Thousands of addicted, homeless or prostituted women of color try to survive in the District — the most crime-ridden area of Albuquerque, NM
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,... Continue Reading →
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.... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
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,... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
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."... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
I’m late and the party is in full swing when I arrive. Several volunteers sorting through donations of clothing, accessories, but shoes go to the front of the line. Tonight one of our generous volunteers sent three shoes without mates. If you are reading this and find them, we’ve set their mates aside please feel... Continue Reading →
The clock is ticking on our billboards so I drove up and down Central Avenue one last time to check them out. Any day now they will be replaced by the next campaign. Despite the promised 1.8 million views, there were only a handful of new leads. No one named the serial murderer. No one... Continue Reading →
It is not our job to be sweet and "everything nice" in order to protect the feelings of people who clearly don't care about our feelings (or safety). We get to draw boundaries and define who we are.
Women of the District 