The city that will be discussed in this article is called Ciudad Juarez. What is the peculiarity of this Mexican settlement? What made him famous not only in Latin America?
City location
Ciudad Juarez belongs to the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It is located near the US border. It is separated from the American city of El Paso by the Rio Grande River. By the way, the modern name is translated from Spanish as “the city of Juarez”. It is connected with the name of the forty-ninth president Benito, who in Mexico was elevated to the rank of national heroes. From the XVII to the middle of the last century, its name was consonant with the name of the American neighbor - El Paso del Norte.
What made Ciudad Juarez “famous”?
The city of Ciudad Juarez has earned “world fame” due to its high crime rate. This city is considered a fairly large transport hub in terms of organizing drug supplies to the neighboring northern country. The struggle for leadership leads to a fatal showdown between local criminal groups. Two influential local drug cartels - Sinaloa and Juarez - cannot share criminal power.
1 million 500 thousand people live in the city. The life of most of the townspeople cannot be called easy. Beggars, the unemployed, and the homeless are commonplace in Ciudad Juarez. It is not surprising that they are the “breeding ground" from which street gangs draw their resources. Many are forced to engage in activities that are contrary to the law, including replenishing the ranks of large groups engaged in drug trafficking.
Riots
At the end of 2003, the rampant crime and the weak activity of state power angered the Mexicans so much that they organizedly took to the streets with protests. Hundreds of women, dozens of those whose relatives died or went missing, expressed discontent, reminded the leaders of the state of their problems. The inaction of the authorities outraged the inhabitants of Ciudad Juarez. The killings took place almost every week, but no one wanted to fight this.
In April of that year, the United Nations Commission dedicated a special meeting to this issue at the initiative of the International Federation of Human Rights. They even accepted the corresponding petition, which indicated the reason for the passive position of the state leadership. It was inactive, because mostly the least protected people suffered, to whom they did not care.
Hundreds of victims
In 2009, nearly two hundred of one hundred thousand citizens were victims of crime. Even in the most criminal American St. Louis, there are 150 such cases less. These sad statistics gave reason to give Ciudad Juarez the status of the absolute world leader in the ranking of the most dangerous cities. Only one of the largest Honduran settlements, San Pedro Sula, could compete with it. In different parts of the globe there are at least three more cities - Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Caracas (Venezuela), Mogadishu (Somalia), which are slightly inferior in terms of crime to Ciudad Juarez. But in this indicator he surpassed even “his compatriots” - Monterrey and Tijuana.
The peculiarity of the killings in Ciudad Juarez is their cruelty. These crimes are also devoid of any meaning. In the city, establishments where people have fun are often attacked with weapons. For many random citizens, such parties are the last in their lives, thereby adding to the monthly statistics of dozens of dead. But the authorities are in no hurry to deal with the situation in Ciudad Juarez (Mexico). Crime has reached tremendous proportions.
Creepy stories
Locals love to talk about one terrible crime. One January evening in 2010, teenagers at a city school were about to have fun. However, bandits with firearms suddenly came and turned the celebration into a tragedy, having shot 13 participants of the party.
Some young creatures in Ciudad Juarez also love to indulge in deadly toys. A year after the tragedy at school, Susanna Chavez, a well-known Mexican poet and civil rights activist, was brutally strangled. At the same time, the unfortunate woman was also cut off her hand. The killers turned out to be three young men from a gangster organization called the Aztecs, which worked closely with the Juarez drug cartel. The human rights activist was sent to the other world because she threatened to complain about adolescents to law enforcement agencies.
Shocking numbers
For unknown reasons, a surge in crime in Ciudad Juarez has been observed in the winter for two years (since 2010). During the day of January 10, 2010, 69 murders were committed. This has never happened in the city! The following year, the February weekend, which fell on the 18-20th day, also turned out to be “fruitful”. Among nearly fifty victims were law enforcement officials and school-age children.
On Friday, an attack was made on a car in which young men and minors were. Unfortunately, a car ride around the city for four passengers and a driver became fatal. The next day, a police officer riddled with ten bullets a driver who violated the rules of the road. Apparently, a fine statement to the attacker seemed too severe a punishment! Already at the end of the same Saturday, a group of unsuspecting youth of 20-25 years old was shot in cold blood at a party.
On average, every day in 2011, eight murders of citizens were recorded. The death toll of the fairer sex in Ciudad Juarez (Mexico) in the three February weeks reached 24, and over the course of 20 years - almost 600. Another 3 thousand are considered missing.
Hope for a new power!
As a result of the will of the Mexican people in 2006, Felipe Calderon became president. Citizens believed his loud statements: the politician promised to completely eradicate crime. Alas, nothing so substantial has been done in this direction. The head of state, as they say, signed his own impotence in front of drug cartels. In his opinion, to restore order, a cardinal decision was the connection of 50 thousand troops. Of these, 5 thousand are located in Ciudad Juarez.
Based on statistical data, we can conclude that such a measure was ineffective. During the period when the country was headed by Calderon, about 35 thousand Mexicans were killed. Even during the Mexican War of Independence at the beginning of the 19th century and the armed conflict in 1845, the number of victims was lower. Tourists try to go around the city of Ciudad Juarez. Photos of some areas cause a real shock.
Blame the drugs?
Most crimes are related to the drug business. And the geographical factor is not the last one. Located on the US border, the city of Ciudad Juarez is a key point in Latin America. He, like his border sister Tijuana, was assigned the role of a transshipment point. Using it, citizens of countries with a low level of economic development are illegally transported to the United States.
Juarez drug cartel patronizes almost all the citizens who are engaged in illegal business. Other cartels, including Sinaloa and Golfo, periodically attempt to take a tidbit. The conflict of interest carries over into the streets of Ciudad Juarez in the form of bloody clashes. During such skirmishes, hundreds of people completely unassociated with the showdown are targeted. Moreover, quite often gazed passers-by are shot deliberately either to intimidate the police and the opposite side of the conflict, or just in case, deciding that they may belong to a rival group.
