I am pretty much SPITTING NAILS over what took place in El Paso last night.
Totally unbelievable!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_16087733? ... ost_viewed

Mexico bicentennial: El Paso event grows due to Juárez violence
By Daniel Borunda and Adriana Gómez Licón \ El Paso Times
Posted: 09/16/2010 12:00:00 AM MDT

Angelica Alvarez shouts "Viva Mexico!" for all to hear on Wednesday evening during festivities at San Jacinto Plaza in Downtown El Paso marking the 200th anniversary of Mexico's independence.

Mexican flags waved, children tooted horns, fireworks boomed and mariachis played as a crowd of up to 10,000 people celebrated Mexico's 200th birthday Wednesday night in Downtown El Paso.

The festivities in San Jacinto Plaza were larger than last year because it was Mexico's bicentennial and because many revelers preferred to celebrate the traditional "grito," or cry for independence, in El Paso rather than in violence-plagued Juárez.

El Paso police, who had a heavy presence at the event, estimated the crowd to be between 9,000 and 10,000 people, compared with about 6,000 to 7,000 a year ago. The Mexican Consulate sponsored the festivities.

In Juárez, the patriotic holiday was practically ignored Wednesday night. Most residents stayed at home, scared of violence.

The border city's plazas were quiet and undecorated. Juárez Avenue, known for its bars, sportsbooks and restaurants, was quiet by 6 p.m.

But 3,000 people flocked to the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juárez north of the city to see traditional folklorico dances, savor Mexican food, and enjoy time with family and friends.

Dora Velarde and Javier Morales spent the evening at the fiesta to show their daughter what September 16th is about.

"We want to teach her the value of her country so she can have affection for her country," Velarde said.

Velarde and Morales were disappointed Juárez city officials canceled other September 16th festivities.

"Public safety has always been an issue," Velarde said. "But you can't stop enjoying your country, your city."

Back in El Paso, it was a bittersweet Mexican Independence Day celebration for Rebeca Aguilar and her family.

"We used to go to Juárez. This is our first time here because you can't go over there. It's the sense of security that brought us here," Aguilar said.

Aguilar, 49, wore a traditional Mexican dress and her grandchildren also wore traditional outfits. The family lives in El Paso but had always celebrated in Juárez in the past. This year, it was just too dangerous.

More than 2,000 people have been slain in Juárez this year in a wave of killings spurred by a drug cartel war that has continued and claimed more than 6,300 lives since 2008.

The traditional "grito" of three shouts of "Viva Mexico!" mark an 1810 uprising that resulted in independence from Spain a decade later.

But drug violence this year dampened the bicentennial celebrations in various parts of Mexico, including Juárez and other cities in the state of Chihuahua. The bicentennial also spurred conversations by Mexicans about the nation's past, its present and where it is headed.

But such weighty matters were postponed for one festive night.

Juana Serrano, 60, was dressed in a red, white and green dress, waving a large Mexican flag in a show of cultural pride. "I feel beautiful. I have Mexico in my blood."

The Lower Valley resident would alternately attend independence festivities in El Paso and Mexico each year before the violence.

"Sadly, in Juárez, I used to go celebrate but things are ugly over there now," she said, looking at a crowded San Jacinto Plaza as the scent of Mexican treats and foods wafted in the air. It wasn't bad, she said.

"It's like being in Mexico."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
And not only did the Mexican nationals use our downtown to party for THEIR country's Independence /revolution....OUR local law enforcement had to oversee the event....ie....WE get to pay for those services. And to boot.....They left our downtown completely littered with crap and of course, we get to also pay for the cleanup. We meaning tax payers!