Ben Bergquam, a Real Ameria’s Voice correspondent, recently returned to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to find the city struggling with increased crime and homelessness. Bregquam reported his shock and frustration over the city’s current state, attributing its decline to Democratic leadership and policies he sees as lenient and ineffective, especially concerning the US Southern Border.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been back to Albuquerque. It used to be bad here, but man, I’ve never seen it like this—the amount of drug addicts, the amount of drug deals going on in the open, police driving by not doing anything about it, the amount of illegal and clear cartel activity. This is what happens when you have a Democrat leftist governor running a state in a country that’s being run by open-border leftists. It’s really bad,” Bergquam said in one of his recent broadcasts.
He painted a grim picture of Democrat-run cities while driving around the area and filming, emphasizing that “every corner is the same—crack out in the middle of the streets, prostitution, assaults, robberies. It’s just non-stop.”
Bergquam continued, exposing how the situation has worsened over the past four years: “The amount of bums and drug addicts and illegals is out of control. It’s just been in the last, like, four years. It’s gotten this bad.”
In Bergquam’s view, the rise in crime and homelessness is a direct result of the policies of Democratic governors and sanctuary state policies. He said, “This is what you got: prostitution, drug addicts, illegals, everything bad. You want more of that? Keep voting for Democrats.”
Bergquam’s visit notably highlighted a particularly controversial method of addressing crime in Albuquerque—using classical music as a deterrent. He criticized this approach as emblematic of liberal logic, stating, “So Albuquerque is being taken over by drug addicts and homeless. And so the answer by the leftists in Albuquerque is to put these police trailers out here and blast classical music out. That’s the solution by leftists in Albuquerque. That’s gonna prevent the crime.”
He recounted his experience, saying, “I was driving by, and I was like, ‘What’s that noise?’ That’s their policing. It’s to play classical music in the parking lot where they know all the crimes are happening.”
A local news article from KOB 4 2023 confirmed Bergquam’s observations. The article reported that a gas station in northeast Albuquerque had begun blaring classical music at night to deter homeless people. According to the article, the music emanates from a portable security tower, significantly disturbing nearby residents.
Mark Kotanchik, who lived close to the gas station then, described the situation to the news media as constant: ” I had to sleep with earplugs in my ears, and I could still hear it with all the windows closed.” Despite requests to lower the volume, the gas station employees claimed they could not.
Kotanchik noted that the loud music and bright lights were ineffective in keeping homeless individuals away, stating, “There’s a guy living in the alley, so it hasn’t scared him off yet. If it’s about getting the homeless away, stop selling the alcohol. Or at least suspend it for the time being.”
The city’s Environmental Health Department has advised residents to file a noise complaint to address the issue, but this has provided little comfort to those affected. The situation reflects the broader concerns raised by Bergquam about the challenges Albuquerque faces under its current policies.
And the area remains, as Bergquam pointed out, a Sanctuary City for Illegals.
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