ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Following the brutal slayings of two homeless Navajo men, Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry says he is forming a task force to address chronic homelessness among Native Americans in New Mexico’s largest city.
Berry met with Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly and other tribal leaders last week. He says data the city has collected as part of its efforts to fight homelessness shows Native Americans are on the streets longer than other populations and are more likely to be victimized.
He says he and Shelly have agreed to work together to figure out why, and find solutions. And he says he will reach out to other pueblos as well.
Three teenagers are being held on murder charges in the attack weeks ago. One of the suspects told police the trio had been targeting homeless people around Albuquerque for a year.
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