Thursday, July 20, 2006
SWOP homepageThirsty for Justice: Pajarito Mesa
Excerpt from the National Housing Institute's online news source:
Thirsty for Justice
By Erin Sabra Fuchs
Some 200 miles from the Mexican border, residents of New Mexico’s 23-year-old Pajarito Mesa community pay taxes but lack essential services like roads, electricity and emergency services. Perhaps the most pressing need for the 1,080 residents is one that many people take for granted – water.
In 1997, the SouthWest Organizing Project (SWOP), based in Albuquerque, began organizing in Pajarito Mesa, 10 miles south of the city in Bernalillo County. SWOP exists to empower the powerless, so organizing this community seemed like a natural fit. Robby Rodriguez, SWOP’s director, says elected officials’ attitude about the disenfranchised community members could be summed up as, “Why should we care?” Read More:
