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.”

They even put up signs.

The new name makes sense.

Albuquerque is a Catholic Charities hub city, so when international refugees need a new place to call home, they are relocated here. And because the War Zone — sorry, the International District — has the cheapest rents and lowest cost of living, they are specifically relocated to it.

Starting the 1990s, the first group to make their new home here were Cuban. Then Vietnamese. Then Central American. Now East African. They have infused the area with uniquely spiced restaurants and exotic grocery stores unseen in the rest of the state, which is known more for its burritos and green chile than its global cuisine.

That’s why I was a good girl and called it the International District for years. I still do when talking with local officials I don’t want to offend.

But it is a War Zone.

Almost every night there is automatic gunfire. Police and EMS sirens are heard every few minutes as is shouting and street fights. Seeing an unconscious person on the side of the road is so common that most people go by without noticing. When someone calls to report a dead body, it takes EMS about 10 minutes to respond. I know because I’ve done it three times.

And like in so many wars, it’s the women who suffer the most. An average of 40% of all the street women who live in the War Zone will be raped each month. That’s right. I said each month. Most street women are raped several times a year.

Internationally, officials and commentators now recognize rape as a “weapon of war.” In Eastern Congo — where the prevalence of rape is described as the worst in the world — 30% of women reported being sexually assaulted during their civil war.

That means that rape is much more common in the War Zone of Albuquerque than in the world’s worst actual warzone.

According to the UN, war rape is a type of genocide that is committed with the intent to destroy a targeted group.

The men who target the women of the War Zone are definitely intent on destroying them. The serial rapists — of which there are dozens — will actually tell the women that as they are attacking them.

How do I know all of this?

Because I’ve taken more than 990 rape reports from the women of the War Zone.

I know some of you will doubt the severity of the problem. I know you might think I’m exaggerating.

Click here if you want proof. It’s a list going back almost 10 years that gives descriptions of the men who attack street women in Albuquerque. The information is provided by the victims and put into a weekly “Bad Guy List,” which then printed and handed out. About three to five new reports are added each week detailing sexual assaults, gang rapes, kidnappings and attempted homicides.

This is why it’s hard for me to call this small patch of streets anything other than the War Zone.

Because that’s what it is.

And the women here are in fight for their survival.

—  By Christine Barber, executive director, Street Safe New Mexico

The Bad Guy List from the week of April 15, 2015