Crime in Juarez
A Great Evil Torments a Great People

Having received a few emails asking me how I can promote Ciudad Juarez in light of its problems with crime and, in particular, in light of the fact over 300 young women have been murdered here, I believe it is time to speak of these things publicly. 

First, the killings of the young women in Juarez will no doubt go down as one of the most heinous crimes in the annals of human depravity.  I cannot even imagine the horror of any young woman meeting the grisly fate so many have met here.  Most of the victims were working 50-60 hours a week for $50 pay checks, young women doing their best to support their children and families, flowers of the nation's youth, snuffed out by some force which has to be called pure, unadulterated evil.  The weeping and suffering the people of Juarez have endured, and many families across the border as well, is suffering of the kind no words could ever describe.  To make the outrage even worse, until recently nothing concrete appeared to be being done about it. 

It seems, at times, that the devil himself is hiding here in Juarez. 

There are only questions surrounding these killings, and victims.  No one in Ciudad Juarez is left untouched.  Is it one killer, or a series of copy cat killers?  Are the killers Mexican nationals, Americans with free access to the border, or some horrible mixture of both?  Are the police involved?  Why will the Mexican government not do whatever is necessary to end this situation after 10 long years?  Why did even the FBI fail to crack the case?  What, in the name of God, can be done to stop this nightmare?  It is my hope that the new attention being placed on these crimes will bring some answers, but right now there are only questions, and victims.

This web site was created because my experiences here did not conform to the picture of Ciudad Juarez painted in the American press due to the unbalanced reporting of these events.  Perhaps I am still foolish and idealistic enough to believe the truth (the whole truth) is important and should be heard. It did not take long to realize that my new friends here were good people, working hard to make an honest living, much harder than most of us north of the border have to work, and for much, much less.  I asked myself why the entire 2 million people of Ciudad Juarez should be demonized as cut throats and thieves?  I could see they were so demonized in the public perception north of the border. I knew better, because I had taken the time to let people into my life, to live here every weekend and drive and shop like anyone else.  I found people here to be patient with this gringo who could not even speak Spanish, eager to teach me about their culture, and even willing to accept me as just another neighbor to be judged on his behavior, not by the color of his eyes or point of origin.  It was an experience in my life like that of Kevin Costner's character in "Dances With Wolves" when after living among the Indians he writes, "Everything I was ever taught about these people is not true." 

My friends in the City Market remember a time when the market was so crowded on weekends that one could barely move.  Now the market has a busy day now and then, but most weekends business is very slow.  My taxista friends near the bridge tell me some days they may get only 2-3 fares all day long.  Juarez is heavily dependent upon tourism, and a huge number of people here look longingly north for business which never comes, business these good people need to put food on the table and buy clothes for their children.  The great restaurants in this city now serve almost exclusively locals whereas once there were long lines of tourists every weekend.  These people, too, are victims of these horrible events, and not merely in an indirect way considering the millions of tourist dollars which are lost each year due to the city's bad reputation north of the border.

Who speaks for them? 

On Valentine's Day of 2004 two American movie stars, Jane Fonda and Sally Field, led a march in memory of the missing girls and demanding justice.  I not only supported that effort, but applauded it.  It's time for justice.  But Jane Fonda's "I'm rich.  I'm white." statements were insensitive, as were the festivities and theatrical performances which ensued that night.  How did this help the victims or bring any comfort to their grieving families?  Was their trip ever really about the missing girls?  Or was it was really all about publicity for these Hollywood celebrities?  I don't mean to jump to conclusions, but one cannot help but wonder. 

It is my great hope that next time Ciudad Juarez comes to the attention of the world, the reporters and celebrities who come here will take the time to notice honest Mexican families having dinner together.  They should be as equally moved by the hopeful faces of the children whose parents need business from the United States as they are by this great crime against humanity.  These children and their parents don't know any mass murderers or drug lords and do not deserve to be punished because their city has these huge problems beyond their control.

And that is part of what is happening here. 

The Juarez Travel Guide (JTG) exists because I sincerely believe someone needs to tell the positive side of the story about Juarez.  I am not defending the government here or drawing any judgments about its actions or inactions in this matter.  That issue is something so far beyond my knowledge I would look a fool to even touch the subject.  Nor am I speaking out because of any profit motive.  The JTG has been a black hole into which funds have steadily disappeared, not yet a money maker.  This site is not about money.  It's about balance.  The horror of the murders cannot be denied, but neither can the honor and decency of the 2 million people in Juarez.  I would ask anyone in the public eye as a celebrity or journalist to please not create more victims by demonizing the entire city any further.  Headlines such as "The City of Death" only make the situation worse.  Juarez is also a city of life and love of life which has a lot to offer any visitor.  Let's vent our outrage in the right direction.  That's what this web site is about, and I have no reason to be ashamed of that effort. 

Millions of good people here are being harmed in a very direct way by our culture's penchant for sensationalism.