| | |  Editorials | Opinions | October 2008 
Juárez Shows Moxie with Invite to Tourists
 El Paso Times
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| | Juarez city officials kicked off a billboard advertising campaign in El Paso, Houston, Dallas, Albuquerque, Phoenix, Tucson and other cities in the U.S. in an effort to tout the city's quality of life and sporting events. One of those billboards located at the intersection of Copia and Gateway East is one example. (Ruben R. Ramirez/El Paso Times) | | |
Pluck, perseverance ... guts. Juárez city officials have moxie, all right. With drug-cartel murders rampant, bank heists increasing, ongoing kidnappings and police corruption ... still, billboards are going up in El Paso and other cities that encourage tourism in our sister city.
Seemingly, anyone who chooses to be an outlaw these days can do so just across our international bridges. Few killers, robbers, kidnappers or extortionists are being arrested over there.
And the billboards say, "Juárez, Land of Encounters."
Well, they got that right.
But, obviously, they're touting the good parts of quality of life in Juárez, not the part we see in the news, and some El Pasoans have seen in person - even died amid gunfire volleys in Juárez and Northern Mexico.
Some 1,050 people have been slain in Juárez since Jan. 1. Recently, there were 19 homicides in five days, most linked to the ongoing drug-cartel battle as two gangs fight each other for drug control in this area. Meanwhile, thousands of Mexican army troops sent into the city have had little impact on curtailing the violence.
Hundreds of Juárez policemen were recently fired when officials said they had been linked to corruption.
Our DEA reports drug cartels will likely continue to commit revenge killings in the U.S.
And just when there's good news about the U.S. and Mexico joining forces to stamp out illegal activities on the border, comes the report that criminals are now robbing Juárez banks and engaging in extortions and kidnappings to raise money lost from drug-smuggling disruptions. There have been some 70 bank robberies in Juárez so far this year.
Billboards touting Juárez as a destination city are now seen along parts of Interstate 10 in El Paso, as well as in Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Tucson and other cities - "Juárez, Land of Encounters."
There have been some crime-stopping inroads made at border crossings, thanks to joint cooperation between the governments of the U.S. and Mexico. And it's good to know that hundreds of new policemen are in a new police academy graduating class. And it's also a positive sign that some 100 members of the Mexican army have elected to join that Juárez police force. It's a pay raise of $1,000-plus per year.
But until things turn back to the old days of friendly backs and forths between El Paso and our sister city, the slogan, "Juárez, Land of Encounters" does not mean there's a good time to be had south of the border.
With those billboards, Juárez city leaders have a lot of moxie, all right. |
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