ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Every year, law enforcement from all over the country attend community events to get to know the citizens they’re sworn to protect.

There were more than 30 National Night Out events across Albuquerque, including one in the International District where law enforcement actually took a back seat – in favor of a new business network that launched Tuesday night.

There are serious issues in Albuquerque’s International District, and the neighborhood has gained quite the reputation because of them.

But there are still thousands of people, including small business owners, who believe the community is still worth fighting for. The New Mexico Black Leadership Council is leading the charge.

“The narrative that we have created about this area must change,” said Cathryn McGill, founder & director of the New Mexico Black Leadership Council.  

It’s no secret Albuquerque’s International District has seen better days.

“We have an increase in homelessness. We have an increase in behavioral health issues,” said Marcus Porter, policy director of the New Mexico Black Leadership Council. “We’ve seen alleys boarded up and gated up. We’ve seen people march from one corner to another, just trying to stay alive.” 

Those issues forced major companies like Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, and Big Lots to pull out of one of Albuquerque’s oldest neighborhoods. But there is still optimism from the people who live and work there.

“We have issues in our neighborhood that we cannot police our way out of,” said McGill. “So what we have decided that we can do, not wait for permission to bring together people in the neighborhood, but to say that we can organically come together as businesses.” 

That’s exactly what the IDEAS Network is hoping to do. It’s a new online directory from the New Mexico Black Leadership Council, connecting International District businesses with one another. While also showcasing them to the rest of Albuquerque.

“We hope to be able to take that business directory and do things like have an International District Restaurant Week,” McGill said. 

And the City of Albuquerque is fully on board.

“Any of the lists you create, we will use the reach of the city’s Economic Development Department to amplify,” said Max Gruner, director of the city’s Economic Development Department. 

Council leaders of the free directory will also provide a platform for businesses to access and share resources with each other.

“Why are we doing the International Business District directory? Why not do it? It can only help, and everything that we do that moves us towards long term community resiliency, that we will continue to do,” said McGill.  

The IDEAS Network officially launched Tuesday. The Black Leadership Council is encouraging all International District businesses to get involved online.