ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A broad bill looking to help fill Downtown Albuquerque’s vacant buildings could also add new rules against blocking sidewalks, and that could affect everyone from protesters to the homeless.
“I do believe this will make a difference,” said City Councilor Joaquin Baca.
“We want a place we all feel safe walking around, and this is not the way to do it,” said Maria Martinez Sanchez, the legal director for ACLU of New Mexico.
There’s split reaction to the potential changes to Downtown. Within Councilor Baca’s proposal to help fill vacant Downtown buildings, there are also rules that could make it illegal to form a line across a sidewalk while carrying banners and signs – or what some would see as protesting.
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“We definitely see some legal vulnerabilities; it opens up the city to another costly lawsuit that I just don’t think it needs to be in, wants to be in,” said Martinez Sanchez.
Baca now said he’ll introduce changes to that language, which could alleviate concerns. Those amendments are expected to be heard during Monday’s city council meeting.