On April 14, 2021, President Biden announced that the United States would withdraw all troops from Afghanistan. He gave a rigid timeline of September 11, 2021, to make that happen and his deadline was not only met but also, in fact, troops left earlier than planned.
The consequences of the withdrawal have been devasting on Afghanistan and its people.
Decisions made in government perhaps in haste or simply in order to “appear” is if our leaders are doing something-almost anything- to address a problem are often misguided and the policies implemented fail.
This happens nationally, as with Biden’s withdrawal plan, and it happens locally which we have seen in Española on two issues, the Santa Clara Apartment evictions and the new anti-panhandling ordinance.
The fever high pitch and clamor that our leaders often face to get something done at all costs often leads to missteps and missed opportunities. Whether they occur because of miscalculations, lack of time to analyze properly, or tunnel vision, leaders ought to rise above the noise, take their time and set a path toward creating real, long-term solutions.
These solutions should impart to all stakeholders a renewed sense of optimism that the next chapter will be better because we have at least tried to solve the problem. If not, hasty decisions do nothing more than leave a half sticky band aid on the coco.
That’s what we see with the City of Espanola’s decision to close the Santa Clara Apartments. Without so much as a strategy in place to house the families being evicted, the city locked the doors. Two days before Thanksgiving, while most of us prepared for a feast, dozens of families were left in the cold with nowhere to go. No plan. No warning. Just a hasty “get out”.
Let’s be clear. This needed to happen. Those apartments were a clear abhorrence and a danger to our community. In fact, the process that led to this eventual closure started over a year ago. The management company had been asked to bring its conditions up to par. The low standards this building kept for its residents remained third world. Lack of lighting and fire suppression made living there dangerous; the situation was deplorable. The City did the right thing by closing it down. But what a missed opportunity to try to find adequate housing for some of Espanola’s most vulnerable and desperate citizens. What are we telling those who can’t afford to move, can’t afford a car, much less food on the kitchen table? That they don’t matter? That they don’t count because they’re not in the right district and probably don’t vote anyway?
When this community leaves one apartment community behind, we stand to lose more than citizens; we stand to lose our dignity.
I know of at least one city councilor, Denise Benavidez, who has tried to find last minute food, shelter and clothing for those effected by the condemnation. Kudos to her and others who have helped.
Many of the people living at the Santa Clara apartments share similar living conditions to hundreds if not thousands of people in Espanola. They share similar addictions and similar paths. They find no joy in their addictions. There is only emptiness and pain. But it comes at a cost: physical, emotional, and financial. When I was mayor, my administration once tried to calculate the amount of money the city spends with police and emergency response teams treating individuals who overdose. We pegged the figure at approximately $300,000-$350,000 that the city spends each year to respond to people with some kind of a drug or alcohol related event. Most often, these were repeat calls to the same people that required resuscitative services.
The mental health and addiction rehabilitation needs that our community deserves are tremendous. And we don’t have the financial wherewithal to meet them. Not least of which when we spend over a quarter of a million dollars just responding to calls and trying to put out the fires.
Last month, New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams moved to hospitalize more mentally ill people involuntarily. Yes, you read that correctly. Involuntarily. Years of demonizing mental health institutions has pushed patients literally out into the streets. When families couldn’t care for their loved ones or meet their needs, they often resorted to admitting them into mental health institutions. But with criticism over the handling of patients or the stigma associated with institutions, many people have been released and forced to fend for themselves in a world they cannot navigate. Instead, tent cities have popped up everywhere to replace the empty beds at mental health facilities.
And speaking off ill-begotten ideas, Mayor John Ramon Vigil and the city council just passed a new “Solicitation Ordinance” that it touts as an anti-panhandling law. It is meant to restrict the solicitation and actions of people on public roadways to discourage and criminalize panhandling. The “meat” of the ordinance focuses on the need to keep roadways clear and safe and delineates where people can stand. I think we can all agree that it is too dangerous to stand on the roadway regardless of what activity you’re doing. But what is this going to do about panhandling? Actions like these once again reveal how the desire to produce laws that show “we’re doing something about it” really don’t do anything about it. With panhandling and nuisance calls becoming a part of our daily lives, there is no question that something must be done. I empathize with the councilors who feel they must act. But true and steadfast leadership weathers the storm between conflicting needs and realistic outcomes. It’s lonely at the top and sometimes you have to just take the punches so that you don’t act with haste and create a law that doesn’t say much and worse, doesn’t do much.
With little chance of enforcement (did the Mayor allocate funds toward the policing of this ordinance?) given that officers are already run ragged between serviced calls, increased break-ins, and shots fired, chances of this ordinance having an impact are slight.
Sometimes it’s better to find solutions that fix the problem—or admit that we don’t have all the answers—than pat ourselves on the back for having “done something,” perhaps more for appearance than substance.
No, in the end, this is my problem as much as it is yours. With regard to panhandling, let’s expect more out of the businesses we shop at to keep our parking lots and aisles clean and safe. It’s not up to an ordinance or the police to prevent people from asking you for money. Aggressive panhandling happens in parking lots because business owners allow it. We must demand and expect more out of the big box stores and fast-food restaurants with drive up windows that allow unsavory activity to persist. Let them know when you don’t feel safe.
As for housing, drug addiction and mental health issues, let’s drop the stigma. We all have loved ones who are currently addicted, have been, or we’ve laid to rest. Their mental anguish comes at a cost. Give them the care they need; whether that’s at an institution or otherwise. And though homelessness in and of itself is not a crime, breaking and entering and trespassing is. If we don’t find solutions to finding housing and expecting responsibility out of our citizenry, harder times will come to all of us.
Complex issues are complex for a reason. They cannot be solved easily. They require time and intense thought. Hasty decisions and ill-formulated laws make for poor leadership and terrible governance. For instance, pulling out of Afghanistan may have been a good idea. But proper execution matters. All US troops finally left by the end of August 2021 with detrimental consequences. This exit resulted in the Taliban regaining control of the country and created a refugee crisis beyond belief.
The same holds true for Espanola where the implementation of policy is what matters. Condemning the Santa Clara Apartment building was important. Throwing people out in the cold without warning two days before Thanksgiving could have been avoided. Let’s think with a kind heart and have the courage to act with temperance, conviction and patience.
Javier Sánchez is the former mayor of the City of Española, NM, and the co-owner of La Cocina New Mexican Restaurant.