Gallery: Photographing Life and Death in Juarez
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*A view of one of the poorest regions of Ciudad Juarez made up primarily of factory workers who work for foreign companies. This settlement was created after thousands came to Juarez from other regions of Mexico in search of jobs. They were pushed into the mountains where there was no basic infrastructure and built homes out of whatever they could find. Later these neighborhoods would become home to some of the first gangs that later would be responsible for distributing drugs for the Juarez Cartel. This picture is overlooking the Noveno territory.* *Photo: Dominic Bracco II*
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*Members of the Novenos, one of Ciudad Juarez's smaller street gangs, hang out on the soccer fields in their neighborhood in Ciudad Juarez. According to a recent study by the Colegio de La Frontera Norte, up to 45 percent of all Juarez residents between 14 and 24 belong to Los Ninis and make up a quarter of the city’s total homicide victims.* *Photo: Dominic Bracco II*
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*A young girl from Ciudad Juarez prepares for her 15th birthday party, a coming of age party known as a "quinceañera." Her family spent most of their savings on making it a happy occasion. Her father had recently lost his job and was making ends meet by making repairs to homes in the neighborhood. Nearly 10,000 businesses have closed since the onslaught of violence began in 2008. Most have closed because they were unable to pay extortion and were killed or fled.* However foreign investment remains strong. Mexico boasts one of the cheapest labor markets in the world paying as little as $50 per week for a factory job. Low labor costs combined with its proximity to the United States and Canada continue to make it a attractive. These reasons also can be attributed to making Ciudad Juarez an attractive market for recruitment for the drug cartels. *Photo: Dominic Bracco II*
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*A guard dog stretches the length of his chain in front of a factory worker's home in Juarez. Random violence is common in Juarez. With the city destabilized, locals live in fear of car jacking and home robberies that often end in murder.* *Photo: Dominic Bracco II*
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*A young boy keeps warm by a fire in the Diaz Ordaz colonia, one of the oldest maquila worker settlements in Ciudad Juarez. After the passing of several free trade agreements between the United States and Mexico, hundreds of thousands of immigrants left their poor villages in search for better jobs in the factories in Juarez. They began building slums into the hills with whatever materials they could find. These neighborhoods would later become the front lines in the current drug war.* *Photo: Dominic Bracco II*
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*A family celebrates a birthday in Ciudad Juarez. Family parties like these have been the scene of large massacres. In October of last year gunmen came to a birthday party and massacred 13 young people.* *Photo: Dominic Bracco II*
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*From right, "Pollo," 19, and his wife Liz, 18, try to get their baby girl to stop crying. Pollo left his neighborhood after a rival gang killed several friends and began seeking him out. Now Pollo works in a factory insulating steel cables and makes roughly $50 USD per week. He lives with his wife and daughter in her parents' home in the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez.* *Photo: Dominic Bracco II*
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*A couple dances at a gang-affiliated party. With infrastructure damaged from the drug war and few opportunities for work, Ciudad Juarez's youth often turn to crime to make ends meet. This gang has tried hard to keep out of the larger war, but neighboring barrios continue to try to control their barrio for extortion and to sell drugs. They have been associated with at least one vigilante killing.* *Photo: Dominic Bracco II*
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*The scene of a young murdered couple in Ciudad Juarez. The woman was far into her pregnancy. The couple’s heads touched in a last embrace. A single bullet entered the man’s skull and took all three lives.* *Photo: Dominic Bracco II*
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*Family and friends gather around the body of 15-year-old Sergio Adrian Hernandez Guereca, who was killed by a Border Patrol agent. According to eye witnesses the shooting occurred after Guereca helped guide several other teenagers into the United States when they were spotted and retreated back to Mexico. One of their group was detained by the U.S. Border Patrol and at least one of the boys threw a rock from the Mexican border into the United States toward the Border Patrol agent upon which he returned fire at the group, firing several rounds, and hitting Guereca in the head.* The killing sparked much controversy over the use of force across international borders and sat uneasy in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, where thousands of killings have happened as a result of the insecurity caused by the war on drugs. There are still many questions unanswered about what exactly happened on June 7 near the international bridge as there are conflicting reports from the agent and eye witnesses. The border patrol agent continues to work and the family is seeking legal action.The family denies accusations that the 15-year-old boy was involved in illegal activity, however U.S. authorities and interviews with classmates suggest that he was involved in human smuggling. *Photo: Dominic Bracco II*
