Albuquerque business owner finds 'humane' way to stop trespassers using his property for drugs and bathrooms — but is it enough?

“We’ve just had a lot of problems with people using our back door as a bathroom or a place to shoot up or whatever,” Gonzales told KOB 4.

For less than $150, he built a high-impact deterrent using a Ring camera, PVC pipes, sprinklers and Wi-Fi solenoid valves to keep trespassers at bay.

But is this DIY fix just clever or could it cause legal trouble in the long run?

Spraying away trouble

Gonzalez came up with a simple solution to the chaos outside his business. For three years, he’s dealt with unsanitary and unsafe incidents — part of a growing issue in Albuquerque, where homelessness rose to 2,394 people in 2023.

Rather than wait for things to get worse, he took matters into his own hands.

“If they don’t leave, then we spray them with water. That just seems to be the simplest way, and it’s a humane solution to getting someone to stop using our back door as a bathroom,” Gonzales said.

Other business owners are now asking how they can set up similar sprinkler systems to protect their property. The problem isn’t new in Albuquerque. In 2023, KRQE Investigates reported that a business on Central Avenue was dealing with the same issues of homelessness, drug use and human waste — all threatening its survival.

“I pick up out there the burnt tin foils that they’re doing the drugs with. I probably can clean up 100 a day,” said Michael Spaeth, co-owner of Southwestern Minerals. “The needles — I can probably pick up 25, 30 a week. It blows in from the alley. The whole yard is just covered with drug residue.”

While local businesses are clearly struggling, questions remain about whether this approach is legal, and if it’s a sustainable solution or just a temporary fix to keep the lights on.

The legal solution

Gonzalez says his creative setup is already making a difference. What used to be a twice-daily issue now happens only every other day.