Pubdate: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 Source: El Paso Times (TX) Copyright: 2010 El Paso Times Contact: http://www.elpasotimes.com/formnewsroom Website: http://www.elpasotimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/829 Author: Zahira Torres Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/Juarez JUAREZ VIOLENCE Street Gangs Responsible for Killings, Mayor Says AUSTIN -- Street gangs, not drug cartels, are behind most murders in Juarez these days, the city's mayor said Monday. Juarez Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz told a crowd of more than 100 people at the University of Texas at Austin that law enforcement efforts have made it more difficult for drug cartels to transport cocaine into the United States. He said the increased patrols forced the cartels to find alternate routes. That, he said, created a separate battle between Juarez gangs that are now hunting for additional income. "For the most part, the killings between the Sinaloa cartel and the Juarez cartel have ceased in Juarez," Reyes Ferriz said. He blamed the majority of the 2,600 killings in the city during the past year on the feud between warring gangs. He said the Aztecas and their rivals the Mexicles and Artistas Asesinos (Artists Assassins) are now fighting for control of the retail distribution of drugs in Juarez. The Aztecas are linked to the Juarez cartel, and the Mexicles and Artistas Asesinos are linked to the Sinaloa cartel. Nearly 5,000 people have been killed in Juarez since 2008. The killings were initially part of a feud between the Juarez and Sinaloa cartels over who would control the drug-trafficking routes through the border city. The Associated Press last week reported that the Sinaloa cartel was winning that battle. Reyes Ferriz said he could not confirm that claim because he is not privy to such information. But, he said, Juarenses no longer see a strong effort by either cartel to transport drugs through Juarez. "I think when they refer to Juarez, they are referring to the entire region -- Guadalupe, Praxedis (Guerrero), Palomas -- all of that which is much larger than Juarez," Reyes Ferriz said. The mayor said law enforcement efforts are helping to slow the number of murders in the city. Juarez was averaging about 12 murders a day in August. Last month, the city averaged about six killings daily, Reyes Ferriz said. He said the Mexican military, which withdrew from the police department last week, helped the city build a more effective and less corrupt police force. He also defended the Mexican army against reports that its soldiers have used their power to violate the rights of innocent Juarenses. Reyes Ferriz said most of those complaining are the parents of "hardcore" criminals who kill for a living. "I don't think you can act against hardened criminals like this politely," he said. He said Juarez is working to improve its unemployment rate and create a better social structure to keep students away from the drug war. The city, with help from the federal government, will build five high schools on the west side, open another 100 day-care centers for children between the ages of 4 and 12, and develop free after-school programs. Reyes Ferriz said an additional 28,000 temporary jobs will be created to provide a source of income to people who may otherwise be lured into killing for a meager $40 a week. But Reyes Ferriz said curbing drug-related violence in Juarez also requires collaboration between Mexico and the U.S., which consumes about $35 billion in drugs annually. He said President Barack Obama's administration has opened the door to discussions that the previous president did not consider a priority. "Sovereignty shouldn't be an issue stopping us from working jointly with the U.S.," he said. "The U.S. has the technology, the expertise, the police department." Still, some students who attended the discussion Monday were not convinced. Armando Martinez, a graduate of Ysleta High School who now attends UT Austin, said the Mexican government is not doing enough to solve the problem. "It affects my immediate family and my extended family in every single aspect, whether it's the economy, jobs, social interaction or security," he said. He was among a handful of students who displayed signs that called for an end to the violence in Juarez. Some signs called on the mayor to end his "superstar" tour through the country and return to Juarez. Other signs quoted the lyrics of a popular Juan Gabriel song but replaced a reference that called the border city the most fabulous and beautiful in the world to the most violent in the world. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake