About Two Way Street

Two Way Street is a community-based publication providing job opportunities for Albuquerque’s low-income and homeless communities.

Our Objectives

The first issue of Two Way Street was designed and produced based upon the findings of a qualitative research project that included 30+ interviews with local community leaders interested in exploring opportunities for developing a street paper publication in ABQ. This community research has guided our core mission from the start:

Vibrancy

Salesmanship that brings vibrancy to the sidewalks, the public right-of-way, nearby business storefronts, and underutilized spaces of the built environment.

Community Vendors

Street Vending that cultivates community policing, improves public safety, and stimulates incremental economic development.

Placemaking

Placemaking that activates people and place to promote community health, happiness, and overall wellbeing.

Empowerment

Self-Empowerment that leverages human and civil rights to create systemic change.

How it Works

Are you still a little fuzzy on how our street paper operation works as a whole? The International Network of Street Papers recently developed a short video 1) outlining the history of the street paper movement, 2) how street papers work, and 3) how street vendors benefit from selling street papers. Check out this short video to get inspired!

Our Board & Staff

Tee (Terese) Rigodanzo-Kasper
Board Member

As a Roman Catholic woman priest, I have a bit of a commitment to people so when I was invited to join a conversation about a homeless street paper I accepted. That invitation turned into an introduction both to the global world of street papers and history of ABQ’s very own Two Way Street. My involvement will continue at this crucial time when Voices need to be Heard, Truth needs to be Spoken and Cooperation needs to be the Name of the Game.

Fred Bales
Board Member

Fred Bales, a professor emeritus at the University of New Mexico, was a volunteer at the Albuquerque Opportunity Center for ten years after retiring from college teaching. Serving on the board of Two Way Street’s newspaper offers another opportunity to interact with Albuquerque’s homeless community. As a journalism professional before college teaching, he was a reporter and editor at The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky, in addition to short stints at a small daily and community weekly.

Bill Howden
Board Member

Bill Howden is a native of Albuquerque, a graduate of U.N.M. and Valley High School. Navy vet., real estate, pastor, local government, and more – these are all priors – at his age, he has lots of priors. Currently retired, but still an active gardener, writer of novels, teacher of meditation, and a volunteer at The Rock…and now Two Way Street. Bill says, “Why Two Way Street? Because it’s important – to our homeless, and to our homed; a voice for both and a source of income and dignity. I see Two Way Street as a meeting place where understanding can replace suspicion for peaceful and productive living together.”

Joanna Scott
Editor

Joanna Scott was born and raised here in Albuquerque. As the new Editor for Two Way Street, she hopes to help encourage the community to come together in these unusual times. She is a violinist with the Albuquerque Philharmonic, an artist of many mediums, and she is honored to bring her many skills and talents to help build Two Way Street into a trusted source of community activism, reliable content, and to build bridges of communication on both sides of the street.

Evita Chee
Intern

My name is Evita Chee. I was named after a musical play my mother saw way before I was even a person. I often have random people sing to me once I tell them my name. I am a Dine’ woman who is born for the Water’s Edge Clan and born to the Salt People Clan. I come from a small community called Crystal on the Navajo Nation.

Jeff Hertz
Founder

Jeff Hertz is the founder of Two Way Street and is an ongoing supporter. Jeff has been working for the Albuquerque City Council Office for the past 5 years, but started researching the viability of starting a street newspaper in Albuquerque when he first started as an intern with the Council. Jeff has visited numerous other street paper operations in other communities throughout the country, including Real Change News in Seattle and Denver Voice in Denver. Jeff has established a long-lasting relationship with the International Network of Street Papers and plans to continue providing consultation to the Two Way Street Board of Directors.

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