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Albuquerque, the Hidden Cultures

From Masq

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).

Contents
1 Introduction
2 Statistics
3 The History of the Warzone
4 The Bikers of New Mexico
5 Gangs of Albuquerque
6 Drugs and Dealers
7 Organised Crime in Albuquerque
8 Conclusion

Introduction
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 (http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/nm/albuquerque/crime/#description)
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]

(http://apsfacilities.org/facilities/whats_happening/fac_innov/fac_hps/lmecc.php)

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]

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outlaw_motorcycle_club)

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] (http://stopabqgangs.org)

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] (http://alibi.com/news/20075/Albuquerques-Right-wing-Death-Squads.html)

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]

(http://www.justice.gov/ndic/pubs07/803/overview.htm)

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] (http://stopabqgangs.org/default.aspx?act=frontpage.aspx&name=Organized+Crime)

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.

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