Last Night at the Goethe-Institut with Alfredo Corchado

Alfredo Corchado, Dallas Morning News Mexico bureau chief and author of "Midnight in Mexico" was at the Zocolo sponsored event and spoke of his life and his hopeful views on Mexico's future.  Corchado was born in Mexico and came to California as a child with his parents, "braceros" who wanted a better life for their children.  He grew up picking in the fields of the San Joaquin Valley.

Corchado does not want to be one of those Mexicans who come to America and abandon their homeland.  He is a poud son of Mexico.  He loves the country especially the music with "songs that make the soul weap."  By living in Mexico City and also El Paso, Texas, he can represent his home country in the U.S.  He said that El Paso is the Ellis Island of our age.

Regarding the drug wars, there have been 100,000 killed since 1986 with only a 5% conviction rate.  He said for there to be peace, there must be justice.  He has been threatened 4 times as his "beat" includes the drug wars. 

Still he is optimistic.  He said that Mexico is learning to build a civil society even on the blood of their children.  One piece of evidence lies in the work of journalists there...three Mexican journalists won Pulitzer Prizes.  For every journalist who is threatened, censored, disappeared, or killed, there are some who are willing to risk their lives to break news.  Reporters are more hopeful than hte people they cover.