Also, much respect to The Beat Within who continue to impact lives across the country, notably close to home out here in the Southwest. Check out Steve Serna's editorial note who is representing for the youth out at New Mexico's Bernalillo County Juvenile Detention Center in issue 14.19 which you can view by downloading the following link: The Beat 14-19.pdf or visit thebeatwithin.org. In due time, I plan on re-posting past interviews with Beat Within staff, David Inocencio, Michael Kroll and Will Roy. Props to the staff out at The Beat Within HQ in the Bay Area and all the mentors and staff across the country that utilize this resource to reach out to all youth. I highly encourage more people to continue to connect folks to The Beat.

Below you'll find several news articles published throughout the month of May. With all that has occured, its difficult finding the words to even talk about it. From the violence thats claiming young lives locally and impacting communities across the country and around the world, all I can do is pray that the family and friends close to those lives lost are blessed with the strength, mentally and physically, to continue on. Here in El Paso, TX this past month, our community was hit hard with the murder of two high school students innocent to the unexplainable violence that met them. My condolensces to the family of 15-year old Tania Lozoya and 18-year old Ezra Gerald Smith. Below you will find more information on their stories.

In reading about the jury in Pottsville, Pennsylvania that found two teens not guilty in a racially charged killing of Luis Ramirez, I was disgusted by the "elicited cheers and claps" from the defendants' families and friends following the announced verdict. Regardless of where that left their own children, the thought of them cheering a victory amidst the death of another innocent young person is terrible. When juxtaposed with what had occured in the deep south to the youth of Jena, Louisiana, this case highlights how the law treats certain cases and how much present day attitudes mirror a history thats been responsible for placing ignorance before justice. What is there to say for what is taking place here?

Throughout this newsletter you'll find links to other articles that I hope you find the time to read, pass on and discuss including a documentary produced by the New York Times of the drug trade's impact on children living along the border communities of both El Paso and Ciudad Juárez. Below this text I also included one of the first poems we recorded back when at the J. Paul Taylor Detention Center from a VBW contributor named Fabian titled "Nightmare". Please be sure to check out the Voices Behind Walls myspace here at myspace.com/txvbw where you'll find images as well as audio recordings of poems and other miscellaneous projects. Writing, audio and artwork will also be located in the Writing & Art section of the site. Slowly but surely, this site will continue to build piece by piece. I recently opened up a storage box full of various poems, videos, pictures and resources from over the years. I look forward to posting them up on the site for you to check out when you get the chance. Extended thank you to my good friend Phil Campbell for passing me the link for the Mi Hogar Project in Juárez. Please check out the link located on the right side of the page. The next newsletter is scheduled for the end of June 2009. Prayers to you and yours and to those that have passed on.

ARTICLE: KVIA.com

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