Mayor Tim Keller responds to vote on ‘Safe Outdoor Spaces’


Legislation allowing for safe outdoor spaces originally passed back in June, and multiple organizations applied to open them up on properties throughout our city. On Monday night, however, the council flipped its decision and voted to prevent any new applications from being approved.The city of Albuquerque is still looking for answers to a crisis. Safe outdoor spaces were supposed to be a part of that answer. On Monday night, the Albuquerque city council voted against them 6 to 3, two months after supporting them.City Councilor Brook Bassan said, “When we’re talking about making sure those who are unhoused have an option and have somewhere safe to be, but we have to do that without trampling on the rights of everyone else in Albuquerque.”So, what changed? In early August, the council rejected a bill that would require the city to post rules on how each encampment would operate. Councilor Pat Davis says the lack of rules has led many to assume that these spaces will look exactly like Coronado Park.”The community is all fired up because they think every one of the safe outdoor spaces will look like the one downtown without any rules. We saw a new group of people, lots of new faces, and they managed to convince a couple of city councilors to try a different route,” Davis said.Councilor Brook Bassan was one of the votes that flipped after supporting safe outdoor spaces.”I agree we’re backpedaling on things. I don’t like it either, but there’s a reason why I’m doing it. Even though many support safe outdoor spaces, way more are saying they don’t want them,” Bassan said.Mayor Tim Keller played a significant role in proposing safe outdoor spaces in the spring. His office gave KOAT this statement: “It is incredibly unhelpful for city council to pass safe outdoor space legislation and then waffle mere months later while the community is already working to establish them.””The mayor says it’s unhelpful, and I think it’s frustrating. This is not the big solution that puts everybody out on the street corner tomorrow in a safe place. This is the one that separates the folks who don’t want to go to a shelter and are comfortable being outside but don’t want to be exploited,” Davis said.Now, the moratorium will go to Mayor Tim Keller, and he has three options. He can either veto and send it back to the council, sign the moratorium into law, or do nothing and let it take effect.Councilor Davis said the lack of a plan caused the big turnaround against these safe outdoor spaces, and Keller was one of their original supporters. The mayor does have the option to create executive orders laying out how the spaces will be run before sending the legislation back to the council to be voted on again.

Legislation allowing for safe outdoor spaces originally passed back in June, and multiple organizations applied to open them up on properties throughout our city. On Monday night, however, the council flipped its decision and voted to prevent any new applications from being approved.

The city of Albuquerque is still looking for answers to a crisis. Safe outdoor spaces were supposed to be a part of that answer. On Monday night, the Albuquerque city council voted against them 6 to 3, two months after supporting them.

City Councilor Brook Bassan said, “When we’re talking about making sure those who are unhoused have an option and have somewhere safe to be, but we have to do that without trampling on the rights of everyone else in Albuquerque.”

So, what changed? In early August, the council rejected a bill that would require the city to post rules on how each encampment would operate. Councilor Pat Davis says the lack of rules has led many to assume that these spaces will look exactly like Coronado Park.

“The community is all fired up because they think every one of the safe outdoor spaces will look like the one downtown without any rules. We saw a new group of people, lots of new faces, and they managed to convince a couple of city councilors to try a different route,” Davis said.

Councilor Brook Bassan was one of the votes that flipped after supporting safe outdoor spaces.

“I agree we’re backpedaling on things. I don’t like it either, but there’s a reason why I’m doing it. Even though many support safe outdoor spaces, way more are saying they don’t want them,” Bassan said.

Mayor Tim Keller played a significant role in proposing safe outdoor spaces in the spring. His office gave KOAT this statement: “It is incredibly unhelpful for city council to pass safe outdoor space legislation and then waffle mere months later while the community is already working to establish them.”

“The mayor says it’s unhelpful, and I think it’s frustrating. This is not the big solution that puts everybody out on the street corner tomorrow in a safe place. This is the one that separates the folks who don’t want to go to a shelter and are comfortable being outside but don’t want to be exploited,” Davis said.

Now, the moratorium will go to Mayor Tim Keller, and he has three options. He can either veto and send it back to the council, sign the moratorium into law, or do nothing and let it take effect.

Councilor Davis said the lack of a plan caused the big turnaround against these safe outdoor spaces, and Keller was one of their original supporters. The mayor does have the option to create executive orders laying out how the spaces will be run before sending the legislation back to the council to be voted on again.


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