Drug overlords kill over 400 near El Paso/ Juarez Border in 2008!?

Question

A month ago I posted a question:

"... in reference to the then 200 people killed in Juarez, Mexico, a large city located across the Rio Grande next to with El Paso, Texas. More than 2000 Mexican soldiers have been called to dispel the violence. Many people in the borderland are concerned that this could spill over into the U.S. As a nation, we have never faced anything like this before. Your thoughts..."

One of the respondents posted a comment stating that we face this type of thing year after year. Silly, that's a blatant lie. Recently they injured a 7 year old little girl and killed a 14 year old boy. The death toll is now over 400. They are now kidnapping anyone connected to the 2 fighting drug factions and also taking people hostage that are wealthy, or purported to be, for ransom! A buddy of mine saw 5 men in Mexico shoot 2 men 84 times! All he could do was hide in mortal fear. What's next...

Answer 1

Shoot back.

Answer 2

I have a home in El Paso that has a mountain view that overlooks Juarez and have had it for 15 years or so.

El Paso is one of the safest cities in the US...check the FBI statistics. The city is over 800,000 people and there were 17 homicides last year..... and more than half those were 'domestic' killings (spousal killings) which happen everywhere.

There is a drug war in Juarez right now and yes, 400 dead so far. h**l, that less than New Orleans last year and New Orleans in one-sixth the size of Juarez. I used to live in New Orleans ands trust me, Mexico is much safer than living with those soul-less savages.

The drug war is almost over and the killing of "civilians" is greatly over-exaggerated. Compared to the brutal violence of a New Orleans, or Atlanta, or Houston, or Detroit, or Washington DC, Juarez is a safe city. I had lunch at the downtown Mercado in Juarez this past Sunday....no big deal. If you are not in the Cartels, and not a corrupt cop, you are not going to get killed.

Read this...... Source(s) "Juarez has become a new battleground in a turf war between Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s Sinaloa drug cartel and Juarez’s Vicente Carillo Fuentes cartel, but there’s little danger to El Paso or to innocent visitors in Juárez, UTEP Professor Tony Payan said during a panel discussion today.

“Most of you, if you’re not involved in drug trafficking … have nothing to be concerned about,” Payan said, adding it is important for border residents not to be panicked by the violence."

Answer 3

I won't go to El Paso after dark anymore unless it's the extreme west side to a restaurant or the mall. The downtown area takes on a malevolent air in the evening so I wouldn't go even to a museum opening unless accompanied by a guy.

As for Mexico, I quit going to Cuidad Juarez ages ago. The crooked cops shake down tourists for bribes, they threatened to take my license plates off my car the last time I drove over so I bribed them with $20 and quit driving over.

Palomas, Chihuahua is just across the border from Columbus, New Mexico, and they've started having gang wars there, too. Scary stuff.

Answer 4

So why hasn't the president of Mexico done something for the safety of his people?  Outlaws are not outlaws if the leader is as crooked as they are.  Why is this a US issue?  Its not.  Its only become an issue when we cross the border.  So don't do it and be safe.  I live in Texas; we carry guns.

Answer 5

As a Texan this is appaling to me. We live 20 minutes South of Dallas, so, no where near El Paso, but from i've heard from in-laws and friends who have been there and to those areas of the border, it isn't uncommen to hear of murders between drug gangs.

The fact though that Innocent parties and civilians are getting killed and harmed is disgusting and outragious and hopefully it can be contained soon.

There are many Mexican towns along the border, big and small who are at war with the next town or group of people. Will it spill over into the US, no, as far as them shooting out in American streets and murdering hundreds as they are doing in Mexico, no. But i can see the fear that American residents have living along the border. There isn't much peace, what with having to control illegal immigrants, drug smugglers, then drug smugglers killing border patrol, border patrol killing smugglers then our American patrol men get thrown in prison! I really hope Mexican authorities crack down on this. It is outragious this continues, it's outragious even one person was killed, but that is how it is between gangs. I'm sorry i don't have much to offer to your question, i'm really not that knowledgable on the subject, just what i hear from Texans and the news. I'm also deeply sorry your friend witnessed such an atrocity.