"We refuse to live in slums!"

Tierra Real is a trailer park community on the south end of Santa Fe. Today it is filled with gang activity, dilapidated rentals and flooded streets. 10 years ago the park had green grass, and well kept areas for recreation. Today, it is overrun by weeds, and the playset has been vandalized with graffiti (not graffiti art), and deliberately melted in some parts. Broken glass bottles make it unsafe for young children.

Bert Dalton, President of Tierra Real Homowners Association is taking action, along with the help of a few of the communities residents. Dalton says considering the cost of living in Santa Fe, Tierra Real is very affordable, "but we refuse to live in slums!"


Rebecca Craig/The New Mexican
Athena Marie Silva, 5, plays on Tierra Real Park's dilapidated playset while other residents pull together to clean up the park on Saturday, May 17. Residents of Tierra Real hope to make the grounds a better place for their children, as well as fix the problems with the trailer park community.