Patricia Martinez (right) reopened her business, Pacífico bakery, after two years of having it closed due to threats. (Alejandra Barrera/Borderzine.com)

Once the most dangerous city in the world, Juárez struggles to prosper again

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CIUDAD JUÁREZ – Patricia Martinez welcomed two men into her “Pacífico” bakery in downtown Juárez one late afternoon in December 2010. She greeted them with a smile as she did with all her customers without imagining that the encounter would change her life forever. Martinez thought they were just customers shopping for some pan dulce or homemade food. While Patty – as her friends and family call her – stood behind the counter, one of the men approached her holding a gun in his hand and, told her in a hushed voice that they were demanding “la cuota,” an extortion payoff. The man said that if she wanted her family to be safe and her businesses to remain open she had to pay 2,000 pesos, or around $155, every week.

Father Pedro Pantoja Arreola gives a presentation at the Institute for Policy Studies on Tuesday to explain what his organization, Fronteras con Justicia, does to help migrants who have been terrorized by organized crime. (Danya P Hernandez/SHFWire)

Mexican priest receives human rights award for work with migrants

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WASHINGTON – The selflessness and courage needed to lend a hand to victims of crime is not a common asset, especially when you live in a place embedded in corruption. That’s what Belen, Posada del Migrante (Bethlehem, Migrant’s Shelter) in Saltillo, Mexico, exhibits when it protects Central-American migrants who fall victim to organized crime. Saltillo is near Monterrey. Father Pedro Pantoja Arreola, director of the shelter, was recognized for his service Wednesday at the 35th Annual Letelier-Moffitt Memorial sponsored by the Institute for Policy Studies. He was presented with the international Human Rights Award, which has been given to only one other Mexican.