Day 13 SCB gals reunite

So yesterday, all 4 SCB ladies got to chill. Finally. Dara had a day off and came through to UTEP. We went downtown, shopped, ate dinner and finally went for a lil dancing. It was great having all four of us chill and listening to Dara talk about Annunciation House and what it means to be a volunteer there and how intense it is and how much she loves it.

What I remember best about last night was the discussion all four of us were having on our tiny dinner table about Mexico's current state and how so much of it deals with corruption. Interesting points that need to be evaluated and dealt with were presented. The first point that caught my attention was the reasoning behind legalizing marijuana. 69 tons of marijuana is illegally imported into the United States from Mexico, allowing drug cartels in Mexico to have complete control over the generated income, people, and government. If marijuana was legalized then Mexico would no longer be run by the drug cartels since the United States would be able to either grow their own weed freely or import it from elsewhere for cheaper prices. It was a point I had never considered before. It makes sense that Mexico's condition would improve...a great deal. But the aftermath that it would do to citizens of the U.S. especially teens makes me a bit uneasy. Having worked with teens who were in need of psychiatric help and have undergone substance abuse makes me worried and scared about what would happen to them if weed were to be legalized. And I know that in the bigger picture, this population is fairly small, but knowing some of these students (through a past internship) by first and last name and knowing their backgrounds, forces me to make them a priority.

Another good point that we discussed was the criminalization or OVER criminalization of things such as weed. Too much resources, time and money goes into putting individuals into prison for weed related activities. All those resources, instead need to be put into actual criminals, not just a couple of college students who wanted to have a good time. This was a point that I could relate to in terms of mental health and the idea of jail diversion (a program for individuals who are in need of mental attention as opposed to prison).

The strongest and most valid point of the night was an idea that Dara brought to the table about how drug abuse is more of a social problem and needs to be dealt with through social services than to be labeled as a criminal issue.

This understanding was reiterated today in a community meeting I attended which was organized through Laura's internship site, Border Network of Human Rights. Sheriffs and Chiefs from the El Paso County and Las Cruces were asked to answer questions regarding human rights and immigration rights. Testimonies of real people were presented and the panelists were asked to respond, agree, disagree or clarify exactly how certain situations should be dealt with. For instance, if a police officer pulls an individual over for speeding, the officer does not have the right to ask the civilian for his or her immigration papers. Clarifications were made between the authority and the community members. But to a certain extent I felt as if some of the officers were simply saying what the public wanted to hear.

Nonetheless, it was a community event in El Paso, one that I am glad I attended.