El Paso's opinion of Juarez? (West: neighborhood, living, most dangerous)

[1greatcity]

There has been a lot of negative media reports concerning Juarez lately. They paint a picture of Juarez as the most dangerous place in the Western Hemisphere. With El Paso being so close by, I was curious as to what opinion the locals have of Juarez. And what sort of relationship do the two cities share? I mean, are they "sister cities", rivals, enemies, or what? Just looking to educate myself! Thanks.

[joqua]

Originally Posted by 1greatcity

And what sort of relationship do the two cities share? I mean, are they "sister cities", rivals, enemies, or what?

There is no easy answer to your question - which tends to want to generalize the issues. It will also depend on who's attempting to paint the picture of the relationship. MANY El Paso residents, both legal and illegal, have either roots in Mexico/Juarez, family living there, business interests there, etc. Answers will all depend on ones perspective. Best way to get a feel for the current situation is to read through other related threads in this El Paso forum.

[malamute]

Yes, I think it does depend on who you're talking to. Some people who live in El Paso didn't come from Juarez and never did go over there much at all. Others just arrived from Juarez, some people cross the border all the time and in many ways El Paso is just a neighborhood of Juarez.

In some ways though the problems of Juarez seem much further away, I don't think most people who live in Juarez no matter where they're from are overly concerned with what goes on over there. Even the people from Juarez seem more intent on shopping and partying over here than worrying about the fate of Juarez. Even a day where there are many bodies found just on the other side of the border, people at work will be talking about who got cut from Dancing with the Stars or some other show that interested them.