Thirty-three homicides

By Dan Klein

This Albuquerque homicide update will touch on a national issue so bear with me please.

APD reported on March 23, 2021, that another homicide has occurred in the Westgate area and a second that occurred about hours later at 7400 Central NE. This makes 33 homicides in Albuquerque so far this year. Mayor Tim Keller, in announcing his re-election bid, stated that Albuquerque is on the right path. With this many homicides, is this the “right path” Keller talks about? It seems Keller’s path is taking Albuquerque down the road to perdition.

ABQREPORT will continue to count the 4 bodies found at the Sunport in this number until that beacon of transparency, APD PIO Gilbert Gallegos, provides factual proof as to where these murders occurred. So far he hasn’t, so we will continue to count them.

On a national level, after a year of quarantine that saw the number of mass shootings in America drop dramatically, states are starting to open up and so are the number of mass shootings. In the last week we have witnessed 8 Americans murdered in Atlanta and yesterday we witnessed 10 Americans murdered in Boulder. One week ago in Chicago there were 38 shootings, four of which were fatal. Communities and politicians are all shouting the same verse they sing after every mass shooting, “enough is enough.” “It’s time we do something.” “This can’t be the norm.” It’s a broken record of outrage and do nothing.

In my opinion if the mass murder of dozens of kindergarteners and 1st graders at Sandy Hook didn’t prompt change, nothing will. I have to ask, “what change will make these mass shootings end?” There are so many guns in America, and this country is so divided politically, that if the government attempted to take guns away I fear it would lead to more bloodletting. So what is the answer? I have no clue.

As a nation we express outrage but we have no answer that would not lead to more deaths. I don’t want to accept this as the normal, but I don’t know what else to say. Do you? If you have ideas send them to ABQREPORT.