Thread: Juarez mayor, situation grave but not state of emergency

Juárez mayor says situation 'grave' but not 'state of emergency'
By Adriana M. Chávez / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 06/20/2008 03:41:38 PM MDT


The mayor of Juárez said during a press conference Thursday that the city was not in a "state of emergency," but called the ongoing drug-related violence there "grave."
Mayor José Reyes Ferriz said that the violence, which has been stemming from a war between the Sinaloa and Juárez drug cartels, doesn't warrant the suspension of basic rights of the city's citizens.

"A state of emergency is defined clearly as a temporary situation that is so grave, that in order to contain it, it requires the suspension of individual rights," Reyes said.

Reyes said the violence should be dealt with in a "realistic manner" by local and federal law enforcement officials, and doesn't constitute a curfew. He added that he is tending to the public safety issue, "which presents an atypical battle between organized crime and the effects that it's having on our society."

On Wednesday, Reyes met with several high-ranking federal officials in Mexico City to discuss the violence, and presented strategies to deal with the state of Chihuahua's joint operatives who are working to suppress organized crime. Reyes said he also discussed the dismantling of the operative and financial networks of organized crime that has forced drug traffickers to look for other funding sources, such as bank robberies, ATM thefts and extortion.

"It is imperative that we have the capacity to modify (the joint operatives' mission) in order to take the next step," Reyes said.

Soon after Reyes' news conference, another
murder victim, Jesús Avila Juárez, 53, was found dead near Cholultecas and Carlos Amaya streets in the Azteca neighborhood at about 3:30 p.m. Police said Avila was shot in the back, head and torso.
At 6:30 p.m. Thursday, José Manuel RamÃ*rez González, 23, and Jesús ZubÃ*a Ibarra, 46, were in a burgundy Ford Lobo pickup near Ponciano Arriaga and Eje Vial Juan Gabriel streets when they were shot at by someone in a light-colored Cadillac. The men were shot multiple times but managed to drive to Juárez General Hospital to seek treatment.

Adriana M. Chávez may be reached at achavez@elpasotimes.com; 546-6117








http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_9649323

The mayor of Juárez spends a lot of time in Mexico City