Sunday, December 19, 2010

Ciudad Juarez: Hell on Earth

I have a strong stomach for the world news but nothing disturbs me more than what is happening down at the border city of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

My question is:  Why do people still live there?  If I were fearing for me life every day, I would take the next bus to ... well, anywhere. 

God bless the people who are trying to stand up to these monsters.  You are far more courageous than I. 

Here are just some of the shocking stories that I have read recently on CNN. 

Since October 14, when Juarez Mayor Hector "Teto" Murguia began his term as the city's new mayor, 25 police officers have been assassinated, Sanchez said -- an average of almost an officer killed every other day since Murguia has been in office.

Two armed attackers burst into a kindergarten and set fire to the school building in the violence-plagued border city of Juarez, state media reported. Police say the suspects left a message saying the school had not paid a protection fee, which they had demanded from teachers two weeks ago to prevent attacks against the children, the state-run Notimex news agency said Monday.

On the day of the funeral of a prominent social activist in Chihuahua, Mexico, a business she had ties with was burned down by a group of armed men, according to witnesses.

Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, made its own history Tuesday as its homicide rate reached 3,000 deaths for the year -- 10 times the number of killings annually that the border city counted just a few years ago.

"We know that patients have the right to healthcare, but nonetheless, we the doctors cannot offer our services if we live trapped in our homes for fear of going out to work, if we are kidnapped, or even worse, if we lose our lives, killed with impunity," a statement from the doctors' organization said. The statement noted the recent deaths of three colleagues -- one who died in a car bomb explosion, and two others who died after being kidnapped.

A group of armed men ambushed a police car and killed four municipal officers inside, the state-run Notimex news agency reported.

A series of recent graffiti messages on school walls in Mexico's most violent city threaten attacks if teachers don't hand over their Christmas bonuses

I've never been to Ciudad Juarez but I used to go down to Tijuana (another border town) a couple of years back.  I especially liked the area around Rosarito Beach.  That is until I got stopped by a "policeman" for doing an "illegal turn".

He said he was going to take me to the local jail unless I paid him $100 cash.

We settled on $72 which is all my friends and I had in our pocket. 

There is no way I would go back to Tijuana and it would take a lot to even for me to set foot in Mexico.  Not until they clean up the corruption and control the cartels. 

Until then, you're just not worth it, Mexico.  

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