UTEP political science Associate Professor Tony Payan called the violence in Juárez a struggle for power over the Juárez drug cartel. Payan said Mexican leaders for too long have turned the other way as police accept payoffs. (Mark Lambie / El Paso Times)
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An end to the violence in Juárez won’t be in sight until the El Paso community acknowledges its role in the problem, UTEP political science Associate Professor Tony Payan said during a panel discussion on the issue.”We tend to ignore that this often begins in El Paso,” he said.

He was among a panel of five who spoke to more than 100 gathered Wednesday at the University of Texas at El Paso to discuss the continuing violence across the border.

Payan told them a story recently shared with him by a student, who talked of other UTEP students who were taking turns snorting lines of cocaine at a graduation party.

“So this is our problem, too, on this side of the border,” Payan said. “I think it’s foolish of authorities and politicians and

UTEP political science Associate Professor Irasema Coronado was one of several educators and law enforcement members who took part Wednesday in the conference on Juárez. (Mark Lambie / El Paso Times)

bureaucrats to deny this is a shared problem. It begins here, it goes there, and it comes back here.”He likened the situation to an alcoholic denying he has a problem with alcohol.

Payan was joined on the panel by Irasema Coronado, UTEP associate political science professor; Sheriff Jimmy Apodaca; William Burns, special agent of the regional security office for the U.S. Consulate General; and Gisele Fernández Ludlow, Mexican consul of political affairs and border issues.

Coronado said after the discussion, “There are so many people giving opinions about what’s going on in Juárez, and they’ve never even been there. Our students come from there. This is our reality.”

The panelists agreed that the violence will probably remain confined to Juarez

Burns said, “We don’t anticipate the violence is going to come across into the U.S. This is primarily narco against narco violence.”

He said that so far this year, about 360 people have been slain in Juárez. This compares to about 300 slayings in all of 2007.

“The possibility of you getting gunned down in Juárez is actually very low,” Payan said.

The discussion occurred as the bloodshed continued. A man was shot to death Wednesday morning inside a door-and-window store. Three others were killed Tuesday.

Said Apodaca, “It really is a tragedy, the ongoing violence in Juárez during these days. We pray, of course, that violence will not spill over to this side of the border, but should it occur, we are prepared to respond appropriately to any crime that’s committed on this side.

“People who go to Mexico should be careful when they go across, but they shouldn’t be afraid to visit relatives and go shopping,” Apodaca said.

Payan said the violence stemmed from cartels fighting each other, from fighting within the ranks of the various cartels and from a corrupt police force.

“It’s a very rough time to be a cop in Mexico,” Payan said. “If you’re with one organization, you’re going to be targeted by the other. If you’re an honest cop and you’re doing your job, you will also be targeted — in this case by both organizations.”

Fernández said the United States and Mexico must cooperate more to curb the violence.

Other solutions mentioned included money for substance abuse programs; curbing weapons trafficking into Mexico; legalizing drugs in the United States; a well-trained and professional police force; and increased awareness of the violence on both sides of the border.

UTEP senior Alberto Macias was among those who attended the discussion.

“I’m from Ciudad Juárez and I see the problems we are facing right now,” he said.

“As a college student, I also know we can have a contribution to this (solution). So many people think, ‘What can I do? Nothing at all.’ But just learning about different opinions, what people in power are thinking about, can help us realize what the problem is. and in the future we can play an important role.”

Erica Molina Johnson may be reached at emolina@elpasotimes.com; 546-6132.

El Paso Times reporter Daniel Borunda contributed to this report.