Coronado Park (Journal)

Public impatience over the homeless crisis first cropped up in California and now has breezed into ABQ as Mayor Tim Keller went before a conservative business group Monday and announced the closure of Coronado Park near Downtown.

The park near Second Street and I-40 has become the permanent home for an estimated 100+ homeless and a blight on the community, riddled as it is with drug and alcohol abuse, unsanitary conditions and periodic violence.

That Keller is at wits end over Coronado and the homeless problem in general was evident when he admitted he does not know what the future holds:

The announcement came before NAIOP, the commercial real estate development group dominated by Republicans, and was an abrupt rejection of the progressive philosophy to live and let live when it comes to the homeless, a rejection also seen recently by liberal politicians in San Francisco and elsewhere. 

(Keller did say the city would "revisit" its homeless policies at his early July state of the city speech.) 

But Keller's acquiescence on Coronado--some called it a surrender--did not go all the way to the right. Keller said nothing about increased law enforcement to deal with the homeless as conservative Dem City Councilor Louie Sanchez and GOP Councilor Dan Lewis have been urging. 

Keller is a a creature of the city's progressive base, much of which will be infuriated with his sudden action. Bringing up law enforcement would be a bridge too far for this Mayor who is probably already suffering polling damage in the traditionally cursed second term.

What the city did bring up--confusingly--was the simultaneous announcement that a new park near Wells Park Community Center between Fifth and Sixth streets will soon open to serve the downtown area communities. 

Does that mean the homeless from Coronado will simply migrate to the new park? With the Mayor admitting he doesn't know "what we're doing next" the possibility seemed distinct.

Mayor Keller

Events have overtaken the administration on both homelessness and the crime crisis and they now appear to be grasping at straws. 

Earlier this month Keller announced an unusual plan to have downtown businesses pay extra for law enforcement in their district--on top of the taxes they are already paying. The plan promptly backfired. 

Now the closure of Coronado whose occupiers will again be offered resources to get off the street. 

One option, however, will not be offered--the once highly-touted Gateway Center (aka Gibson Health Hub.) That SE Heights facility on Gibson Blvd., site of the old Lovelace Hospital, was originally envisioned as a place for 300 beds for the homeless. In light of neighborhood opposition that capacity has for now shrunk to 50 and only for homeless women. Other services will still be offered. 

But it is a bitter pill for the city to swallow after voters approved a $14 million bond issue in 2019 to acquire the Center property, plus millions more from state, county and city coffers for start-up costs. The city council shares the blame. 

If he could, the frustrated Keller would probably give bus tickets to the homeless. Instead they are being given walking directions to their next pit stop.