Border Community Has High Hopes For Juarez Competitiva

October 12 marks the first Juarez Competitiva, which is slated to be a star-studded beginning with rock band Mana. It’s an event organized by the Juarez business community to highlight the strengths of El Paso’s sister city and change people’s perception of a city that’s normally associated with drugs and violence.

“It’s not that they are suffering (just in Juarez), no it’s our community as a whole will suffer if we don’t stand together,” said the El Paso marking director for Juarez Competitiva, Norma Mendez. She said she hopes the event will bring the borderland community together and change people’s opinion of Juarez. El Paso Events Coordinator for Juarez Competitiva, Malena Cardiel, admits violence is still a problem, but Cardiel said economic stimulation can help.

“We know that the violence is there,” said Cardiel “We’re not trying to cover that up, but we want people to keep coming to our community.”

But not everyone is willing to overlook Juarez’s bad reputation.

“I would never go to Juarez,” insisted El Pasoan Jose DIaz.

Others are ready to give Juarez Competitive a chance.

“I love Mana,” said El Paso Resident Maria Fernanda-Barrios. “(The line-up) totally does make me wanna go.”

It’s an event created in order to change the people’s perception of a city familiar with car bombs, kidnappings and gun battles.

“I went out of town recently and a lot of people were like, ‘You live in El Paso, it’s right next to Juarez. It’s a war zone’ and it’s sad, but it’s real and we need to change it,” said Fernanda-Barrios.

It’s a bloody, violent image that Cadriel said (whether it’s warranted or not) can reflect poorly on all of the Borderland.

“Our image isn’t just in Juarez, it includes El Paso and Las Cruces, so if the image in Juarez gets better, it automatically affects what happens here,” said Cadriel.

But for those unwilling or unable to cross over to Juarez, there’s still a way to participate.

“Maybe you don’t feel comfortable today, but be in touch with the events happening here in El Paso, support the El Paso events,” said Mendez. “Maybe with your support it will be a matter of time before we are going back and forth like we used to.”

The event runs from October 12-October 28. Events will be held both in El Paso and Juarez.