Homeless residents leave Quirky Books encampment with uncertain futures

Despite being homeless, it’s been three years since Evan Paquin has had to search for a place to sleep.

Alongside his mother, 38-year-old Paquin found refuge in the parking lot of a used bookstore a block off Central, on Jefferson. Each night he pitched his tent and took it down by the following morning.

After a while, the encampment began to grow, eventually becoming a fixed community that would draw both controversy and praise.

Tuesday night, due to a court order in an ongoing lawsuit between the city and the bookstore owner, Paquin and the few remaining residents gathered their things and left. 

Many didn't know where they would sleep that night. 

“It’s the not knowing that scares me,” Paquin said. “Are we gonna be alright?”

The Quirky Books encampment has become the epicenter of a debate over how to address the mounting number of people experiencing homelessness in Albuquerque. The owner, Gillam Kerley said he provided a rare place where homeless people were welcome, while surrounding business owners and the city argued that Kerley’s encampment enabled drug use and violence.

“I wish that what I was doing spurred the city to be better, instead of attacking us,” Kerley said as he looked out at the empty parking lot. “They say that they have the solutions, but they don’t.”

From the city’s point of view, the solution is shelters, a remedy that the municipality has poured millions of dollars into in recent years. The city says there are some 5,000 people living on the streets in the city, with around 1,300 beds available at various shelters. 

But many say they are hesitant to go to shelters, whether that’s because of prior bad experiences, sobriety requirements or limited accommodation for pets.

Sobriety requirements are the reason Paquin declined a ride to a shelter Wednesday.

He said quietly that he wanted to go to a sober living facility and get his life back on track, but was scared of detox, a process known to cause physical and mental anguish and in some unattended cases — death.

Many of the encampment's residents rejected help from Albuquerque Community Safety staff, who were present multiple times in the days leading up to the eviction.

All in all, ACS transported three people from the encampment to a shelter Tuesday, although they offered services to more than 15 people during several visits, said city spokesperson Rebecca Atkins.

"Every interaction focused on compassionate engagement, trust-building and offering services and support," Atkins said in a statement Wednesday. 

‘It’s just not a solution’

For neighboring businesses, the court order put an end to a yearslong fight with Quirky Books.

In the months prior, tensions were mounting after a homicide was reported near the property in November and a month later a large fire broke out. The blaze destroyed several tents filled with belongings, scorched a telephone pole and warped a metal fence.

Alfredo Barrenechea, the owner of Absolute Investment Realty which shares a property line with the bookstore, said Wednesday that he was relieved and noticed a “marked improvement” after the encampment cleared out. 

“The aftershocks may still follow,” Barrenechea said. 

Though the business owners were glad to see the encampment go, Barrenechea isn't sure it will stay gone. If people decide to set up camp once more, Barrenechea said he's unsure if Kerley would enforce the court order.

"I'm not sure he'll enforce it in good faith," Barrenechea said. 

For business owners, the encampment was a day to day frustration, but what bothers Barrenechea more, he said, is Kerley marketing it as a viable solution to homelessness.

“It's really disappointing that people who have compassion for these (homeless) people feel like this is a good solution for their problems,” Barrenechea said. “Because it's just not a solution. It's just a place where things get worse.”

But even with people gone, the fight isn’t quite over.

The court order is temporary pending the outcome of ongoing litigation. Depending on who the judge sides with, the encampment may return or be gone for good.

Paquin, who left his makeshift home of three years, said that the ire from neighboring businesses upset him. 

"I never wanted that on our names," Paquin said. "I tried to clean up, but more and more just came and ruined it for everyone. This was my house, this was my yard." 

Gillian Barkhurst is the local government reporter for the Journal. She can be reached at gbarkhurst@abqjournal.com or on Twitter @G_Barkhurst