Officials Work To Protect El Paso’s Image

City Rep. Emma Acosta said Tuesday that it’s time to market El Paso as a safe city to people who think the city is dangerous like Mexico.

“We need to work on improving our image as an international city outside of El Paso. We have kind of become very complacent in saying, ‘Oh well, we know we’re safe,’ but the rest of the world doesn’t know we’re safe,” Acosta said.

During a strategic meeting on Tuesday, she told the rest of the City Council that it was time to be more strategic and proactive about saving El Paso’s image, especially as the bloodshed in Juarez continues to make headlines.

Just this week, the violence in Mexico landed a cover story in Time magazine titled, “The War Next Door: Survivors of Mexico’s Drug Violence Fight Back,” which mentions the exodus of thousands of people from Juarez to El Paso. Link:clickabletext here.

“One of the things that happens when you leave El Paso is people don’t distinguish between El Paso being in the United States and Juarez being in Mexico,” Acosta said .

Acosta said the image of violence prevents companies from setting up in El Paso, which hinders job growth. She even said physicians may be unwilling to move here, a traditionally medically underserved area, because of the image of lawlessness.

ABC-7 asked viewers how they would market El Paso. One man suggested the slogan, “You don’t have to pray, El Paso’s the place to stay.”

El Paso County Judge Veronica Escobar suggested other slogans, such as, “Rest easy, you’re in the safest city in America” and “El Paso, where you can rest assured you’re in safe hands.”

“Or something that just doesn’t relay the safe city deal, but the warmth: ‘Come be within the embrace of the safest community in the nation. Something like that.'” she said.

There is a group of business, city, academic and media leaders tasked with finding a way to improve El Paso’s image.

City Manager Joyce Wilson said the group is slated to give the city its recommendations by the end of next month.