There have been a few e-mails and postings from the last Immigration Monday El Paso/Juarez diatribe. It's a vast and fascinating subject. As my new friend Fabio, a working musician in Juarez points out, it's not all murdre and mayhem. I agree. In many ways, Ciudad Juarez has been friendlier in my experience than Tijuana. Go figure.

However, as Mari points out, Diana Washington Valdez paints a scary picture of the killing fields. I know Diana, and have been fortunate to appear with her at various events. If you're interested in the awful scene in those desert body dumps, her Cosecha de mujeres is an eye-opener. My dear pal Alicia Gaspar de Alba has a fine mystery novel about the killings. Look her up on amazon.com: she deserves your perusing all her publications. Buy them all. And, of course, my old desert bud Charles Bowden did some early trenchant work on the subject. His jUAREZ is a real freak-out, and inc,udes alarming photographs. be prepared. His Down by the River is a dense and controversial book about the scene--and the drug wars there.

There's a true-crime hardcover making the rounds, but I don't know the title. I've seen it once. But I'm sure you can find it.

Finally, Google can lead you to many many entries. Esther Chavez Cano is the brave warrior taking on this horror. Try her name. She's a fine person, and her center for women is a great cause we should all support.

As Mari says: not one more death.

I think I have to read some poetry now, before my head explodes.
L

# posted by Luis @ 11:06 AM