Albuquerque neighbors and city clash over Gateway Center encampment patrols

Sandra Perea and Rachel Baca demanded expanded Albuquerque patrols around the Gateway Center overnight shelter. Neighborhood leaders say encampments, discarded needles, and safety hazards have surged in nearby residential areas and parks. The City of Albuquerque offered a quarter-mile patrol zone instead of the requested two miles.

Sandra Perea serves as vice president for the local District 6 Coalition. She reported seeing people grooming themselves and sharing needles at Wilson Park in Albuquerque’s International District.

“It is a public park, and people are allowed to be here ‘til ten, but unfortunately, the people who are here ‘til ten are not the ones that need to be utilizing it as the children, and the elderly and having picnics or birthday parties. They can’t do that for fear of their safety,” she explained.

Perea stated that unhoused people now regularly wander through local neighborhood streets. She linked the rising activity directly to the city’s 2021 shelter announcement on Gibson Blvd SE.

“I feel very bad for the children who have to encounter this in their life on a daily basis,” Perea said.

Rachel Baca serves as the president of the Siesta Hills Neighborhood Association. She stated that longtime residents reject the increasing decay around their homes.

“A lot of people think that because we live in what was referred to as the War Zone years ago, that we might be used to seeing this type of urban decay, but we are not,” added Baca.

Disputes arise over Good Neighbor Agreement

City Director of Family and Community Services Carol Pierce met with neighborhood leaders to draft an agreement. Pierce called the document a mutual promise between the city and local residents.

Talks deteriorated when neighbors attempted to stop the shelter project through legal action. The city later presented a final document without the requested two-mile patrol perimeter.

Three neighborhood presidents refused. Pierce stated the city still honors the agreement during ongoing monthly meetings.

“We wanted to land it, so we could keep moving on. And so, we’re continuing to meet monthly and doing above and beyond that agreement,” Pierce said.

Neighbors sought a legally binding document. They requested daily encampment sweeps within two miles of the center on Gibson Blvd SE.

“A quarter mile barely scratches the surface of where we are concerned that the impact might lie,” Baca said.

Complaints mount outside quarter mile patrol zone

A drive through the quarter-mile boundary showed clear streets. Conditions deteriorated sharply across the surrounding International District blocks outside that boundary.

Observations recorded outside the designated quarter-mile patrol zone over three months included:

• Overflowing shopping carts blocking sidewalks, parking lots, and roadways
• People sleeping in the roadway and makeshift tents
• A man throwing knives directly at a tree
• A hammock tied outside a preschool beside a shouting woman
• Personal belongings stacked outside shuttered and abandoned area storefronts

Only one officer appeared during three months of observations. “And this is all within eyeshot of three schools!” Baca exclaimed.

Pierce told reporters that the general municipal team patrols areas outside the quarter-mile zone. She denied that the facility attracts unhoused individuals to the surrounding neighborhoods.

“I don’t see it that way. So, what we do know, have there been encampments in the parks in that area? Yes. The magnetization? No,” she said.

Baca noted that residents submit numerous reports to the 311 municipal telephone line. Public records confirmed 319 encampment calls occurred over a five-month reporting span.

City crews give campers 72 hours to leave unless immediate danger exists. “It feels like sweeping water, basically, every time that they do it,” Baca said.

Residents asked Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller to inspect the neighborhood conditions in person. Perea stated that Keller refused their neighborhood tour invitations.

Keller highlighted community investments when an area restaurant closed after 60 years in business. He cited ongoing city upgrades at Wilson Park, Phil Chacon Park, and Mesa Verde Park.

“It feels like we’re being abandoned,” Baca explained. “It feels dismissive, and it feels like a lost cause. Only we don’t feel that way about our homes and our communities.”

Mayoral spokesperson Ava Montoya stated the administration has received no formal invitation to the meetings. Montoya stated the city remains open to productive discussions regarding community needs.

Municipal overnight shelters provide temporary beds and resources for people experiencing homelessness. Cities often establish neighborhood agreements to coordinate safety protocols and cleanups in adjacent zones.

The City of Albuquerque continues to review encampment complaints as community meetings proceed.