CANUTILLO STUDENTS RALLY FOR JUAREZ

A Call for Ending the Violence

CANUTILLO -- Frustrated and tired of the drug violence in Juarez,
seniors at Canutillo High School took a stand Thursday.

More than 300 students participated, decorating handprints attached
to stakes. Every handprint had a message urging peace. The event was
part of the school's "The Violence Stops Here" campaign, intended to
bring more attention to the killings across the border.

An estimated 7,500 people have died since in the drug war began in
2008. About 200 people have died this year, and more than 3,100 were
killed in 2010.

With hammers and stakes at hand, the students planted the decorated
handprints in front of the school. Several shouted, "Si se puede"
(Yes we can) and "Alto a la violencia" (Stop the violence).

"We want to get the message out and give those who can't speak a
voice," said Stephanie Sapien, senior class president. "I hope that
this day has an impact on the class, and they realize how horrible it is."

Sapien challenged other high schools in the area to do the same.

Canutillo High School Principal Jim Fry said the students
collaborated with one another to make the event possible.

"They are tired of the violence," Fry said. "It impacts their lives
and their families daily. And they don't want it to go on. They want
this message to be heard across the city and across the country as well."

The event hit close to home for several students who had lost friends
and family members to the drug violence. As the students gathered in
a circle for a moment of silence, senior Ashley Vasquez remembered
her friend Mario Lopez, a 2008 graduate of Canutillo. Lopez was a
member of the football team and is remembered for his artwork. He was
killed in Juarez in 2009.

"He was a really close friend," Vasquez said. "After he graduated, he
just went to live and work there for a while. Then one day for some
reason he was just found in an alley. His body was wrapped up in a
bag. It was just so awful, so horrible. He was just a good kid, a
good football player and it hit me pretty hard."

Guillermo Cervantes, professor at El Paso Community College and
author of "Ciudad Juarez 2008-2010: A Photographic Testimony of Our
Pain," spoke to the students and related to their frustration.

"I think it's remarkable that they are showing solidarity for our
sister city," Cervantes said. "Many of them know how bad it is down
there because they also have family living in Juarez. I've seen how
things are, and they are getting worse day by day."

Knowing this, Vasquez and other students urged residents of Juarez to
speak up. "Just speak out and let your voices be heard," Vasquez said.