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Reminiscent of a former era for El Paseo Road, the Las Cruces Police Department’s Community Outreach Unit hosted a community-wide cleanup on Tuesday, June 24, that included a car enthusiasts dream.
After the cleanup, LCPD held an event called The Cruise El Paseo, where car enthusiasts were encouraged to bring their cars out for a local showing. The Cruise El Paseo was a part of the LCPD Community Outreach Unit’s monthly Mock on the Block event, where the police tackle community issues and connect with community members.
The outreach began at 9 a.m. on Tuesday with a litter pickup that continued until 1 p.m., from Wyatt St. to Missouri Ave. on El Paseo. Members of the community were encouraged to come out and work with the police to remove trash from the street.
“The whole premise behind it is beautifying El Paseo, taking it back,” said Lazaro Palos, an officer with the Community Outreach Unit. “We want to show the public that this used to be a spot in which people would bring their families at night. There was a nightlife here, there was cruising, there was hanging out. We want to bring that back. We understand the route there is not going to be easy one, but we can start with this, and that’s by cleaning up.”
The 1970s and 1980s saw a completely different El Paseo. Palos said the streets used to be filled with nightlife. People would come out on their off time to enjoy the establishments the streets had to offer and, most notoriously, attend the various community held car shows.
These late-night cruises were a large part of the car culture in Las Cruces back then. People from across the city would come down to show off their latest projects and see what others in the community were working on.
It was an El Paseo widely different from the one seen today. The street was left behind as the city developed, which contributed to its declining state, Polas said.
Las Cruces community member, Walter Lopez, came out for the cruise. He said he remembered El Paseo in the ‘90s and why he thought it was important to come out to take part in the beautification initiative.
“It has to do with community and cars, because the people love cars and love to cruise around,” Lopez said. “We used to do this back in the ‘90s, cruise around here. Yeah, it’s gone down, and there’s probably a lot of reasons why.”
After cleaning up, from 5 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, the LCPD’s Mobile Operations Command Unit set up a car show reminiscent of the ones which were common occurrence in the past. Similar to the 1970s and 1980s, car enthusiasts from across the city drove down to exhibit their latest work.
Cars old and new filled the parking lot in front of the Real Life Church on El Paseo. Some of those who came out on Tuesday attended the old cruises.
Event go-er and member of the Corvette Club, Justin Creel, recalled when he was in high school in the 1980s, where he and his peers would attend those very car cruises frequently.
“When I was a kid in high school, we parked here and did this,” Creel said. “It brings back old memories and the fun that I used to have as a kid.”
Cars were not the only thing found at the cruise. The LCPD provided food, games and music courtesy of DJ Tommy Black. The LCPD also set up a booth so members of the community could have a one-on-one conversation with police.
The purpose was for the police to gain an understanding of current issues plaguing members of the Las Cruces community.
LCPD Sergeant Aaron Lazaran said that when speaking with residents, police take that knowledge with them when they make plans for improving public safety conditions in the city.
