City Planning Meeting at Bowie High School Cafeteria

On Wednesday February 9th Oscar Lozano of Movimiento Del Pueblo Fronterizo sent out an urgent call requesting that members attend a city planning meeting at Bowie high School for February 10th.

"We are asking all adherents and supporters of the MDPF to attend a City of El Paso Planning department sponsored meeting tomorrow Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Bowie high School Cafeteria.


The City will be asking the public's input as to the future of Segundo barrio, Chamizal Neighborhood, and other Central El Paso communities."


“We, as the MDPF should be present to ensure that future plans for these areas should:

1. include plans for economic development and job creation programs, in particular the funding of La Mujer Obrera's Museo Mayachen Project.

2. guarantee that a process of gentrification does not result from any City-initiated plans that will result in the dislocation of the present inhabitants of these areas.

3. that the City's planning process, including this meeting, include guarantees that the people's voice will actually be taken into account and not merely used to legitimize previously arrived at decisions.”

Oscar lozano reported the following

“At least 10 of us from the MDPF were there at the Bowie cafeteria, I myself got in at the tail end of the meeting. There were very few community people present, a lot of City bureaucrats and hired consultants, also some La Fe employees. The City Planning dept went through the motions of eliciting input from those present as to what they would like to see in the neighborhoods of central El Paso, including Segundo Barrio and the Chamizal Neighborhood. Guillermo and people from La Mujer Obrera lobbied so that the Museo Mayachen economic development project be considered. The planners listened to various other suggestions from other participants, not all of these suggestions would be beneficial to our Barrios. The planners will take these opinions and incorporate them into a Master Plan for the city, how much of our input will be really taken into account remains to be seen. It is up to us to keep their feet to the fire. Guillermo Lorena, Pete, or Carlos might be able to offer a different perspective.”

Pete Duarte commented that in his perspective it was an out of town consultant firm and doubted that input would be considered by the city. As Oscar Lozano said, it is up to us to pressure the city to take us into account.

posted by Ramon Arroyos