Monday, May 02, 2005
SWOP homepageAnti-Cruising Ordinance Deferred
At the beginning of tonight's city council meeting, Councilor Craig Loy (District 8) had the votes to get his anti-cruising bill passed. After the city's car clubs and cruisers debated with APD and the Downtown Action Team, the council voted to defer the bill by a vote of 6 - 2 until a compromise could be reached.
The bill would have given Albuquerque Police Dept and the City Council the authority to ban people from driving up and down the same street more than three times over a span of a couple hours if APD could show it was necessary in a given area.
"I can't believe it!" exclaimed one regular observer at the council's Monday night meetings.
You heard it here first, the ABQ city council actually listened to public comment and was swayed.
La Familia Car Club, Lo Nuestro Car Club, Burque Knights Car Club and others came out and spoke out against the curfew.
The new APD Police Chief, the Downtown Action Team and a couple of bar owners downtown spoke in favor, saying cruising was the major source of perceived problems with unruliness downtown.
The car clubs, made up of (mostly) young Chicana(o)s, called the anti-cruising legislation unconstitutional, unenforceable and an attack on NM's heritage and culture.
Come back tomorrow morning for pictures and more on this unlikely victory by some of Albuquerque's young people. They should be proud of themselves.
The bill would have given Albuquerque Police Dept and the City Council the authority to ban people from driving up and down the same street more than three times over a span of a couple hours if APD could show it was necessary in a given area.
"I can't believe it!" exclaimed one regular observer at the council's Monday night meetings.
You heard it here first, the ABQ city council actually listened to public comment and was swayed.
La Familia Car Club, Lo Nuestro Car Club, Burque Knights Car Club and others came out and spoke out against the curfew.
The new APD Police Chief, the Downtown Action Team and a couple of bar owners downtown spoke in favor, saying cruising was the major source of perceived problems with unruliness downtown.
The car clubs, made up of (mostly) young Chicana(o)s, called the anti-cruising legislation unconstitutional, unenforceable and an attack on NM's heritage and culture.
Come back tomorrow morning for pictures and more on this unlikely victory by some of Albuquerque's young people. They should be proud of themselves.
