“My mother freaked when I told her I was going on a reporting tour to the border’s Mexican side. She actually worried for my life.
But after hearing for so long about Ciudad Juarez’s reputation as a murder capital of the world, I wanted to see for myself what life there is really like.
And though I briefly wondered whether I’d see a dead body in a ditch, the remarkable reality of this newly thriving economic center was a relief.
My offbeat gauge to measure an area’s economic vitality and growth potential is the pet situation.
I’m not alone.
On a tour facilitated by the Aspen Institute’s Latinos and Society Program, Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, told me, ‘I’ve been in Afghanistan, Pakistan, the scary places, and what I say is that if you see a pretty girl walking her dog down the street, it’s fine.'”
