The beauty of Son Jarocho

Photo courtesty of Eduardo Garcia

It was at a gallery show — photos I think — at a cultural center in Tijuana.  After the perusing and wine drinking was done, a group of musicians took the stage and started stomping, playing miniature guitars, singing story-like songs in turn and keeping rhythm with what looked like a jawbone.

It was love at first listen.

I later learned that the style of music was called Son Jarocho, traditional music from Veracruz, Mex, and I’ve only had the chance to listen to the music one more time after that first experience, so let’s just say I was more than a little excited when I heard about the second annual Encuentro de Jaraneros event happening in this week: Sept. 4-6, in various locations throughout San Diego.  The official press releases are below, in both Spanish and English:

Violence in Chiapas?

This just came from the Schools for Chiapas camp, a nonprofit based in San Diego that helps build schools in rural southern Mexico:

“Violent Escalation Raises Fears in Chiapas
On August 29 and 30, 2008 Zapatista small farming families once again faced a serious escalation in the disturbing pattern of violence which has swept Chiapas in recent months. The latest attack by armed paramilitary forces occurred in the autonomous municipality of Olga Isabel and resulted in the wounding of 43 year old peasant Mariano Pérez Guzmán. Click here to read the Spanish language denunciation published by Zapatista officials in the caracol of Morelia.”

I’ve heard  the scene in Chiapas described as surreal:  Peaceful indigenous farmers living and working in villages below while armed military men watch over them from the surrounding hilltops. Why? Will indigenous people ever be left alone?  We here in the United States made sure we destroyed  our native people’s so-called rebellious spirit by putting them on crappy reservations and cramming limitless wealth into their pockets via casinos and legal gambling. Ug.  I’m not sure which scenario is worse: The one in Chiapas and Oaxaca or the one right down the road at Viajas or Barona.

Again. Really?

This time, the Reader’s cover story isn’t about violence in Tijuana, it’s about drugs.  There are no official stats in the story, just a book and an author who assumes tons and tons of people are crossing the border to buy pentobarbital, a drug used to commit suicide.

The journalist did go to two pharmacies, so it must be a trend worth writing about, right?

Sept. 27 — put the date in your calendar

Inside La Casa del Tunel

As an official member of the media, I’m not supposed to get personally involved with things that are going on in the city.  Thank Jebus I don’t work for one of those old-school dinosaur papers who don’t understand!  On my weekends, I’ve been meeting with COFAC discussing the opening of a new art center in my old ‘hood, Colonia Federal.

The official public discourse is below.  Please plan on coming to the public opening on Saturday, Sept. 27!

COFAC Opens La Casa del Tunel: Art Center Sept. 26-28 in Tijuana, Mex.

From Sept. 26-28, 2008, Consejo Fronterizo de Arte y Cultura (COFAC) will open La Casa del Tunel: Art Center, an international community center dedicated to promoting and facilitating borderless arts, culture and environmental investigation and awareness. The Center is located 75 feet from the U.S./Mexico Border with a panoramic view of Tijuana and San Ysidro.

The diesel drone

Saturday night, at around 8 p.m., the streets of downtown Tijuana were taken over by a parade of semi trucks protesting the high cost of diesel fuel.

The wailing horns of the trucks could be heard across the city.  It was so loud and constant that, at first, I thought it was a train.  An hour later, I realized that even the longest train in the world doesn’t have a whistle that lasts that long.

In many of the trucks I passed, the truck driver’s family was riding along — the small children had huge smiles on their faces because, finally, they were allowed to pull the good ol’ diesel horn. The drivers, however, were not smiling, likely because they’re worried about feeding those kids while diesel prices soar to $2.50 a gallon.  They blame the government, which owns and operates PEMEX, the only petroleum company in the country.

The deisel convoys are happening in cities across the world.  Just last month, there was a protest in Melbourne.

Fuck you, too, Reader

Talk about the ultimate fake-out.  When I first saw the cover of last week’s San Diego Reader, I got excited.

“Wow, are those assholes over at the Reader actually going to do something positive on my city?” I wondered.

Alas, it was a false alarm.  As I should have expected, Michael Hemmingson played the roll of laptop journalist and simply rounded up old reports about Tijuana’s history of violence.  Good job, Hemmingson, way to be completely unoriginal, lazy and predictable.  Did you even step foot in the city before you published this piece?  In fact, have you EVER been to Tijuana?  Who, cares, right?  You weren’t really going for truth here, you were looking for the ole’ shock-and-awe factor, quoting pro-Mintuemen websites in your lead graphs, quoting other people’s year-old journalism ( From Hemmingson’s third paragraph: “What affects one side affects the other,” Mayor Jerry Sanders tells USA Today on February 5, 2007. “We’re literally one region with a fence down the middle.”) and ultimately presenting a portrait of Tijuana that could be a portrait of any other city in the United States if you were bored enough to round up every reported case of violence since 1994.

So, from my friends in Tijuana to Hemmingson and the Reader for publishing 30-something pages of diarrhea, here’s a resounding “fuck you.”  Learn how to do some real journalism, jerk, and give us a call or ask for a tour next time you decide to write about our city.

And for those of you as offended by Hemmingson’s attempt at journalism as I am, write his editor at sdredit@nethere.com.

Gas is cheaper in Tijuana

“Saints Everywhere” by Kinsee Morlan

That’s right: Gas is about 8 pesos a liter, which makes it approximately $3.30 a gallon. I’ve been going to Mexico with my parents since I was just a wee girl, and, if my memory of high gas prices in Mexico serves me correctly, I believe this is the first time this has ever happened.

And before you start blabbing on about how crappy Mexican gas is, give me a specific example of your car breaking down because of it. Until then, I will continue filling up in TJ because, aside from the cheaper prices, they have people who pump your gas for you and most of the time those people are wearing cute little uniforms that involve plastic red hats that make them look like Mario from Mario Brothers.

The Minute Men are so tough, so smart

According to Jeff Schwilk of the San Diego Minutemen, if you support immigrant rights, you support child rape. Jesus, Jeff, maybe if you put one more squinting eagle on your logo you’d be able to see things a bit more clearly.  Oh, and on the topic of your nifty new logo, my coworker Eric says he likes the addition of the Jewish star in the middle.  Oh wait, oops, was that supposed to be a five-point star to match the ones on the U.S. flag?

Read Jeff’s email below:

Do I need a passport to cross into Tijuana?

The short answer is yes, if you’re walking or driving across you do need a passport. If you don’t have a passport, they will accept a driver’s license and a birth certificate.

Officials are trying to phase in the passport requirement, but come on. What are they going to do if you don’t have it? Refuse to let you back in the U.S.? They may detain you for a bit and ask you citizenship questions, but they’ll eventually let you back in.

What most people don’t know is that until 2008, you didn’t even need a driver’s license or birth certificate to get back into the U.S. It was highly recommended, but if you didn’t have either, all that was required was a verbal statement of citizenship. It was up to Border Agents to challenge your verbal declaration.

My how things have changed.

UPDATE: I’ve crossed a few times without my Sentri and it looks like Border Agents are still accepting driver’s licenses only. So no need to freak if you don’t have your birth certificate or passport. Ven a Tijuana!

Harris fire nears Tecate

 For an update on this post, click here.

I just heard a report that the Tecate border crossing has been closed due to the still out-of-control Harris fire burning in the Potrero area.

I’m worried that all the attention will be on the Witch fire burning in North County and Ramona — will Mexico be forgotten? The Border Angels are collecting donations for all evacuees:

COMMUNITY ADVISORY: PLEASE HELP

M.A.P.A. , Border Angels, Chicano Park, AFSC, Gente Unida, House of
Mexico and more join forces to collect blankets, food, water, canned
goods, clothes, tents, sleeping bags etc for all those suffering because
of the terrible fires on both sides of the border. Tecate, East County
San Diego, North County, San Ysidro, South Coutny, the canyon areas….
all need your help. Please bring donations to CHICANO PARK. (5 Freeway,
Cesar Chavez Exit) look for kiosk under the Coronado bridge in the heart
of Chicano Park.