RedSun Jewelry and Design in Santa Fe, owned by Tol-Pi-Yine Simbola.
Full story below.
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Thank you for sharing this and bringing it to everyoneâs attention @fernwood.
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How awful.
I spoke to this artist at the last Indian Market.
Heâs from Picuris Pueblo.
His work was so unique.
You canât leave anything in your car in this town.
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I looked at his web page. I love his creations.
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This is absolutely devastating for the Artist on so many levels. Odds are everything he has is tied up in that inventory, and the thieves have stole his tools as well, many of which he likely made, or modified himself, and without which the task of rebuilding becomes exponentially more difficult. My prayers are with him.
I love Albuquerque, but it has become a very, very dangerous neighborhood, now ranked among the 20 most dangerous cities in the world. The official homicide toll for this year just topped 130. Just 10 years ago it was 30. Thats a 430% increase in just 10 years. There are a lot of great things about the city, but the policing, and very real crime rate arenât among them.
Forum members traveling there please take care, and remain aware of your surroundings and the people around you when in the city. If you donât feel safe somewhere, trust your gut and move on. Never leave anything in your car, this is especially true for anything left visible on the seats, and if possible keep your cars parked within sight of wherever you are seated in a restaurant when stopping for a meal.
If you need to gas up, drive to one of the safer more affluent areas of the city in the far Northeast Heights, or in the better neighborhoods on the Northwest side. If you do have to stop for gas or at convenience stores in other areas, the chance of being approached by homeless, most likely mentally ill addicts, are relatively high.
Theyâll try to catch you at the pumps when youâre occupied and most vulnerable. Most of the time if you politely indicate youâre not interested in âdonatingâ theyâll move on. Just donât count on it. Homeless addicts are pretty much everywhere in the city now. Your best bet is to avoid being in the areas where their populations tend to concentrate.
All of that being said, there are still great things to see, do, and buy everywhere. The art, jewelry, stores, museums, mountains, and high desert are fabulous. New Mexican food is unique in the world, and Albuquerque has some great restaurants, exceptional brew pubs, and a world class ski area at the crest of the mountain, accessible from the city by a magnificent Swiss built tram. By all means go, but please go with your eyes open.
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So sad. I feel horrible for this artist. I read a similar story about Abraham Begay a few years back. Fortunately he has been at the Eiteljorg Market since.
My nephew who lived in ABQ till last winter would echo everything you said. We visited him in '21 and were talking to him about motels, and he kept saying, just donât be out after 9:00.
My nephew was actually frustrated for the police department (he is an ICE agent), because they were very limited in what they could and couldnât do because of an ongoing Federal case against them. Sometimes in certain situations he would actually show up to help them, because he was allowed to have his gun out and they were not. I donât know if that has changed since '21. However he loved ABQ, and didnât want to leave, but he hated his job there. We learned a lot from him about the struggles ABQ is going through, but I love the city and would go in and back in a heartbeat (of course with my eyes wide open!).
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I agree with what @mmrogers has said.
I think our mild climate and walkable streets have made it easy to be homeless here. Itâs really gotten so much worse since COVID.
However, in my 24 years in this city, I have never had a problem.
I drive around the city daily for my retail job.
I visit multiple retail locations, including convenience stores, every day in the worst parts of this town.
I have seen it all, but somehow I have never had an issue.
Yes, Iâve been approached by beggars. I tell them ânoâ and they walk away.
Itâs really a matter of being aware of your surroundings. Nothing of value visible in your car. I park in my garage at night.
Of course if youâre traveling, the situation will be different.
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That is good to hear! I think I heard some of the worst from my nephew. And we were careful, as we are in general. But he loved your city so much, he said he would still retire in the area some day if possible.
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I truly love this town, flaws and all.
Yes, you must be careful, but that is the case nationwide.
Most street people are harmless. Itâs the criminals with tools in their pockets that are breaking into cars, not homeless people.
Btw, most convenience/grocery stores in bad areas now have security guards on duty.
I always thank them when I walk by.
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I personally believe that situational awareness must be performed always, whether at home or the furthest place from home. People tend to laugh when I seat myself in a restaurant or at a gathering that allows me to eye ingresses and egresses, but I suppose being alert and aware are foreign concepts to some.
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Normalcy bias is common, but sadly a liability in increasingly dangerous areas.
Years on the road with cases full of jewelry on two continents have increased my personal awareness, and believe me, some places are far safer than others. Italy is a good example, and parallel for current conditions in parts of the US, including Albuquerque.
Traveling to Milano from Germany for the first time, I was amazed at the number of private security guards armed with 9mm sub machine guns virtually everywhere anything valuable was. Within minutes of walking into the hotel lobby to check in, someone tried break into our car to steal whatever was in the car. Fortunately the hotel had private security.
I really donât want to belabor the point, but when armed guards are necessary at the local 7-11, thereâs usually a valid reason, and we are definitely not in Kansas anymore.
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I checked out his store online, Very nice stuff and pretty stamping. Such anger and frustration with people who have no thought about stealing other peoples hard work and assets.
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Itâs tragic. You can make new tools, but theyâre never quite the same. Once theyâre gone, some the magic of the original tools in your hands is gone as well. Oftentimes though, they turn up in pawn shops around the area, and theyâre immediately recognizable to the maker when they appear. The work is very distinctive as well. Letâs hope the artist is able to recover his tools, and hopefully some of his jewelry when it appears around town.
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