The El Paso Times is Joking - Right? Little Mexico? HAHAHAHAHA

On the heels of El Paso's yearly embarrassment at the hands of guest football teams with twitter loving players, the El Paso Times decides to add insult to injury.  A "self-inflicted wound," if you will.  I'm in utter shock at exactly how out of it the El Paso Times and some of El Paso's elected officials are.  What am I talking about?

"LITTLE MEXICO" read about it HERE.

You have to be kidding me.  Did I sleep until April 1, 2013?  Seriously - somebody tell me there's a punchline to be published in the next issue of the newspaper.  I mean, there's no way that there are that many stupid people at the El PasoTimes and in local government.  At some point you'd have to think at least one person would say "hey guys - this is stupid and people are going to make fun of you and this entire city if you say this out loud. "  Nope - it appears the chain of stupid is long and unbroken in El Paso.

Now, I read Max Powers' piece on this idea a few days ago.  Without any background I figured it was just County Commissioner Sergio Lewis being his goofy self.  I've heard his commercials for his body shop and you'd expect something this weird and uninformed to come out of his mouth.  What I did not know is that this is an actual "thing" that more than one person is contemplating in El Paso.  This disturbs me greatly.  There's no way that all of you are so uninformed that you think this is even worth joking about.  Seriously - one of you has to email me and say "this is the dumbest thing I've ever heard of and I'm embarrassed for the entire city that the local newspaper actually printed a single word about it."  If no one emails me... then I fear you have all been lost to the land of the stupid and can not be saved.

Let's examine this absurd idea....

First of all - kudos to the Rosenbaums who fought to keep the city from using eminent domain to take away private property in the name of  "downtown revitalization."  The Rosenbaums have done more to enhance downtown than their foes since 2006.  It's fitting that they did what they said they'd do and the PDNG hasn't.  So, good for them.  They're good people whose word you can count on. 

I'm guessing nobody in El Paso has any idea how Chinatown and Little Italy came to be in New York and in other cities.  It's not a pretty story of "American exceptionalism" by any means.  Racism,  a distaste for different cultures and institutionally driven division of ethnicities  are how the Chinatowns and Little Italys were first formed in these cities. 

Jews, Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Italians, Persians, Catholics, Irish and many others were not welcome most any place they sought to live in the United States.  They were forced to the edges of cities or into the least desirable neighborhoods.  Outside of their neighborhoods they experienced the harsh reality of early America's dislike of everything non-WASP. 

In response to being shunned from the WASPs, each group retreated to the comfort of their culture and fervently promoted it within the confines of their ghettos.  Opportunities for success in these ghettos lay mostly in one's ability to provide for the cultural needs of his neighbors.  Providing your ethnically similar neighbors with the goods and services best known to them is how a person made a living.  This practice added to the isolation from WASP society and further intensified their cultural identity far away from where that identity was born.

It would be more than a century (literally) before the American way of life started blurring the lines of these ghettos and that people of different cultures and ethnicities could venture out and survive in WASP territory.  There are a whole list of laws that made this possible with the Fair Housing Act of 1968 coming to mind immediately.  And yes - that reads 1968.  My parents were in high school when you could still legally deny someone's rent application because they were Latino. 

The cultural centers didn't disappear once things got a little better for them.  In fact, many cities in the United States still have parts of town divided by ethnicity or race.  El Paso is one of the very rare places where everyone is pretty much intermixed.  It is something you should be very proud of, not trying to tear apart. 

Some areas of town became more popular with outsiders and took on the role as place where a visitor could get a glimpse at what it was like to eat or shop in a far away place.   Obviously some cultures attract more than others - Chinatown and Little Italy for example.  The kosher delis of the Lower East Side in New York City didn't offer the culinary delights of Little Italy or Chinatown and never gained such notoriety.  WASP culture went full circle and found that the ethnic ghettos their forefathers created now made for fun "cultural experiences." It's both sad and ironic. 

The key to these ethnic enclaves that have survived for so long was not urban planning.  Progressive local politicians did eventually establish specific zoning laws to preserve these neighborhoods, but that was way after they were organically formed due what amounts to racism.  Having a local government declare a part of the city "Little Italy" won't automatically make it a clone of a Little Italy in New York. 

I'm done with the history lesson here - let's get to the failure in logic here.

Would you go to Chinatown in Beijing? No.  It would be pointless.  The key to the Chinatowns in San Francisco, New York and Washington D.C. is that they are far away from China.  The idea being that you get to see some Chinese culture without having to travel 40 hours by plane.  Nobody needs a Chinatown when they are either in China or very close to China.  The culture is all around you already. 

The proposed "Little Mexico" in El Paso is laughable given that it pretty much already looks exactly like Mexico.  At least the "Mexico" the gringos all see in the movies.  The open air markets with junk for sale by people who are brown and will haggle on the price with you.  Everybody I've taken to the where Rosenbaums' market is -  thinks they are in Mexico.  Nobody needs to slap a sign on the place to get the feeling like Mexican culture is on parade in the area.  I dare you tell me that the Mercado in Juarez is all that much different -  you're lying if you do.  In fact, my in-laws, who frequent border towns in South Texas, thought Paisano was more like Progreso than Juarez'sMercado.  Juarez for them was way too sophisticated and didn't seem to them like the sleepy little border town Hollywood likes to portray the entire country of Mexico as.  If you're not understanding what I'm saying here, I'll make it simple - My in-laws indicated that South Paisano out-Mexicoed, Mexico. 

And why would anyone visit "Little Mexico" when they are five blocks from "Big Mexico?"  It makes no sense.  It's like saying "here's our interpretation of Mexico while your guests are looking at Mexico."  It's the dumbest thing I've ever heard of in my entire life. 

And let's not forget - El Paso is seen as "Little Mexico" by every single person in Texas not living in El Paso.  You don't need enhance El Paso's Mexican influence - it's quite prevalent.  You might have noticed that there are a couple of places in town to get Mexican food - just a couple.  When you get off of a plane in El Paso, there's a 90 percent chance there will be Mariachis playing in the lobby.  Again, you can't add more Mexico to El Paso without literally moving the border to Anthony Gap.   Mexico is everywhere in El Paso - good or bad - it's there.  You don't need to slap a sign on it. 

What are we really talking about here?  The Rosenbaums are just providing a rain proof edition of what was already there.  Naming it "Little Mexico" is just an insult to the people who try to do business there.  The presence of a Taco Bell in the proposed "Little Mexico" is an insult to Mexico. Ditto for the Church's Chicken, McDonald's  and the Burger King.  The whole thing is about the dumbest idea I've ever heard of and I'm truly shocked it didn't come out of Alex Lozano's mouth.

Two steps forward and a century back - that's the El Paso way. 

It's been a while but - Keep El Paso Backward

Comments

[Thomas]

Stevo is for it and Cookie thinks it's great.What's the issue?

[lslsls]

The point is "why"?

The good news is if you drive by that place its no longer going to be a cesspool of broken wooden tables with junk on them - it will all be hidden behind walls. So maybe it won't seem so Mexico when you drive down Paisano.

It would have been better to simply call it a "mercado" and leave it at that.

[Thomas]

David
Circa the summer of 2016.The AAA baseball team, the swing and a miss, ending a losing afternoon game, with temps hanging in the low to mid 100’s.The tourist and local wanting to take in the sights walk throw the down town hell of summer, in the concert jungle, of El Paso. Mariachi music softly echoing through the canyons of revitalized down town El Paso with from time to time pop, sharp zing and echo of an AK 47 round drifting gently across border from Old Mexico giving the experience of Chuco town a very special touch and feel to visitors, tourist and the locals as they buy Mexican products made from all around the world. Just cannot wait to see how cosmopolitan down town El Paso will become. Almost brings tears to my eyes to think about it!

[Rotten Peppers]

El Paso cannot be cosmopolitan by any stretch as it would require more diversity than now, being about 80%+ Mexican if you include the undocumented, and 90% dumb if you include the local educational attainment level. It's hard to be funky when people can hardly read and AAA won't help that a bit.

Still, when I cruise Segundo,I have to admit to myself that there is a lot more "juice" there than at your average shopping mall. What there is not is a funky ambience. So, a "mercado zone" I think is a good idea and wouldn't cost nearly as much as the $500MM slush fund lined up for other larger and politically lucrative projects (builders contribute, Sugunditos don't).

You'd need the kind of lighting - not $11K Niland bulbs - sidewalk and parking improvements such as was done in the Union Station district, along with street food stands and better parking and a general spruce-up.

I think it is a good idea and I'm surprised you don't, David. What else would you do here? No one is coming from Omaha to see the AAA team play and that's for sure.

[David K]

rotten peppers,

I'm not a city planner or have any other kind of education that would allow me to venture what would be fun for people and nice for the neighborhood. It's not my thing. I won't pretend that it is.

However, I can tell you when something is idiotic - calling the mercado "Little Mexico" is stupid. It's also insulting to everyone.

Sure - I'm all for what the Rosenbaums are doing. Calling it "Little Mexico?" Hell no.

And nobody is ever going to see El Paso as a destination. You people need to get over it. There are much bigger cities than El Paso that aren't destinations. What they have done is made sure the people who already live there have something to do.

I like the baseball idea a lot. It's something I would do. It's for you - not anyone else.

[Rotten Peppers]

David, so you are not against a mercado zone, just against calling it "Little Mexico"? Is that right?

I agree EP is no tourist mecca and it is a waste of money to try to make it so. Then again, neither is Omaha, an otherwise pleasant place if you like corn pollen in season.

Since most people are not urban planners, there is no reason for us to be disengenuous. As taxpayers, our opinion counts which is how the stadium passed. And face it, what does the CC know about anything more than an informed citizen? Usually less since they have to divide their attention over many issues rather than focus in on one like an activist does.

For the record here, I have nothing against the AAA project. I am opposed to the structure of the deal ($100MM for Fosterwood and nothing for EP) and how it was done without public input (when they'll have 3 meetings before they build a goddam roundabout).

I enjoy your blog and read it regularly.

[lslsls]

At no time during all the discussions regarding a AAA team did anyone on the baseball side say this would attract tourists. It was meant to provide sports entertainment for El Pasoans. The AAA people didn't even include people from Juarez in their pro forma of who would buy tickets etc. The Sun Bowl is 99% supported by locals - not the fans of the teams that come to play here. El Paso is and always will be a fuel and food stop - not a destination.

With the Mexico mercado you might attract different El Pasoans to come downtown and look - but I doubt it.

Downtown is still 10 years away from being a live, work, play destination. Let's at least get the idea of going downtown for entertainment in the minds of El Pasoans and the rest will come eventually.

[Mojo]

"Urban Planning" is a term used throughout the U.N. sponsored Agenda 21. This agenda is (and has been) infiltrating our cities, our lifestyles, and our culture for 20 years. Love it or hate it -- at least know wtf is going on.

Take and hour (+) to watch this -- it's been most informative.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GykzQWlXJs

[lslsls]

Rotten Peppers - there were meetings - at council and certain city reps hosted meetings throughout the city. There was public comment available at every council meeting up to and including the day of the November 6th vote on the HOT tax. And all of the "crazies" that hated this deal had the ability to e-mail, write, call, fax and visit their city reps - and all the reps every damn day and complain - I didn't hear that there was a rush of visitors, emails, faxes or calls to city council members.

You need to get over it. I despise the Fiscal Cliff deal voted on this week by the 535 idiots in DC - but I gotta live with it. I can bitch about it every single damn day and it will not change a thing. Democracy was in action on the Fiscal Cliff deal - like it or not. Democracy was in action on the HOT tax/stadium deal - whether you like it or not. Democracy is ugly and there are always losers in the process - no one gets a 100% win.

[Ken]

With the violence in Juarez, people will shop at the Rosenbaum's Mercado because they no longer feel safe going to Juarez. I think it's a great idea, the Rosenbaum's have replicated the experience without the exposure to the violence or the wait at the bridges. The building has heating and air conditioning.
Shopping in Juarez or downtown El Paso has never been my "thing", but before the violence escalated in Juarez we would have numerous out of town visitors who asked to be taken to Juarez for dinner, shopping & buying alcohol.

[Alonzo Soto]

No comment.