Mayor Tim Keller took action last week to keep safe outdoor spaces for homeless people in Albuquerque.
When the City Council met at the start on Wednesday, it voted on a bill that would have removed terminology such as “safe outdoor space” from the zoning laws. The members pushing for this change were unable to gather the necessary support to make the bill stick. The proposal had initially been approved during a meeting held in December, but Mayor Keller vetoed the proposal. In order to override Mayor Keller’s veto, the council needed six votes, but only got five.
Safe outdoor spaces are classified as spaces where people can sleep in tents in vehicles while getting access to showers and toilets. The council approved safe outdoor spaces in June, but members of the council spent the following months trying to make them illegal again.
Two outdoor safe spaces are currently operating in parking lots outside of the Albuquerque Opportunity Center and the West Side Shelter. They are reserved exclusively for people who are camping out in vehicles. Banner printing could be used to identify safe outdoor spaces like these.
This is the third time Mayor Keller has used his veto powers to quash an attempt from the council to outlaw these space, with the same four members on the council voting with him each time.
