Arrested Development - Ex-Pats Mexico

VILLA AHUMADA, Chihuahua State, Mexico, a town on the Pan-American Highway heading straight to the U.S. border, about 80 miles south of El Paso, Texas where the entire police force quit after 70 cartel hit men roared through last spring, killing the police chief, two officers and three townspeople. Soon after, the rest of the 20-member force quit in fear.

Villa Ahumada has been without a city police force since May, unable to find anyone brave enough to take the job. Even Mayor Fidel Chavez fled for a time to the state capital, Chihuahua City.

After the army and state police pledged to have more of a presence in town, he returned and put 10 residents in charge of reporting suspicious activities to the authorities.

But there was little these unarmed citizen patrols could do when heavily armed assailants in black ski masks drove SUVs into town last week, kicking in doors and carting off nine residents in blindfolds.

The gunmen had already executed six of the hostages near a desolate ranch called El Vergel, about 30 minutes north of town, by the time soldiers swooped in.

The economy depends on highway travelers stopping to eat at countless wooden burrito stands, but business has dropped by 50 percent since last week's violence, and the mayor has criticized the media for harming tourism.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090217/D96DJ51G0.htm

Next story...

Protesters formed a human blockade at the two main international bridges connecting El Paso with Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, for nearly three hours Tuesday in a protest of the Mexican army's presence in Juarez,... U.S. officials said.
Similar protests played out at other spots along the border between Mexico and the U.S.
Demonstrators also blocked roads in the northern industrial city of Monterrey and the Gulf state of Veracruz.

Hundreds of protesters, all demanding that soldiers leave their cities, also blocked international bridges in Nuevo Laredo across from Laredo and Reynosa, across from McAllen.

Human rights activists say there are legitimate complaints about abuses by soldiers, including cases in which patrols opened fire on civilians at military checkpoints. But they say it is unclear who has been behind the demonstrations.

In Juarez, one person held a sign reading, "Get out of Juarez, thieving abusive soldiers."

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/g ... Texas.html

What is going on...anyone know?? Are the soldiers worse than the narcos?

It's a mystery... why all the smart people who have figured out how to get to the moon, mapped people's DNA and brain, made pharmaceudical drugs to cure or alter bodily functions, detect fumes/oders from various compounds, etc. can't figure out how to sniff out or xray drugs at a boarder crossing.
These drug transportation corridors all have to go through a very limited number of boarder checkpoints in trucks or cars.
Where is the technology to do that...seeing that drugs are such a major problem. We never hear of how much money is being spent on that research, if any. Wouldn't it be a better way to spend it like that, than how it is presently done.
No wonder the local people are so frustrated.

Quote WhyNot:
"What is going on...anyone know?? Are the soldiers worse than the narcos?"

Comments from a Mexican Soldier on a military forum
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/sh ... 5&page=483





In response to this pic thread, GRAPHIC

Aftermath of the Feb. 13th shootout on the outskirst of Juárez:
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/sh ... 5&page=485

Interesting side note:



I for one applaud The Mexican Military and all the sacrifices they make !

My question was more to do with this article... http://www.statesman.com/news/content/g ... Texas.html

Why are the people demonstrating to have the soldiers withdraw from that scene? If the article is accurate it seems to show that the populace is behind the narcos.

"EL PASO, Texas — Protesters formed a human blockade at the two main international bridges connecting El Paso with Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, for nearly three hours Tuesday in a protest of the Mexican army's presence in Juarez, U.S. officials said.

Hundreds of protesters, all demanding that soldiers leave their cities, also blocked international bridges in Nuevo Laredo across from Laredo and Reynosa, across from McAllen.

Many of the demonstrators, including masked men and some women and children, held signs decrying the presence of soldiers.

Demonstrators also blocked roads in the northern industrial city of Monterrey and the Gulf state of Veracruz. Tuedsday's protests were the largest display of discontent against the military's role in the Mexican government's anti-drug crackdown. President Felipe Calderon has deployed about 45,000 soldiers across the country in the last two years."

Quote from referenced link...Maybe the majority feel that way?

Do you think everyone from Chihuahua to Veracruz agree with this young woman's explanation. Doesn't seem like a solution to the big picture.

Well heres this:

Natividad Gonzalez, governor of Nuevo Leon state, blamed Mexico's most violent drug gang, the Gulf cartel, and its armed wing The Zetas for the protests.


and....

State police chief Aldo Fasci said last week that crime organizations were paying people to protest against the army and that gangs were handing out backpacks full of school books, pens and paper to poor families who joined the demonstrations.

One woman at the protest who declined to be named told Reuters she came with a neighbor who had been paid to turn up.

http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNew ... 5120090217

"Rising levels of unemployment in Mexico..." have greatly increased the incidence of home-grown crime, also. It has become a noticeable problem where I live -- car thefts, kidnappings, burglaries, extortion, etc having nothing to do with the drug wars which continue to rage out of control.

11 people killed here yesterday. A hand grenade was tossed into an army check point on a main street, thus a principal traffic artery was tied up for hours. One solider and one civilian were kill by the grenade.

Wyknot:

Interesting that you should bring up this town. For years, we have bypassed the El Paso/Juarez crossings in favor of Santa Teresa, NM crossing. This allows you to completely bypass any and all problems in Juarez. Ahumada aka "cheese town" is our first actual town that we enter after crossing the border. Prior to our trip last August, there was an article in our business section of our Albuquerque newspaper describing the problems with the police force and the resultant takeover of the town by the Army. The reporter who wrote the article had recently driven to Chihuahua and felt that the trip was more secure due to the Army presence. We actually saw no Army presence by the time we went down in Ahumada and certainly had no problems. During our October trip through, we also saw no evidence of the Army in town. The irony is that I would categorize the town as a sleepy little burg comprised of numerous cheese shops selling the Mennonite cheeses, lots of liquor stores catching people headed north and the typical restaurant row with the flaggers enticing people in for comida.

Since I am planning a March trip, the latest news article caught my attention. Normally Kathy and I travel together but her business interests prevent her from going on this trip. I was thinking of doing the drive myself but am currently recruiting a friend to make the road
trip. Just don't think it is smart to travel alone given the current climate.

Newspaper articles and TV coverage always make things seem bleaker than actual personal experience does. For the general public, anyway. Maybe if one is a cop or narco in those areas, the stories are more accurate and probable.

On my last drive back we stopped for lunch at a small roadside cafe somewhere in Sinaola and ended up sitting between the street side window and two uniformed federal policemen. I later thought....not a wise choice!!