One local business owner says he was just trying to help out and improve his community. But a city fine, a lawsuit over constitutional rights, and finally a shooting death has threatened to put an end to his effort. At the center of it all, the fate of where 15 people call home hangs in the balance.
Quirky Used Books and More is nestled in a neighborhood between Albuquerque’s affluent Nob Hill and the more economically deprived International District, off of Central Avenue and Jefferson Street Northeast.
The owner, Gilum Kerley, said he wants his store to be more than just another shop, but rather a community hub where people of all walks of life can come and feel welcome. He said at first he was just letting people with nowhere else to go hang out inside when it was hot or cold out.
Then he started letting one person camp in the parking lot, and expanded when the City of Albuquerque made public camping a crime. Now an entire community has sprouted up there…