The War in Juarez

My friends and family around the country are now asking me if living in El Paso, Texas is dangerous. The reason they are asking is because of the drug war going on in Juarez, Mexico. For those of you who do not know, Juarez and El Paso come together at the narrow Rio Grande. I can see Juarez from my back yard and you can walk there from downtown El Paso.

There are two drug cartels fighting over the Juarez shipping route. So far this year there have been over four hundred murders there. Six people were murdered yesterday. Not all are drug related but it seems most are. I’m not sure how many Juarez cops have been killed; quite a few. The Mexican government sent in over two thousand Federal police to patrol the streets with automatic weapons. Somehow, none of the killers are ever caught.

I can understand the concern over violence so close to El Paso, but there really is no connection. If Minneapolis had four hundred murders, I’m sure those living in St. Paul would have reason to worry. However, Juarez is in a foreign country no matter how close geographically.

For all the hundreds of killings in Juarez, there have been three murders in El Paso this year. El Paso has been ranked the second safest city, for its size, in the United States the last two years. Yet I am asked by friends in other parts of the country if I have to dodge bullets on the way to work.

When I was younger, you could park your car at the downtown bridge and walk over to Avenida Juarez. You only had to be eighteen to drink there, not that anyone ever was carded. A steak dinner was a couple of bucks and as long as you didn’t stray off the main drag it was a great place to party. Now, parents are begging their kids to stay away from Juarez.

Since 9/11 and increased security on the border the wait time to drive back into El Paso from Juarez went from about thirty minutes to upwards of a couple of hours. Right now it just takes a few minutes because not many folks are going into Juarez and the drug war is destroying tourism. It’s not that Americans are being targeted at all but a stray bullet knows no nationality.

What is the solution? Some blame the Mexican government, others the drug cartels. I’ve also heard from Mexicans that a lot of the responsibility falls on Americans, the biggest users of all those illicit drugs. It’s all a matter of illegal entities staging a battle for those billions of illegal dollars.

Adios.