Borderzine (https://borderzine.com/author/cromero/)
A New Yorker at heart, she writes excessively and is a fan of Billie Holiday, Italian cooking and an avid NPR listener. She reads the New York Times religiously and secretly wishes she lived at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This year, she intends on finding the perfect yellow typewriter.
EL PASO — With a raging drug war that has left many in fear and confusion, the choice to move to the United States isn’t as black and white as some would hope. But for the individuals and families with money, moving to the United States isn’t just a choice, but a luxury they can afford.
For those living in a country where drug war violence is an everyday occurrence, looking at the bigger picture isn’t always easy. Signs of the drug war can be seen everywhere in border communities like El Paso and Juárez. As the violence escalates, its political, social and economic effects continue to weigh heavily on the sister cities and their residents.
Many Juarenses leave much of their family behind in Mexico to start a new life in El Paso, but some such as UTEP art student Luis Porras, who endures a difficult daily commute to school, says he can never really settle in either city.
People are scared to speak, scared to have their picture taken or to even give their name. When I ask people what they think about the drug war, most of them say: “It’s like hearing the weather reports. It happens everyday…”
For many, the image of a bicycle is synonymous with childhood memories and one of the simplest forms of transportation. But for Argentine artist Fernando Traverso, the image of a bicycle conveys the painful truth behind the 350 people who disappeared in his hometown of Rosario, Argentina, during the “Dirty War” in the 1970s.
Looking at the faces of these “regulars” almost sums up the feeling one might get when visiting the dowtown area. One knows that their visits are frequent and prolonged and that on any given day they can find them there, passing the time and living their lives unannounced and undetered. By most standards, one would say that their life is comfortable and often monotonous, but to them, their life is golden.