South Central residents voice concerns over closures

of the pope’s visit. tonight, we’re learning some businesses in south el paso — including the famous bowie bakery — will close the day of the mass. some residents are troubled because their movements will be limited. the city plans to close off a neighborhood from cole to campbell street south of paisano during the pope’s visit as a security measure. this area is right across the border from where the papal mass will be held. today, the city held its third and final meeting with residents ahead of the pal visit. abc-7’s jerry najera continues our complete coverage. jerry? estela the good thing is all the residents i spoke with are now aware about the closure. that wasn’t the case two weeks ago. many are saying its too much, considering the pope will be in juarez, not el paso. south central el paso residents shopped at their neighborhood corner store wednesday evening. others worked on their homes, while kids played outside. and while it may seem peaceful, that is expected to change in less than week when tens of thousands are expected to flock to this area to be as close to the pope as possible. some see the city’s closure as a necessary security precaution. others are frustrated. “it shouldn’t affect us” spoke with rosa arrana as she took care of her grandchildren. “o one hand it’s good because there will be order but on the other there will be a lot of confusion for those going and coming from work” beginning at 3 a-m on the 17th, the closure will cover about 50 blocks from cambpbell to coles street south of paisano. after 2 p.m. – no one will be allowed to leave or re-enter this area until the pope safely departs the mass across the border. the only exception – a medical emergency. around coles street there’s mostly storage warehouses. a shipping manager tells me theyv’e had to cancel all shipments on the 17th and they’ve already started working longer hours to make up for the time lost. and stop the presses: the famous bowie bakery will also close for the day. “of course the business is going to lose” louis agurre tells me more than half his customers come from other neighborhoods. “a lot of people come from westside canutillo even from anthony” residents at tonight’s meeting were mostly concerned because there will only be a single entrance and exit on coles street. “i thin it’s bad” lesli medaz tells me those who work are worried about traffic congestion in and around the entrance. her sister magalde thinks otherwise: “it’s good because of the security” she feels the heavy police presence will keep her children safe. many people were asking about the situation with the passes. police say if you’re a resident and you’re leaving the area you’ll get a pass and you’ll use that pass to get in. last night during a story about