How can a redevelopment that plan attempts to reproduce the status quo of other cities damage the historical and cultural uniqueness of our community?
Downtown and the Segundo Barrio are very unique. Downtown El Paso is safe and alive. It is different from most other downtowns. City leaders have not promoted these characteristics of downtown. Instead, they have criticized this unique downtown and Segundo Barrio as dirty and unproductive. They fail to value the bi-national environment of South El Paso as important to the people of our area. They would rather replace these local merchants with national chains that bring a higher yield of taxes to El Paso while replacing the current consumer and business owner of South El Paso with a more affluent one. This would destroy an economy that currently thrives and serves needs on both sides of the border. The Segundo Barrio is the oldest neighborhood in El Paso and the heart of the Mexican Revolution. The history of El Segundo Barrio is rich and fascinating. People in El Segundo have lived there for generations and are part of its history. It is the Ellis Island of the Mexicano immigrants in
