AS CITY CELEBRATES INDEPENDENCE, DRUG-RELATED VIOLENCE ECLIPSES
RECORD

150 Slain In City So Far In September

Murders in Juarez in the first nine months of this year have surpassed
last year's record-setting total even as killings continue daily,
including a shooting during a funeral Tuesday.

More than 150 homicides have occurred this month, pushing the year's
total to more than 1,620, past the 1,607 homicides reported by
Chihuahua state police in 2008 when a war started among drug cartels.

The rampant violence tempered Mexican Independence Day celebrations in
Juarez and El Paso as crowds gathered Tuesday night for the
traditional "grito," or cry for independence.

Juarez resident Carlos Alberto Castillo, 32, said security has
deteriorated since last year, making people less likely to go celebrate.

"The security services of Mexico have not had the results they
expected," said Castillo, decked out in a green Mexico jersey and a
tricolor hat while enjoying the Independence Day festivities sponsored
by the Mexican Consulate at San Jacinto Plaza in Downtown El Paso.

Juarez officials said advances are being made against the onslaught of
crime, though the murders continue. There were at least five homicides
as of Tuesday evening, including a person shot and killed when gunmen
stormed into El Refugio funeral home.

On Monday evening, U.S. Border Patrol agents helped a man who ran
across the Rio Grande to safety in San Elizario after being shot and
wounded in the Valley of Juarez.

A Border Patrol spokesman said the man had been shot in an arm and was
limping. A radio transmission while the man was flown to University
Medical Center of El Paso said the man was shot in the forearm and in
the buttocks.

"He could be prosecuted for violating immigration law. Right now,
first and foremost is his health and safety," said Agent Ramiro
Cordero, an agency spokesman.

Also Monday, 635 cadets graduated from the Juarez police academy as
part of a plan to grow the city's force to 3,000 members who have
undergone greater scrutiny in an effort to eliminate corruption.

Military police currently patrolling alongside Juarez police and
transit officers will start a gradual withdrawal later this month,
said Enrique Torres, spokesman for the federal Joint Operation Chihuahua.

There are about 6,000 soldiers and 1,000 federal police officers
deployed to Juarez, with 1,200 soldiers leaving this week as part of a
regular rotation, Torres said.

Military authorities have said the operation is helping to disrupt
drug trafficking. They also point to numerous arrests, including last
week's arrest of Michael Escatel, a suspected cartel hit man from El
Paso, who has since been taken to Mexico City.

Between 1,000 to 2,000 soldiers are scheduled to take part in the
traditional Independence Day parade by the old presidency building in
downtown Juarez.

Juarez Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz on Tuesday addressed 2,400 soldiers who
had patrolled with municipal police as part of several patriotic events.

"It fills me with pride to address you on this date that will be
registered in the history archives of Juarez," he said. "I come to say
farewell to the troops who arrived from all corners of the country to
defend Juarenses from the invasion of organized crime."

But Juarez is not safe even with the efforts of the Mexican army, said
Sylvia Anchondo of West El Paso.

Anchondo normally celebrates Mexico's Independence Day in Juarez but
this year she instead was among the thousands of attendees who enjoyed
the mariachi music, singers and dancers at San Jacinto Plaza in El
Paso.

"In the past, one could walk down Avenida Juarez with your family. The
people were good. Occasionally, you'd see a drunk," she said. "Now,
there is no authority, no respect and you don't feel safe."

Juarez resident Martha G. de Elias said that it is important to
celebrate the holiday despite the fears and struggles caused by the
drug violence.

"I think it's important to preserve those Mexican roots," de Elias
said. "You can feel the pride in your heart."