News (Media Awareness Project) - US TX: Editorial: No Feria: Narco War Has Side Effects |
| Title: | US TX: Editorial: No Feria: Narco War Has Side Effects |
| Published On: | 2010-05-24 |
| Source: | El Paso Times (TX) |
| Fetched On: | 2010-05-25 20:06:28 |
NO FERIA: NARCO WAR HAS SIDE EFFECTS
There will be no fair in Juarez this year. It, too, has become a
victim of the city's ongoing narco war that has no end in sight.
Because of deep-seated fear caused by rampant and escalating narco
violence, city officials called off the popular Feria Expo. The event
usually draws between 200,000 and 600,000 people and has been held for
more than 35 years. Its home has been Chamizal Park, just across El
Paso via the Bridge of the Americas. Many El Pasoans attend.
The statistical horrors of assassinations, extortions, kidnappings and
thefts dominate as people across the globe view the world's deadliest
city -- 5,200 murders since January 2008. There have been nearly 1,000
murders so far this year.
The cancellation of this major yearly event shows that all the war's
effects are not always obvious. As Juarez Chamber of Commerce
spokesman Guillermo Soria Magana rued, "What is worrisome is that they
are taking away this service, this city attraction" that has lately
been a distraction from the violence caused by two major drug cartels
battling for control of the illegal narcotics trade on this sector of
the border.
But one can hardly blame officials for the cancellation. The drug-gang
thugs are as likely to assassinate in broad daylight, on proverbial
"Main Street," as they are in the dead of night. Two El Pasoans, an
employee at the County Detention Center and an employee at the
American Consulate in Juarez -- husband and wife -- were recently
gunned down in their car just feet from the U.S. border near Downtown
El Paso.
This year there was not enough investment from fair organizers --
rides, cultural events, food vendors. One can't blame them, either.
Soria Magana added that many entertainers no longer come to Juarez,
citing the narco violence. In the past, world-known artists such as
Juan Gabriel and Vicente Fernandez have performed at the Feria.
There are so many effects from this brutal war, the fight to rule the
drug trade. One such is taking away the simple joy in being able to
attend a fair.
There will be no fair in Juarez this year. It, too, has become a
victim of the city's ongoing narco war that has no end in sight.
Because of deep-seated fear caused by rampant and escalating narco
violence, city officials called off the popular Feria Expo. The event
usually draws between 200,000 and 600,000 people and has been held for
more than 35 years. Its home has been Chamizal Park, just across El
Paso via the Bridge of the Americas. Many El Pasoans attend.
The statistical horrors of assassinations, extortions, kidnappings and
thefts dominate as people across the globe view the world's deadliest
city -- 5,200 murders since January 2008. There have been nearly 1,000
murders so far this year.
The cancellation of this major yearly event shows that all the war's
effects are not always obvious. As Juarez Chamber of Commerce
spokesman Guillermo Soria Magana rued, "What is worrisome is that they
are taking away this service, this city attraction" that has lately
been a distraction from the violence caused by two major drug cartels
battling for control of the illegal narcotics trade on this sector of
the border.
But one can hardly blame officials for the cancellation. The drug-gang
thugs are as likely to assassinate in broad daylight, on proverbial
"Main Street," as they are in the dead of night. Two El Pasoans, an
employee at the County Detention Center and an employee at the
American Consulate in Juarez -- husband and wife -- were recently
gunned down in their car just feet from the U.S. border near Downtown
El Paso.
This year there was not enough investment from fair organizers --
rides, cultural events, food vendors. One can't blame them, either.
Soria Magana added that many entertainers no longer come to Juarez,
citing the narco violence. In the past, world-known artists such as
Juan Gabriel and Vicente Fernandez have performed at the Feria.
There are so many effects from this brutal war, the fight to rule the
drug trade. One such is taking away the simple joy in being able to
attend a fair.
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