On June 20, Albuquerque Republican City Council member Brook Bassan announced a stunning withdrawal of support for the “Safe Outdoor Spaces” amendment to the Integrated Development Ordinance and withdrew her sponsorship of the proposal.
The City Councilwoman announced her decision via email and wrote, “I initially supported sanctioned encampments based on the understanding that existing vagrancy, loitering, trespassing and overnight camping laws would be enforced once we created the sanctioned encampments. However, upon hearing Mayor Tim Keller’s recent press conference statements, it has become clear that this enforcement is highly unlikely to occur. That means creating sanctioned encampments won’t work.” Bassan was likely referring to comments made by Mayor Tim Keller on June 14, as reported by Albuquerque Journal.
Bassan’s reversal of support comes after an Albuquerque neighborhood association meeting on June 16 that saw a record turnout. According to KOB 4 News, approximately 150 angry community members showed up to question Bassan about the new Safe Outdoor Spaces being implemented throughout the city near residential areas.
At the meeting, Bassan told the crowd that the encampments were never going to be near residential properties.
Albuquerque Attorney Pete Dinelli wrote in a blog post, "It was false when Bassan said, ‘I can guarantee you it was never going to happen near residential properties.’ Basaan could not make such a guarantee that the city nor private property owners will be prevented from establishing safe open spaces on property owned nor apply for a special use," Dinelli wrote in the blog post. "The map prepared by the city of where Safe Outdoor spaces will be allowed reveals upwards of 15% of the city will allow for ‘safe outdoor spaces’ as a ‘permissive use’ or ‘conditional use’ on property that abut residential areas."
Following Bassan’s reversal of support of the “Safe Outdoor Spaces” amendment, the Albuquerque City Council will have the option to reconsider their vote on the Integrated Development Ordinance on June 22 and vote on the Safe Outdoor Space resolution being prepared by the Family and Community Services Department, according to Dinelli’s blog post.
Dinelli wrote that reconsideration of the Integrated Development Ordinance would require at least one city councilor who voted for the IDO, which included Republicans Trudy Jones or Brook Bassan, and Democrats Isaac Benton, Pat Davis and Tammy Fiebelkorn, to change their vote.