Film focuses on former TJ police chief
From The San Diego Union Tribune
By Sandra Dibble
"Former Tijuana police chief Julián Leyzaola Pérez is a central figure in the new documentary, "The New Juarez," the last in a trilogy focused on what
was once the most violent city in Mexico.
The film, which opens Friday in Chula Vista, is set in 2012, a year that saw a significant drop in violent crime and allowed residents to resume many
of their public routines.
Today in Ciudad Juárez, located across the Río Grande from El Paso, Texas, "people are going out at night, the restaurants are busy, the clubs are
crowded," said Minn, who has been in San Diego this week promoting the film. Minn's documentary includes interviews with residents of the city, as
well as analysts and politicians on both sides of the border.
A good part of the documentary focuses on Leyzaola, who is now the police chief of Juarez. For Minn, Leyzaola's no-holds-barred efforts against
criminal organizations was one of the factors contributing to the drop in the city's murder rate: After peaking in 2010 at 3,084 (about eight a day),
the homicides fell to 1,940 in 2011 and 746 last year, according to government figures.
"Leyzaola has taken a very iron-fist approach, and I admire him greatly," said Minn, a Boston native and former sportscaster who found his passion
producing true-crime documentaries. He said he has no sponsors, but finances his own films.
A retired Mexican military officer, Leyzaola inspired admiration and criticism during his tenure as Tijuana's top cop from 2007 to 2010. Supporters
said his tough approach was key in reducing violence, while detractors accused him of human rights violations.
"This is a very nebulous war, it's a ghost war, and the only ones who know what is going on are the direct participants," said Minn, who blames failed
U.S. policies for much of the violence in Mexico.
Minn is planning to attend some of the movie's screenings this weekend and participate in question-and-answer sessions with the audience. He said the
movie will play for at least a week at Regal Rancho del Rey at 1025 Tierra Del Rey in Chula Vista. Showtimes are 11:30, 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, 7:30, and
9:30."
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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