This is Our District

We were once one of the most vibrant areas of Albuquerque, welcoming visitors along the neon-lined path of hope known as Route 66.

We gave lodging to the weary, entertained guests from across the country, and welcomed immigrants from around the world. A great many of these new Americans settled into our district and gave birth to the most diverse area of our growing city, District 6.

Sadly, civic leaders forgot about us in the rush to build anew in other parts of town.

The time has come to stop begging and start taking action.

We've weathered economic segregation, racial tensions, crime, and drug epidemics along with some pretty unfair characterizations of our people. Over the past 50 years, we've taken the brunt of many administrations' attempts to centralize LULUs (Locally Unwanted Land Uses) within our borders while ignoring pleas for help with revitalization and redevelopment.

We need strong leadership, we need a loud voice, and we need action. We deserve to shine again, just like the neon which welcomed so many so long ago.

Together, we will light the way for a better tomorrow.

Modern-day Redlining: Inequality and Segregation in District 6

In my role as liaison for my neighborhood for the City's Gateway shelter project at the Gibson Health Hub, I started to take note of the saturation of social services housed in our District, primarily in the International District.

These services are critical to serving the populations that need them, but concentrating the bulk of our City's social services in one quadrant of the City fuels economic segregation and leads to a host of unintended consequences - consequences that the residents of our communities live with on a day to day basis. Even within our own District, there is a great disparity in the health of the neighborhoods west of San Mateo and those to the east of this corridor.

I took on the job of building a map highlighting the full roster of services citywide (with the exception of domestic violence shelters, which are not listed for safety reasons), and the inequity became evidently clear:

From baseline shelters, addiction services, mental health facilities, to meal sites, halfway houses on city, state, and federal levels, and wellness centers for the disadvantaged, the burden we carry for the rest of the city is heavy - more than 50% of services are located in D6.

We are collapsing under this weight, and we desperately need the other eight districts to step up as need exists citywide, not just in the Southeast.

Updates for the 2023 redistricting are in-progress as I track each service provider to verify current location and operation. Current work reflects an uptick in services relocating to D6 and the Gibson Health Hub.

REAL VOICES FROM DISTRICT 6

  • District 6 needs someone who’s not only listening, but willing to take action. Kristin has proven she can do that time and again from the Gateway Center to the unhoused and the homeless, and to economic development. Kristin is tenacios. She absolutely will not stop until she sees progress and change.

    TAMAYA TOULOUSE
    5th Generation Southeast Heights Resident

  • Kristin has demonstrated the grassroots ability to communicate with many of our residents in District 6 and our City Staff. I’m endorsing Kristin for her ability to be a straight communicator, doing so with integrity and compassion.

    JANET SIMON
    Resident, Parkland Hills

  • I’ve lived in Parland Hills for over 30 years. Kristin would represent the area exceptionally well because she has lived and done the work to make the community a better place. She represents change and wants a better community for all of us who live in this part of town.

    VERA WATSON
    Resident, Parkland Hils

  • Kristin is the one candidate who has consistently shown up, been there, spoken, and done the work for our neighborhoods. She’s the only candidate who has pledged to be a full-time councilor. In District 6, we need full-time representation.

    PATRICIA WILSON
    Resident, District 6

WATCH ALL TESTIMONIALS