No more blood, a desperate shout in the border

Hundreds of people rallied this Saturday in El Paso and Ciudad Juárez demanding the end of the violence in the streets of Juárez.

It was an emotive, courageous and genuine demonstration that brought together victims and people tired of the bloodshed in the neighboring city.

There were many speeches from both sides of the border, but I particularly  like the one given by Catholic priest Arturo Bañuelas, because I think it summarized the feelings of many of the people gathered in the meeting. With his permission, I'm reproducing some parts of his speech:

 

Peace and Justice without Borders

Rally 29 January 2011, Anapra Fence 

"...Right now we are living one of the worst crisis in our border history. Juarez and El Paso are two lungs of the same body that was once a thriving cultural, social and economic community; but now both our community’s futures are at stake. Hundreds of thousands of our hurting brothers and sisters are fleeing Juarez with trauma and unbearable desperation to a nation unwilling to legally welcome them. America this is not worthy of our country.

Over 3,000 murders on our border is just too much blood running in our streets leaving unbearable scars of pain that will last a life-time for fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and friends. We are disgusted and feel angry about our women so savagely tortured and our friends so viciously executed and mutilated. Fear and violence have become a way of life that for some has no end in sight. Recently I had a funeral of a young man who was beheaded and his body was riddled with over 60 bullets. You can imagine the pain of his father who had to go identify the body of his dead son. At the funeral some of his friends pledged revenge for those who did this to their friend. I can understand their anger, but this is not the solution.

We know the causes of violence on our border: poverty, hunger, the growing gap between rich and poor, NAFTA policies that ignore the plight of the poor, racism, unjust immigration laws, bailing out wall street but not the poor who are losing their homes, illegal trafficking of guns going south, our US lethal addiction for drugs that fund the cartel’s terrorism of our border community, the militarization of our border which has already shown its deathly face, and the profiteering of selling violence to children in the media. The list is long and dreadful. These failed policies and laws serve only to bring dark results: people die, violence flows in our streets. But we can say very clearly today, no law, policy, or profit of violence has ever succeeded. Also it is time to say it clearly: when we buy and use drugs, even recreationally, we are paying for bullets that kill others; and we bring unbearable suffering to families.

We have a solution. Today we bring an alternative to all of this violence and death in our midst. It comes from our solidarity for peace. There is nothing stronger in this world than our united convictions in solidarity for peace. There is always a greater power at work in our solidarity for peace even in the midst of the forces of darkness that surround us. God put in every human heart this desire for peace.

However, the most significant reason for violence comes from our disconnection with each other. This distance translates into bloodshed, hate, carnage, and brutal hostility. Peace is born from our efforts to connect with each other and to value each other as sacred. We are all linked as one human family. We stand together or we fall together. We are each other, and we need to help each other. If I diminish you I diminish myself. If I promote the good in you, I promote the goodness in me and also in everyone else at the same time. The road to peace is in our walking hand in hand with each other as one.

Our creator God made us good not criminals, narcos, terrorists or murderers. This is why I still believe that there are more good people in the world than bad, and there is really more good in the world than bad, that we have an unbelievable capacity for goodness; and today we are here to celebrate the coming victory of our oneness over the violence of our divisions.

As long as there is violence toward each other we all remain incomplete as human beings. At this time of such chaos and violence, when human life seems so dirt cheap, we much proclaim that each person matters, that they matter enormously to us, for we are each other. When we do this we are renewed as a people, the world turns toward peace as a better solution; and peace reigns. Violence is not the way to solve violence. We can break this vicious cycle of violence with our solidarity for peace.

This is a historic moment for us on the border. Let us commit ourselves to one another today. Embrace each other and see our future exploding in our midst. Do not live in fear. Be ready to show your resolve. Justice will triumph over hate, love will conquer violence, and our compassion will overcome our divisions.

I still believe in the dream of a better Juarez and El Paso. That is why we will not surrender to your bullets of fear. Hope runs through our veins and the cause of peace endures in our hearts. Justice is coming. Peace is at hand. We can feel confident today because God is on the side of peace. Let us become more passionately determined in our convictions for solidarity and its victory in our lives.

Ya Basta! Too many people have worked too hard, sacrificed too much; too much blood has been spilled for us to be bystanders in the emerging new border. Together we will prevail in the face of death. Amigos, Amigas, we will rise again!

Father Arturo Bañuelas 

 

Comments

[Eleanor Mosley]

I hate that their is so much violence in Juarez. I don't like it, but when you come over here do you embrace our culture, no you bad mouth our country. What do you say, Viva Mexico, not God Bless the USA. Not thank you USA for the right to live free and the ability to put your kids in school for free. Stay in your country. Where do we go if we don't like whats going on here? We don't run away, we stand up and fight. Maybe you should do that. You would be awful proud of your country and your people if you could turn your country around. Now that I have said all of this, and upset a bunch of people, just let me say that I am of Hispanic descent. I was one of the lucky ones, my great-great grandparents were born there in Mexico but they came here, became American citizens and embraced the American way. When they took the oath, it was to defend and protect America, not to bad mouth her.

[Jacque]

Eleanor, you are both arrogant and ignorant... I only wish that you weren't one of the "lucky" ones... I can only imagine what you would say if it was you or someone you loved who lived in a place where you had to be scared every day of your life faced with the possibility of being raped, kidnapped, burglarized, or violently murdered. My grandmother was born in Guadalajara and I was born and raised in ElPaso, Texas...from my house I can see the cardboard boxes that so many people are forced to use as homes. I've walked over the border and have seen young children and women begging for the clothes off your back.

The government is corrupt and the few officials who aren't --are being threatened and murdered...so tell me, who is there to protect the people? Recently my 84 year old grandmother went across the border to bring toys and food to needy children and randomly a man came and put a gun to her head... my uncle was also murdered over there trying to protect a woman from being killed.

I think it was 2 weeks ago that 150 people were murdered within 1 weekend, and a large number of these deaths were innocent bystanders.

People are fleeing Mexico for their lives...and it is ignorant people like you that sometimes make me feel sad to call myself an American. We are a country built of immigrants, you should really take a look a what is inscribed on the statue of liberty.

You should be ashamed of yourself. These people need our love and our support, not thoughtless rants by uneducated people...these only encourage the racism and hate that plagues this great country of ours.