Growing violence in Ciudad Juárez

I was reading the New York Times yesterday evening and ran across an article by Dan Barry titled "This Land: Border Towns Across Rio, Worlds Apart in Drug War." The article brought me to tears. As I've mentioned before, I spent some time in the border region of El Paso and Juárez back in 2002, so as I read of the escalating violence, increase poverty, and growing fear of those bound to life on the 'wrong' side of the river, in my mind I couldn’t help but see the faces of the children and families I met while I was there.

I wonder if Christina is still running the children’s library and organizing HIV/AIDs efforts in her impoverished community. I wonder if Alma – whose house burned to the ground while we watched – is safe somewhere. And I wonder about the children I met -- Carlos, Junior, Melissa, Armando, Esperanza, Elian, Jonathan, and the others. Most of them would be in their early teens now. Are their families still together? Are they split across borders, hundreds of miles apart? Are they involved in the cartels? Are they safe? Did those who wanted U.S. citizenship receive it? Those seeking asylum? Are they in school? I know that I will never have the answers to these questions. So, when I read the Times article, I can’t help but wonder if the slain children, the families trying to figure out how to survive, the communities torn by violence, drugs, and poverty have the faces of people who shared their meals with me, told me their stories, and offered me their kindness.

The article talks of walking across the border. I’ve made that walk. It names streets and describes markets on both sides of the river that I’ve frequented. It describes communities that, for a brief time, welcomed me into their membership.

I read this article, and I don’t know what to do about it. I feel very far away. And very small. In the article, they mention the work of Annunciation House, which is the organization that hosted me while I was in the region. They are continuing to serve as a voice for the voiceless, a hand of aid to the helpless, and a source of comfort and solidarity for the downtrodden. So, as I struggle to make sense of the continuing terror overtaking Juárez, I direct our eyes to their work. Perhaps we can support them as they support others.

Further Readings/Resources:
NYT 2/13/10 "Border Towns Across Rio, Worlds Apart in Drug War"
10/8/09 "A Place at the Table" - a video documentary about the work of Annunciation House
NYT 4/16/09 (video) "Juárez: Children in the Crossfire"
NYT 1/23/09 "Two Sides of a Border: One Violent, One Peaceful"
AP 2008 "Drug Violence: Mexico hit by rising wave of drug-fueled violence"
TIME.com 2001 "The New Frontier/La Nueva Frontera"
The El Paso Times' continuing look at escalating violence in Juárez.

(Image courtesy of Annunciation House)