ALBUQUERQUE – Police officers on horseback surrounded people at Robinson Park on Sept. 25 and told them to leave, creating controversy on a key topic in Albuquerque: homelessness.
The city limited public access to Robinson Park, closing it from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and again from 2 p.m to 5 p.m. The City of Albuquerque sent neighbors living around the park a flyer with the change in schedule, stating that this was because crews needed to maintain the grounds, improve safety and coordinate outreach services for people experiencing homelessness.
Leah Epstein, an organizer with the Albuquerque Party for Socialism and Liberation, said while the restrictions target systemic issues, it risks moving unhoused people out of public spaces without providing them a place to go.
“If we want to make sure that homeless people are not in public spaces, we need to house people,” she said. “It’s not about pushing people out of public space and making the problem less visible.”
According to a 2025 report from New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness, New Mexico saw an 8% increase in homelessness. It was found that 1,367 people across New Mexico were unhoused, meaning they were living on the streets in unsustainable conditions.
The restrictions highlighted another decision that impacted access to another Albuquerque park recently. Coronado Park was fenced off when it became extremely populated with unhoused people. Officials said they were concerned about safety, drug use and poor sanitation at the park.
Robinson Park hosts many community events, including the popular Saturday morning Growers Market, the one exception to the new schedule which ousts visitors for five hours a day, including weekends.
Albuquerque City Parks and Recreation Director David Simon said the schedule gives crews time to pick up trash, maintain irrigation and complete larger projects while allowing the city to coordinate security and programming.
Albuquerque Community Safety continues conducting outreach at the park about seven days a week, Simon said. He said that the department was already seeing improvements at the park, but referred questions on specific outcomes to community safety officials.
Meanwhile, questions remain about the resources available to the homeless impacted by the change. In September, the City Council voted to grant a neighborhood appeal and revoke the conditional-use permit for Mepower Health Service, an overnight shelter on Yale Boulevard SE.
The City of Albuquerque’s own Shelter Resources and Encampment Transparency page states that most shelters accept individuals through provider referral only. This means that even when shelter services exist, people may need help navigating the system before they can access a bed.
Simon said the city has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in its broader homeless response.
“We’re still committed to connecting people with services they need. And making sure the park is accessible, clean, safe for all community members who enjoy the public space,” Simon said. “That includes unhoused people.”
Albuquerque city officials issued a statement in 2022, detailing observed violence, drug activity, and unsanitary conditions at Coronado Park. Simon said the closure showed the dangers of letting encampments grow without adequate services.
Advocates reported that unhoused people previously living in Robinson Park moved to other locations around Albuquerque, including areas near Interstate 40, where they were met with further displacement.
Simon said the Coronado Park incident and these new Robinson Park restrictions are “two completely different situations.”
“People want solutions to these problems,” Epstein said.
(Jules Elizondo is a student at the University of New Mexico. Follow her on social media @julian__elizondo.)
