Thread: Fewer cross into Juarez after threat of bloodshed

Fewer cross into Juárez after threat of bloodshed
By Diana Washington Valdez / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 05/25/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT


Related
Juarez Violence
May 24:
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Law enforcement warned not to visit Juárez, 11 bodies foundJuárez police find three charred bodies in carFive bodies, two heads found on street in JuárezE-mail: Weekend will be 'bloodiest and deadliest'May 21:
14-year-old boy among latest slain in JuárezMay 20:
Ex-army major to lead Juárez police forceMay 19:
Retired Mexican army major named new public safety secretary for JuárezFewer people crossed the El Paso-Juárez border after a cyber message warned that this weekend would be bloodiest one in Juárez memory.
A decrease in waiting times at the international bridges, closed shops and nightclubs, and deserted strips in some parts of Juárez indicated that many people took seriously the warning of unknown origin.

"After midnight and until 4 p.m. Saturday, we saw average decreases in the waiting times of 20 to 30 minutes at the (Zaragoza), Bridge of Americas and Paso del Norte bridges compared to other Saturdays," said Rick Lopez, spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in El Paso.

Saturday evening, Mexican police reported eight more slayings, bringing the total since Friday to 19.

The spike in mob-style killings prompted Juárez Mayor José Reyes FerrÃ*z to cut short his visit to Colombia, where he had traveled with Chihuahua Gov. José Reyes Baeza Terrazas to study Bogota's mass transit system.

The widespread cyber message of unknown origin prompted the U.S. Embassy in Mexico to post on its Web site this warning: "U.S. citizens are urged to be especially alert to safety and security conditions when visiting Ciudad Juárez and the State of Chihuahua, particularly during the weekend of May 23-25."

The Mexican National Chamber of Commerce in Juárez reported losses of up to 40 percent by some businesses, and attributed the declines to a sense of insecurity.

Because there have been nearly 400 homicides since January, most of them drug-related,
officials said, bodies were stacking up faster than they could be processed at the city's SEMEFO morgue.
The Juárez mayor said Saturday that the city was beefing up night patrols around shopping and entertainment centers.

Diana Washington Valdez may be reached at dvaldez@elpasotimes.com; 546-6140.






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Law enforcement warned not to visit Juárez, 11 bodies foundJuárez police find three

Mexican law enforcement?

The widespread cyber message of unknown origin prompted the U.S. Embassy in Mexico to post on its Web site this warning: "U.S. citizens are urged to be especially alert to safety and security conditions when visiting Ciudad Juárez and the State of Chihuahua, particularly during the weekend of May 23-25."

Shouldn't the government be advising no travel to Ciudad Juárez and the State of Chihuahua?

Dup Post

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-116852-juarez.html