Playas is a small unincorporated town in Hidalgo County, the "bootheel" of the southwestern part of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is a former company town, named after a nearby former settlement along the Southern Pacific Railroad. It was developed by the Phelps Dodge Corporation in the 1970s for several hundred employees of its then-new Playas Copper Smelter, located ten miles south of the development. Over 250 rental homes, six apartment buildings, a bowling alley ("Copper Pins"), a bar (the "Feelgood Lounge"), grill, a rodeo ring, a helicopter pad, a fitness center, a shooting range and a swimming pool were built for the community, which even has its own zip code (88009). At its peak, the town had about 1000 residents. Declining copper prices led to the smelter's closure in 1999; all of its residents were evicted within a year, though a skeleton crew of about a dozen employees remained in the area. The smelter, about 40 miles (60 km) north of the border with Mexico, has been nicknamed La Estrella del Norte by illegal migrants using its lights as a beacon for crossing into the country. Four years later, New Mexico Tech agreed to purchase the town and the surrounding 1200 acres (4.9 km²) for $5 million, using Department of Homeland Security funds secured by Pete Domenici. The town is now a training and research facility for the university’s first responders and counter-terrorism programs, supported by tens of millions of dollars in federal funds. For a while, many of the vacant houses were being used by the US military forces that are assisting the US Border Patrol in the area; however, now they are being housed elsewhere. The region, the smelter and the new facility are pivotal features in Michael McGarrity's Kevin Kerney novel "Nothing But Trouble" (2005).

Civil Rights Law Lawyers In Playas New Mexico

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What is civil rights law?

A civil right is an enforceable right or privilege, which if interfered with by another gives rise to an action for injury. Examples of civil rights are freedom of speech, press, and assembly; the right to vote; freedom from involuntary servitude; and the right to equality in public places. Discrimination occurs when the civil rights of an individual are denied or interfered with because of their membership in a particular group or class. Statutes have been enacted to prevent discrimination based on race, sex, religion, age, previous condition of servitude, physical limitation, national origin, and in some instances sexual preference. Civil rights attorneys handle cases involving the rights of individuals to be free from unequal treatment (or discrimination) based on legally-protected characteristics such as race, gender, disability, national origin, age, sexual orientation, and religion. Civil rights cases can arise in a number of settings -- including employment, housing, lending, and education.

Answers to civil rights law issues in New Mexico

Under federal laws, it is illegal to discriminate against someone (applicant or employee) because of that person's...

The law forbids discrimination because of...

It is unlawful to harass a person (an applicant or employee) because of that person’s sex. Harassment can include "...

Harassment is a form of employment discrimination that may violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the...

The Equal Pay Act requires that men and women in the same workplace be given equal pay for equal work. The jobs need...

It is illegal to fire, demote, refuse to promote, harass, or otherwise “retaliate” against people (applicants or...

Your battle to beat a ticket or worse begins the instant you realize you're being pulled over by a police officer....

In certain kinds of cases, lawyers charge what is called a contingency fee. Instead of billing by the hour, the...