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A Sunday cruise that's never been tighter: City is championing lowrider culture
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The sun has set as Carl Dixon drives his baby blue convertible up and down Central Avenue.
鈥淪ome people say it鈥檚 a hobby. To me, it鈥檚 a lifestyle, I live it, I breathe it,鈥� Dixon said.
Dixon is an sa国际传媒官网网页入口 native who has worked as a roofer for 35 years and owns a dozen lowriders, some of which he鈥檚 given to his children. He has been collecting cars his entire adult life and takes his children cruising every Sunday night.
As he heads east on Central, the streets are starting to fill up with customized trucks and sports cars, many revving, touting their likely missing mufflers. But stealing the show 鈥� in a much quieter way 鈥� are the vintage mid-century lowriders 鈥� like Dixon鈥檚 鈥� that have .
He turns around and heads past the western edge of Downtown and explains this is where he and his friends 鈥� who also spend their Sunday evenings cruising 鈥� have elected to come in recent months after increased Downtown violence.
鈥淲e鈥檝e already moved to three or four spots because it just keeps getting bad. And one of the times we had just luck when this kid was out here, shooting 鈥� shooting out here on Central (after) we had left early that night,鈥� Dixon said.
But this Sunday he heads back to a part of Downtown, to a parking lot just off Central, across from the new Ex Novo Brewery taproom, that the city has dedicated to Dixon and others to showcase their lowriders safely.
On Sunday, the city announced the launch of a pilot program called 鈥淧ark & Chill Sundays鈥� which offers a designated parking lot of 150 spots for people to show off their lowriders every Sunday evening.
鈥淭his is a good example of our vision for sa国际传媒官网网页入口,鈥� Mayor Tim Keller said. 鈥淚t is about not changing at all who we are. It is about celebrating who we are. Now we鈥檝e got to do that in a way that is safe. We understand that鈥檚 important when it comes to the challenges we鈥檙e having Downtown, but we want to keep the best of 鈥楤urque,鈥� and car culture is at the top of that list.鈥�
Keller told the Journal that the city has become an example and has moved other communities across the country to lift bans on the cars.
鈥渟a国际传媒官网网页入口 is actually a role model. And you go to these conferences, and there are police departments and then lowrider communities and they all are like, 鈥榃ow, sa国际传媒官网网页入口 is really doing this the right way,鈥欌�� Keller said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a great thing. It鈥檚 something we want more of in every way.鈥�
In 2017, sa国际传媒官网网页入口 formed a 鈥淐ruising Task Force鈥� and then repealed a local ban on lowriders in 2018, separating it from other cities鈥� and states鈥� policies on them.
On Jan. 1, on lowriders, In March, a bill that would have repealed local bans used to split up lowrider meets and cruising. Meanwhile in Texas, have ordinances effectively banning cruising in some of their most popular neighborhoods.
鈥淎 lot of communities are banning cruising. They have anti-cruising ordinances and they pass them. We choose a sort of 鈥榗oordinate and self-regulate鈥� approach,鈥� Keller said.
Keller added that his favorite cruising experience was with City Councilor in her pink Cadillac through Barelas right after he was elected in 2017.
Pe帽a did not attend Sunday鈥檚 news conference, but has spearheaded the effort to solidify lowrider culture in and outside of the city.
Pe帽a initiated the creation of the task force and repeal of the local ban in 2017. In 2023, she to California Gov. Gavin Newsom urging him to support the legislation that ended local lowrider bans across the state. She has also listed 鈥渄esignating the lowrider as the official state car鈥� on a draft of the City Council鈥檚 legislative priorities for 2025.
Keller鈥檚 chief of staff and Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency Director Terry Brunner said the pilot program, using city funds, would last five to six months to 鈥渟ee how this goes.鈥�
The Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency is spending $31,700 over the next six months on the program for the lot rental and security.
As the sun set, Gilbert Lopez showed up with the bed of his slammed burgundy red 1991 Mazda B2200 lifted above the cab while he rolled onto the lot.
As he showed off the truck鈥檚 gravity-defying hydraulics, he credited all the friends who have helped him work on the vintage Japanese pickup.
鈥淚n the lowrider community, everyone knows everyone, and everyone helps out. We鈥檙e all just helping each other,鈥� Lopez said. 鈥淵ou know, just a couple buddies hanging out, working on trucks and cars.鈥�
Lopez, who came from to be at the event, was thrilled the city is designating a space for the community.
鈥淚t鈥檚 awesome, because we try to park where we can park. We鈥檙e not troublemakers. We hang out and we enjoy our time, and we鈥檙e always getting kicked out of different places, because the rider community gets big,鈥� Lopez said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no drama, we just hang out and chill and talk about our cars and enjoy our family and friends.鈥�
