Residents invite mayoral candidates on tour of city’s ‘troubled areas’

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Instead of asking the mayor to address their concerns, a group of people who are fed up with crime in their neighborhood are going straight to the eight candidates who will be asking for your vote in October.

The group invited the candidates running for mayor to go on a walking tour through some of Albuquerque’s downtown neighborhoods.

“When we asked people suggestions about places to stop and visit with the candidates, they really didn’t run out ideas,” Terry Bruner said.

Brunner, Michaela Bruzzese, and a group of about 25 other residents, formed a neighborhood alliance to try and come up with ideas on how to tackle some of the issues of homelessness, drugs, burglaries and theft.

“I grew up in this neighborhood and I’m really angry that it has been taken over by crime,” Bruzzese said. “Somebody just emailed me today and said his tools were stolen yet again and we’re just tired of it.”

But Bruzzese said they’ve lost hope in the current administration. So they’re relying on the next to take the problem seriously and really tackle the issues.

“The specific answers we want are, ‘how they are going to approach the immediate problem of crime in our area?’ Then, we want to know about the macro-problems that are creating this crime wave,” Bruzzese said.

She said candidates should be able to talk about their plans to deal with the court system, the drug problem and the “complete lack of treatment centers” in Albuquerque.

The group plans to take the candidates to some of the areas they feel are “troubled.”

“We thought rather than just write a letter or send in a questionnaire, we wanted them to see firsthand the issues that we face,” Brunner said.

Brunner said they plan to take the candidates through parks and back alley, but most importantly to make connections with the people they who will come out to vote in October.

“We’re making it personal,” Brunner said. “They are going to have to look people in the eyes and tell them what they’re going to do to help change the situation and folks will remember that.”

Brunner said six out of the eight candidates have agreed to go on the tour. It’s scheduled for August 6.