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NEWS
Downtown Albuquerque closes offices early amid protest
City and county buildings, including City Hall and Alvarado Square, are shutting at 1 p.m. and jail releases to a center Downtown are paused as officials brace for an afternoon Civic Plaza demonstration.
Published
Offices in Downtown Albuquerque are closing early in response to a planned protest happening near Civic Plaza in the afternoon.
Protestors are expected fill the streets of Albuquerque around 2 p.m. in response to the deaths of two people in Minneapolis who were killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The protest also calls for a nationwide shutdown and several businessowners, including some in Albuquerque, have said they will close in support of the protest.
City Hall, Plaza del Sol and other downtown offices will close around 1 p.m. after the Albuquerque Police Department recommended offices close to minimize vehicle traffic downtown.
"All other city facilities and services, including Transit and 311, will operate normally," said Dan Mayfield, spokesperson for the city of Albuquerque, in a news release.
Alvarado Square, which houses multiple Bernalillo County services, will close at 1 p.m. and the building will be cleared shortly after.
Anyone seeking services at Alvarado Square is encouraged to plan accordingly, according to Kristen Ferguson, spokesperson for the county. Services will resume during regular business hours on Monday.
In a similar vein, the Metropolitan Detention Center has paused releases at the Resource Reentry Center due to the protest.
"Out of an abundance of caution for Bernalillo County staff, MDC will pause releases at the RRC, beginning at noon today," Candace Hopkins, spokesperson for the jail, wrote in a news release. "RRC releases could resume sooner if downtown conditions allow."
Inmates awaiting release after noon will have the option to be released at the MDC facility if they can get transportation from the facility, Hopkins said.
Nakayla McClelland covers crime and breaking news. Reach her at nmcclelland@abqjournal.com or at 505-823-3857.
