Crime in New Mexico is becoming harder and harder for people even in the most comfortable places in this state to ignore. I can’t name a single person I know personally that hasn’t been impacted by crime in some way in recent years.
In my hometown of Española the signs are everywhere. The most notable example is how businesses have had to adjust to this reality.
We have drug stores locking common items like batteries or razor blades behind the counter similar to the way you purchase alcohol or cigarettes, gas stations that used to be open late into the night closing their doors at 9 o’clock and playing opera music loudly as an attempt to cut down on loitering, graffiti all over our parks and places of business. Even if you avoid so-called “rough areas” we are all being impacted. Higher prices, less small and local businesses, and a general sense that you don’t feel safe has never been so palpable.
More and more people I know are starting to carry personal protection to carry out basic tasks, more are choosing to shop in different places or online. Walking the streets for my campaign for city council I have never seen so many “No Trespassing” signs or home security cameras. Facebook groups are filled with post after post about how items have been stolen from people’s yards.
While our leaders have started to talk more about crime it almost feels as if they are deeply out of touch. We shouldn’t have waited for homicides to start creeping up to try and deal with this issue. Albuquerque has been one of the top cities for property theft in the country for almost 2 decades.
We all need to do everything we can to increase our public safety. This general sense of uneasiness and feeling unsafe is wreaking havoc on our mental health and ability to build strong community bonds. We need more enforcement, more police officers, as well as cleaner and safer cities.
Sam LeDoux is a candidate for Española city council and is an educator and activist who’s worked in government and politics for over a decade.