5,000 UNITE AT FESTIVAL TO CHANGE CITY'S IMAGE

JUAREZ - The youth of Juarez sent a message to the world on Saturday
- Juarez is alive.

More than 5,000 young people of different religious beliefs, political
views and economic backgrounds gathered Saturday at a live music
concert at the Centro Cultural Paso del Norte Explanada, in the ProNaf
area.

The music festival was the first of many positive events to come, said
Carlos Uraga Peralta, spokesman for La Red, a group of Juarez youths.

Uraga Peralta said the purpose is to promote and highlight the
region's music, art and culture to fight the poor image the city has
because of the violence that has gripped it since 2008.

"It's a big party for the people of Juarez," said Guillermo "Memo"
Asiain, a member of Jovenes por Juarez, an organization dedicated to
stopping the violence.

"This is a way to tell the criminals that we are greater in number and
that the city does not belong to them," he said.

At least nine people were killed Saturday in Juarez. More than 1,500
people have been slain in Juarez this year, and more than 5,700 people
have died since the Sinaloa and Juarez drug cartels started fighting
over the control of smuggling corridors into the United States in 2008.

"The sense of fear and distrust among citizens has to change into a
sense of unity and freedom," Asiain said.

"Let's recover our space. Let's get out and don't be slaves to fear.
Let's do this for the love of the city," he added.

Asiain, 26, was born in Chihuahua City. He was 17 when he moved to
Juarez. Since then, he has become attached to the city and its people,
he said.

"I don't like the city, I love Juarez," he said.

Asiain, who has volunteered more than 6,000 hours of community
service, said he likes to help others and hopes he can make a
difference in the city where violence has taken over.

Asiain was one of more than 250 volunteers who organized the event
Saturday. About 60 organizations and the federal government were involved.

Nationally renowned musical groups such as Nortec Panoptica Orchestra
and Hello Seahorse performed at the festival.

Local bands including Tierra Luna, Un Dia de Octubre, Coro "Jorge
Salcido," Peccataminuta, Colectivo Hip Hop, Radio Andres, Orcus Odis
and others also participated.

Juan Carlos Reyes, also known as Waka Wafles, was among 70 graffiti
artists who painted 20 murals in the city to promote peace, hope, and
unity in Juarez as part of the event.

Reyes, 25, said the purpose of the art in the streets is to distract
people from the crime scenes they see every day.

"Instead of looking at a dead man in the street, they will look at
murals that tell stories and the history of their city," he said.

Reyes was a child when he started drawing.

He said he is mostly inspired by Frank Shepard Fairey, an American
contemporary artist and graphic designer; French painter Blek le Rat;
and British street artist Banksy.

Reyes said the violence in Juarez is an unfortunate event. He said the
main purpose of the young painters is to deliver a positive message to
the community.

"We want to change the view of the people," he said.