We're all in this
       together. We are One.

Fellow Burqueños,

I want to talk about George Floyd. 

He has been on my heart and mind these last few days, as I know he has been for so much of our community. His death has left us with rightful anger and grief. My words can’t capture the depth of the pain that so many people, especially people of color, are experiencing right now. As your Mayor, I want to acknowledge that pain. Here in Albuquerque, we stand with those grieving these incidents around the nation. We stand with those calling for justice.  

The deaths of George Floyd in Minnesota, Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, Breonna Taylor in Kentucky, and so many more are horrifying, heart-breaking and unacceptable. Although these murders took place outside of Albuquerque, it does not mean that Albuquerque is shielded from anti-Black and racist behaviors. White people have not done enough to address racism in this country. 

The Coronavirus pandemic is exposing and compounding the effects of that inequity. All across America the black community and people of color have been horribly disproportionately affected. On top of that, we have the White House stoking racism, violence and division; during a pandemic when we need compassion and leadership the most. 

And so here we are, with stress from pandemic, a legacy of discrimination, and all on top of unacceptable violent crime.  Many in our city have lost their jobs, many are suffering from vast anxiety about the future; many of us are depressed, many of us are tired, many of us are angry.  

I am also here to say unequivocally, the City of Albuquerque believes that Black Lives Matter. 

In this city, and in this administration, we each have a responsibility to work together to dismantle racism. This is a long long journey, but it’s is one we are going to continue to take.  We also know that there are times to protest, a time to express frustration with the system and all that we are going through.  These are incredibly tough challenges for our first responders asked to keep the public, including the protestors, safe.  

Our police department works to avoid confrontation and de-escalate to avoid violence, and to be prepared to save lives. This protocol also includes appropriate engagement when violence is eminent, this was the case this past week, as after a relatively peaceful demonstration, families and advocates went home. But hours later, dozens of shots were fired near the protest, and the remaining protesters, officers, and neighbors all needed to be kept safe. That is why the department engaged, and we are grateful that despite the gun fire, no one was hurt.

Here at the city, we strive to dismantle the structures of inequality and be actively anti-racist in our work. We have teams dedicated to civil rights, equity and inclusion, and immigrant and refugee affairs. This work starts with ourselves in our own house through employee trainings, and then is embedded in our work building a city that works for everyone. In this city, we stand up to divisive rhetoric. In this city, we stand together no matter our race or where we come from. We will not let up our efforts for a peaceful, just and equitable Albuquerque. 

The City of Albuquerque, and the Albuquerque Police Department, will continue to work on these issues through the work of our Office of Equity & Inclusion and Office of Civil Rights as well as educating our workforce along with the community in our anti-racism workshops through the Equity Training Initiative. We ask that each of you continues to do your part by joining us at these workshops and continuing to call out racism and injustice whenever and wherever you see it.

Your Mayor,
Tim Keller