Protesters were joined by State Rep. Tara Lujan Saturday outside the gates of Zorro Ranch. Lujan's voice trembled as she told the crowd that being at Zorro Ranch brings up her own trauma.
"My heart is beating outside of me right now, but it's nothing compared to what our victims have gone through and what they continue to go through," she said. "We have to change the future. Silence has never served any of us, and it will never serve us."
The protesters demand greater transparency into the New Mexico Department of Justice's ongoing investigation into the ranch. Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein owned the ranch until his death and Epstein survivors have repeatedly claimed that he and his associates carried out numerous sex crimes on the sprawling property. Texas politician Don Huffines now owns the property and plans to convert it into a Christian retreat center.
Lujan announced at the rally that she plans to hold a public forum to record the questions and demands of protesters and will share those concerns with her legislative colleagues in the Epstein Truth Commission.
The rallies outside the Santa Fe County Ranch are becoming a regular occurrence with activists, survivors and politicians standing side-by-side to demand greater transparency and accountability for the alleged crimes that Epstein and others perpetrated at the ranch.
Activist and elementary school teacher Lisa Christopherson urged fellow protesters to call New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez and ask for an update on the state's investigation. She urged protesters to ask Torrez when he will designate the ranch as a crime scene.
Kimberly Wahpepah is a member of the Navajo Nation and a survivor of sex trafficking. She spoke to the crowd Saturday with a red handprint painted on her face, representing solidarity with Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. Wahpepah told KSFR that her status as a survivor motivates her.
"I was made for this," she said. "What happened in the past was devastating. I was treated like dirt. But that's why now I'm helping others."
Reflecting on those past experiences, she said, gives her a revelatory sense of who she is today.
