First, the April 22 slaying of US postal service carrier Jose Hernandez in broad daylight in Westgate Heights sent the city reeling. Then over the weekend a second high profile murder struck before the city had time to catch its breath. 

The killing of 23 year old UNM baseball player Jackson Weller outside the late night dining spot Last Call early Saturday at the city's once thriving Nob Hill, now a shabby replica of its once swaggering self, forced Mayor Keller and APD Chief Geier to adopt a different tone in their reaction. Keller declared:

Jose Hernandez

I am saddened and angered by the news that a student’s life was taken last night. I am getting updates regularly from APD as they work hard to solve this case and bring the killer to justice.

That sounded like the blog advice the mayor received from former cop and ABQ attorney Tom Grover and others who urged him to toughen his tone as the gun violence grows increasingly shocking. It is also penetrating stratas of society previously thought immune--a federal employee and a UNM student athlete.

The tougher talk is essential if the criminal class is going to in any way feel confronted by the political and law enforcement apparatus of this city but the fear that an ultimate solution may evade us is seeping into the body politic. This from one of our Senior Alligators:

The city's crime solution of putting more police on the streets may be futile. They have plenty of police in Chicago and Baltimore and the gun violence has not ceased. It has become institutionalized in drugs, gangs and economic deprivation. With an anemic economy that produces mainly low-wage jobs, the point of no return--at least for the foreseeable future--may be being reached in ABQ or already has been. 

That the gun violence has been escalating for several years and maintaining its higher levels attests to the concern that rather than a curable anomaly we are seeing a poisoned and sickened culture become permanent, one that darkens the landscapes of other American metro areas, albeit much larger than ours.

THE ART COUNCIL

Benton and Davis

Keller gets plenty of empathy for what he faces, even if impatience is brewing. He followed into office arguably the worst mayor and police chief in city history who ran APD into the ground and did nothing to improve the economy--except to bring us the disastrous ART project on Central Avenue that continues to reduce businesses to shells of their former selves or runs them out of business entirely.

Then there's the ABQ City Council, a group of nine who have been absent without leave for years when it comes to the city's crime epidemic and economic decline/stagnation. They are now trying to play catch up by proposing $1.5 million in funding for police bike patrols on Central as business owners deal with a plight brought to them by former Mayor RJ Berry, and as reader John Strong points out, also by some of the very councilors who are now seeking re-election this year:

Joe, I read with much interest the recent proposals by four of our city councilors to spend  $1.5M on additional police and safety measures along Central because of the struggles businesses are having recovering from the failed ART project ( I live at 15th and Central) There is no question that there is a problem, but I would remind people that three of these council members (Pat Davis, Ike Benton, and Ken Sanchez) voted for this debacle while completely ignoring the clear wishes of the citizens who live here. The public was correct in wanting to have very careful due diligence and public involvement before tinkering with Central Avenue, but instead seven council members decided the public didn't need a voice in this, and rammed it down our throats anyway, and now here we are. Not too worry though, they're coming to the rescue to atone for their horrible judgment, and of course they want to be re-elected as well.

Benton and Davis are seeking re-election this year, with Benton feeling the most heat, particularly from two young opponents. Davis has not drawn a strong challenger because of his appeal as a progressive in the very liberal district but also because so much of it is riddled with crime and violence who would want to take on the mess?