A long-running land battle between a working-class neighborhood and one of Ciudad Juarez's wealthiest families is heating up. Dozens of residents of the low-income Lomas de Poleo colonia pulled down a fence on Tuesday, Oct. 18, that had been erected on the contested property by employees of the Pedro Zaragoza family. A sign reading, "No Trespassing. Private Property," was also destroyed by the mainly women protestors. "We are no longer afraid. The fear we had is gone," declared colonia leader Faustino Olivares Nava.

The incident was observed by officers from the Ciudad Juarez municipal police department and the Cipol police unit of the Chihuahua State Department of Public Security. "If you all want to tear down the fence, we aren't going to stop it," Cipol police commander Jesus Manuel Garcia was quoted as saying to the protestors. There was no immediate comment from Pedro Zaragoza.

Dating back years, the Lomas de Poleo conflict pits hundreds of families against Pedro Zaragoza and his private security guards. Residents suspect Zaragoza of seeking to evict them from about a 1,500-acre tract because of the land's vicinity to the planned San Geronimo-Santa Teresa mega-development. Zaragoza is a member of a family that controls a large chunk of the retail natural gas market in Mexico and Central America, as well as the Lucerna milk distributorship in Ciudad Juarez. Colonia residents accuse Zaragoza's 60-member private security force, which allegedly includes gang members and drug abusers in its ranks, of toting around illegal AK-47 rifles and other high-powered weapons. Many claim women are sexually harassed and neighbors intimidated by the security guards.

Tensions have grown since Zaragoza's employees put up the fence two years ago and then forced residents to pass through road-blocks. Last August, colonia resident Luis Alberto Rodriguez was murdered by suspected Zaragoza guards. The Chihuahua State Attorney General's Office (PGJECH) has opened an investigation of the Rodriguez slaying. A mysterious Sept. 28 fire in the colonia left two children dead.

Demanding protection, colonia residents held different meetings this month with Chihuahua Gov. Jose Reyes Baeza and officials from both the PGJECH and Federal Attorney General's office. In response, Gov. Reyes dispatched Cipol to the conflicted zone.

Shortly after their arrival, Cipol officers detained 14 members of Zaragoza's security force for not having legal credentials. Tear gas, communications gear and other equipment were confiscated by the policemen, but no arms were found. Despite the state police deployment, residents continued to claim harassment from guards before Tuesday's
fence tear-down.

Colonia residents are receiving support from different sectors of Juarenese society, including prominent women's activist Victoria Caraveo, members of the Roman Catholic Church, the Workers Solidarity and Research Center, the Tonantzin Women's House, the Border Organizations Regional Coordinator, Casa Amiga, and many other groups. On Oct. 8, pro-colonia activists announced a boycott of gas and milk products associated with Zaragoza.

Located on the desert outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, Lomas de Poleo became internationally notorious during the 1990s as one of the dumping grounds for raped and murdered women. Also, several women from Lomas de Poleo or the nearby colonia of Rancho Anapra have been murdered, including Sagrario Gonzalez, the daughter of well-known Lomas de Poleo resident and colonia activist Paula Flores.

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Sources: El Diario de Juarez, October 19, 2005. Article by Javier Saucedo. Norte, October 19, 2005. Article by Nohemi Barraza. frontenet.com, October 11 and 18, 2005. Articles by Felix Gonzalez and Luz Maria Perez. lapolaka.com, October 8, 10, 18, 2005. La Jornada, October 5, 9, 19, 2005. Articles by Ruben Villalpando and Miroslava Breach.

Reprinted with permission from Frontera NorteSur (FNS): on-line, U.S.-Mexico border news
Center for Latin American and Border Studies
New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, New Mexico

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