Albuquerque, the Hidden Cultures

Sitala has written a book about the darker side of Albuquerque that was published at the start of September, 2009.

Sitala had a local editor (named as Hunter Cristofferson).

With a population of almost five hundred and fifty thousand people, Albuquerque is the largest city in New Mexico. The city holds such interests as the University of New Mexico, the Sandia Mountains, the Petroglyph National Monument and the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute. Between the parks, the Pueblo Revival architecture and the significant artistic pursuits, Albuquerque has a lot to offer.

So it can come to a surprise to many than beneath the surface lurks a hidden depth to the city. The Southeast Heights, a fairly large portion of the city, is ruled by gangs and criminals. Police fear to go into the neighbourhood as just stepping past the border of San Mateo Boulevard is enough to take their lives into their hands. But how did this area of the city, known as the Warzone, come to be? One reporter decided to find out, and write about her discoveries in the underbelly of Albuquerque.

Statistics

With a crime rate of 72 per one thousand residents, Albuquerque has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes - from the smallest towns to the very largest cities. One's chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 14. Within New Mexico, more than 96% of the communities have a lower crime rate than Albuquerque.

Importantly, when you compare Albuquerque to other communities of similar population, then Albuquerque crime rate (violent and property crimes combined) is quite a bit higher than average. Regardless of how Albuquerque does relative to all communities in America of all sizes, its crime rate per thousand residents stands out as higher than most.

Now let us turn to take a look at how Albuquerque does for violent crimes specifically, and then how it does for property crimes. This is important because the overall crime rate can be further illuminated by understanding if violent crime or property crimes (or both) are the major contributors to the general rate of crime in Albuquerque.

For Albuquerque, the violent crime rate is one of the highest in the nation, across communities of all sizes (both large and small). Violent offenses tracked included forcible rape, murder and non-negligent manslaughter, armed robbery, and aggravated assault, including assault with a deadly weapon. According to analysis of FBI reported crime data, your chance of becoming a victim of one of these crimes in Albuquerque is one in 110.

In addition, a lot of the crime that takes place in Albuquerque is property crime. Property crimes that are tracked for this analysis are burglary, larceny over fifty dollars, motor vehicle theft, and arson. In Albuquerque, your chance of becoming a victim of a property crime is one in 16, which is a rate of 62 per one thousand population.

Albuquerque has one of the highest rates of motor vehicle theft in the nation according to our analysis of FBI crime data. This is compared to communities of all sizes, from the smallest to the largest. In fact, your chance of getting your car stolen if you live in Albuquerque is one in 110. Source

The History of the Warzone

The war zone, it has been referred to by some. A physically land-locked walking community, the area is framed by Lomas and Central and Louisiana and Wyoming. One of Albuquerque's first post World War II neighborhoods, it is home to much of the City's immigrant population and largest Native American community. The low socioeconomic neighborhood is scene to high crime, gangs, and rampant drug activity. It is also where young families with children are trying to live, work, learn, and get established in America. [1]

In this chapter, it examines a brief history of Albuquerque and the Warzone in particular, focusing on how it came to be the dangerous place it is today.

The Bikers of New Mexico

Some outlaw motorcycle clubs can be distinguished by a 1% patch worn on the colors. This is claimed to be a reference to a comment made by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in which they stated that 99% of motorcyclists were law-abiding citizens, implying that the last one percent were outlaws. The comment, supposedly a response to the Hollister riot in 1947, is denied by the AMA—who claim to have no record of such a statement to the press, and that the story is a misquotation. As a result, some outlaw motorcycle clubs used it to unite or express themselves and are commonly referred to as "one percenters". [2]

There are a disproportionate amount of these one percenters in Albuquerque - if the statistic is true, then most of those 1% must be in the Warzone. However, these clubs still have their own laws, their own structures and are far from the disorganised, purely violent rabble imaging that might be conjured up by the uneducated.

This chapter contains an explanation of the motorcycle clubs, with how they organise their hierarchy. It also contains some of her own experiences in being protected by one club, that it doesn't name, and how their violence is centred around rival gangs rather than random, innocent people.

Gangs of Albuquerque

Gangs may consist of a few individuals with little organization who commit minor crimes to highly organized groups with numerous members involved in sophisticated transnational crimes and criminal enterprise. Gangs form for many different reasons - including profit through criminal activity, territorial claims, protection, culture or community history.

Gangs that commit most quality of life crimes that affect communities and neighborhoods are criminal street gangs. In New Mexico, a criminal street gang is defined as three or more persons having a common identifying sign or symbol, or an identifiable leadership who continuously or regularly associate in the commission of criminal activities.[3]

According to the Albuquerque Police Department, our city has 7,800 “ranked in” members of some 200 criminal street gangs. That doesn’t include taggers, pee wees and wannabees. It’s the number of criminals who have satisfied minimum entrance requirements for street gang membership. [4]

Without mentioning names, this chapter explores the prevelance of street gangs in Albuquerque. It's more of a general overview than anything too personal, although there is an interview with one gang member who talks about it being like a family.

Drugs and Dealers

In Albuquerque and other urban areas of the state, violence is often associated with drug-related gang activity. There are approximately 680 gangs totaling 13,800 members in New Mexico. Many of these gangs are involved in drug-related activities. Among these are prison gangs, including New Mexico Syndicate and Barrio Azteca, and street gangs, such as the 18th Street, Los Padillas, and San Jose gangs. The retail distribution of illicit drugs is the primary source of income for gangs in New Mexico. As a result, gangs often resort to violence to protect their turf and distribution base. The competition for drug distribution has intensified gang rivalries, leading to violent confrontations and adversely affecting public safety in the urban areas of the state. [5]

This chapter contains an interview with a Drug Dealer in a gang in the Warzone. It details how the guy got into the gang because of family issues, gew up in the 'Zone and how the drug trade flourishes with addicts always needing their fix. It's written in a fairly unbiased way, without romanticising or condoning drug use.

Organised Crime in Albuquerque

Once a gang shifts away from turf orientation and petty crimes ("First Generation Gang") and begins organizing illegal activities with a money making focus, they become what is characterized as a "Second Generation Gang". Second generation gang activities tend to be drug-centric, operate in broader areas and have a centralized leadership. Most urban gangs fit into the first and second generation characterizations.

Organized crime is defined by the FBI as any group having a formalized structure whose primary objective is to obtain money through illegal activities. Gangs perpetuate control of enterprises and illegal activities through threatened and actual violence, graft, and extortion. Turf wars and gang pride are still important however, the focus becomes more about the money. [6]

This article touches briefly on the Mafia and on their presence in Albuquerque. It quite carefully doesn't mention any names or places, although talks about strippers, protection rackets and threats.

Conclusion

While Sita makes no real overarching judgements, she does say that the Warzone is unlikely to change any time soon, as there are far too many people who want it to stay the same. She mentions the hard work of the Albuquerque Police Department and praises their efforts and she thinks that if people keep refusing to give in to the darkness, eventually it will be just a memory.