This past week, New Mexico’s Legislature met for a Special Session and passed a crucial funding bill. The bill will ensure New Mexicans hit by wildfires and floods had resources available to them. It was objectively a good thing that the legislature passed this bill and we thank them. Unfortunately, they’ve faced criticism for “not addressing the real reason” they’d been called to the special session by the Governor.
It’s time for real solutions
In New Mexico, like many other places, we face challenges with crime and community safety. These problems don’t just affect one group of people — they touch all of our lives. Whether it’s theft, violence, or any other kind of harm, we all want to feel safe where we live, work, and play.
We, as New Mexicans, are coming together to make our voices heard and deliver a clear message: no more bandaids, it’s time to address the root causes for crime and real safety issues. Voters made this clear earlier in the summer when progressive candidates won across the state. It’s clear sitting members facing reelection heard that message loud and clear.
We are tired of scare tactics and slogans. An honest conversation starts with the truth, which is that we keep expecting police, prosecutors, and prison to solve every social problem, from kids skipping school to mental illness to homelessness to gun violence.
We deserve real solutions that keep our communities safe, and these solutions require more discussion, thought, and research than what can be done in a three day special legislative session. Real solutions means neighborhood level community violence prevention, boosting youth employment, increasing access to mental health and drug treatment and affordable housing, and by focusing police resources on the most serious cases.
When people have what they need to live a good life, our communities become stronger and safer for everyone.
We are calling on our governor to work with the legislature and put forth evidence-based policies that actually work:
1. Invest in Prevention: Let’s put more money into programs that stop crime before it starts. This includes better schools, after-school activities for kids, and job training for adults. This also includes more and better access to affordable housing and transportation across the state and further investment in infrastructure.
2. Improve Mental/Behavioral Health Care: We need to make sure that people who are struggling with mental health can get the help they need. This will reduce crime and also save lives. We can never forget the devastation brought by the previous administration’s cuts to mental health services that we are still all feeling the fallout from.
3. Tackle Addiction: Drug addiction hurts individuals, families, and communities. We should support programs that treat addiction as a health issue, not just a law enforcement problem.
4. Create Opportunities for All: When people have good jobs, they are less likely to turn to crime. We need policies that help create more job opportunities in our community.
By focusing on these areas, we can start to solve the big problems that lead to crime. We can make our neighborhoods safer and ensure that everyone has a fair chance at a good life.
We ask you to stand with us in demanding change. Sign this petition and urge our Governor to sign HB1 to provide relief to our neighbors now and to focus on policies that address the root causes of community safety issues. Together, we can build a brighter future for all of us!
Thank you for joining us in this important cause. Let’s work together to make our communities safer and more just for everyone.