Why the District is called the War Zone

Everyone calls it the “War Zone.” It’s a stretch of Albuquerque — no more than 4 square miles — that first earned its reputation in the 1990s. Since then, the nickname has became so ubiquitous the city — in an effort to fight the trend — started a re-branding campaign. Now we’re supposed to call it the “International District.”...

The serial murderer who’d still be killing if he’d been in Albuquerque

Erika Peña is a hero. She was doing a car date in Laredo, Texas, on September 14, 2018 when the man pointed a gun at her and grabbed her blouse. She was able to slip out of her shirt, escape the car then run until she found a state trooper. The man who attacked her,...

Back in the day

Back in the day when we weren't cruising Central, Tingly Beach or Montgomery the kids would go to the mesa or "The Bowl." The desert night would be lit by bonfires, music, alcohol and hope... hope that the cops didn't show up. In August 2006 there was a party like this on the southwest mesa....

Prey

I’ve talked to this woman just a few times, but there is comfort between us that allows our conversation to skip the niceties and warp speed into crime topics. Our discussion twists and turned from violence and brutality to self-preservation. She told me a story of when she was young and her and her friend...

WEST MESA: Roads with no names

This part of the West Mesa is littered with debris. Mattresses, busted entertainment centers, discards from a fancy granite countertop remodel and bags of what I think is dog feces ironically stuffed back into the dog food bags it came in. After the monsoon rain seems to be a good time to look for remains....

Life on the street = additive trauma

On the street, everything is present tense. You need rent money now. You need to find a safe place to sleep now. You need to get away from the man attacking you now. There is no planning for things that might happen in two hours or two days or two months. It's all action, all...

WEST MESA: ?

I run my hand along the police tape at the corner of Cenote and Beads Street. This undeveloped lot is not far from the burial site on Amole Mesa and much like that site litter and weeds have taken over. At this location crews had been clearing the area this week to start construction on...

Friday Nights: Jun. 1

L is shuffling around outreach, not sure where to go or what to do next. A few months ago I remarked on how tough she is and hearing her joke with the other women at Outreach made me think things might be okay for her. I make eye contact and ask her how she is,...

Crafting a shield of empty questions

The woman in front of me can’t stop crying. I don’t know her well enough to put an arm around her shoulders for comfort. I don’t know how to comfort her at all. Because there’s nothing to say that will erase what happened to her over the last 24 hours. She was knocked unconscious and...

Bag Scavenger

I am a bag scavenger. Moving sales, yard sales, rummage, thrift stores,... I'm looking for bags big enough to carry all the belongings I have up and down Central Avenue. This moving sale is not looking good for me. Kitchen, home goods, baby furniture and random stuff. I ask for backpacks and shoulder bags. "Ummm."...

2 words: wanna pie?

In a dusty alley running parallel to Cochiti, dustier men gather at a spot in the chain link fence. On the other side sits an immobile van that is clearly being lived in.  The roof is crammed with an array of gas cans, wheelchairs, a satellite dish, and other stolen items. A woman is allowed...