their plans.

In a trying year, Alamosa has pulled together time and again facing every challenge as a community. Monday night showed that in a small town that’s shared by friends and neighbors that would-be-looters are outnumbered.