Thursday, January 04, 2007
SWOP homepageAlibi's Best and Worst '06
Worst of 2006 - Mayor Shuts Down Youth Project
Oh, Mr. Mayor. Sometimes you just make things more complicated than they need to be. You really didn't need to call the kids from the SouthWest Organizing Project (SWOP) “those people” or use big words like “repugnant” and “ghettoize.” You said yourself that their permit to use Civic Plaza for Rock Out With Your Cause Out in August was denied for perfectly legitimate reasons--why attack their form of personal expression?
We know that graffiti, when done illegally on public property, is a weak, disrespectful, shallow act—the kids at SWOP know it, too. You could have held your press conference, pointed to the fact that the permit deadline was missed and been done with it. Instead, you picked a fight with a core of Albuquerque's youth (again), dragged SWOP's name through the mud and didn't look back. You should rethink your decision on a youth department—the future of Albuquerque deserves more respect.
