Group of “angels” ask assassins to repent

A group of youth dressed as angels has spread out throughout Ciudad Juarez, border city with the United States, to ask the assassins and corrupt officials to repent from their actions and get closer to God.

With posters that say “Repent assassin” or “Corrupt policeman, get closer to God,” about 25 youth dressed with white robes and 6-feet-tall wings sought to raise awareness among criminals, in a city that has seen more than 9,800 homicides in the last three years, most of them young people, just like them. Carlos Mayorga, coordinator of this project, explained to EFE how this idea emerged from the need to take messages “to find peace” among the inhabitants of the city and to ask the criminals to “get closer to God” at one of the most difficult times in the city.

“We have gathered a group of 25 youth who pose as living statues dressed as angels in different intersections of the city, at police stations or at places where murder took place to create awareness and bring a message of peace,” said Mayorga. “It is a way to keep teenagers away from crime and to help them find peace, at the same time awareness is created,” he said.

Some of the “Messenger Angels,” as they are called by people from Ciudad Juarez, are teenagers who used to be criminals and have decided to abandon crime and join the Christian congregation they belong to now, the “Divine Beings.” One of the group’s members said his motivation to get out and get in front of a crime scene is to try to change that stigma. “We are doing this because we want Ciudad Juarez to change and also to change the way the whole world looks at us,” said a woman who asked to remain anonymous.

Residents of Ciudad Juárez, border with El Paso, Texas, qualify the work of these youth as “hopeful.” “Their work gives us hope there are still good people who take risks to counteract the negative actions of criminals or authorities,” said Estefanía López, who lives in Ciudad Juárez. Ever since these young men and women have appeared in the streets of Ciudad Juárez, authorities have faced them directly. In one opportunity a member of the group even was arrested and beaten by agents of the Municipal Police, while they were stationed ...