Medellín's tarnished miracle a lesson for Mexico
12:55 PM CDT on Saturday, May 29, 2010
MEDELLÍN, Colombia – The name alone, Medellín, once evoked mayhem. Then, after years of drug violence, high-profile kidnappings and criminal groups operating with near impunity, the city transformed itself.
Crime and violence plummeted. The arts and culture thrived. It became known as the Medellín Miracle. And leaders from drug-plagued cities in Mexico came to see how it was done.
Today, with its gleaming buildings, rolling hills, thriving arts scene and stunning libraries that rise above impoverished neighborhoods, Medellín remains a beacon of hope for troubled Mexican border cities. But the miracle has been tarnished. With a recent spike in violence and the re-emergence of longstanding problems, Medellín also stands as a reminder of how entrenched the drug trade can become and how long and complicated is the road to recovery.
Just three years ago, former Mayor Sergio Fajardo, Colombian President Álvaro Uribe and U.S. politicians touted the city as the Medellín Miracle, a title apparently well-deserved. Civic improvements, new architecture, and an 80 percent drop in homicides brought the city new wealth and swagger and made it a model for drug-plagued Mexican border cities like Ciudad Juárez.
"Much of what we're doing in Ciudad Juárez is based on the Medellín model," said Mayor José Reyes Ferriz, who has visited Medellín and is working on building schools and cultural centers and creating jobs for unemployed youth – favorite targets for recruitment by organized crime. "The focus in Medellín is social, and we realize that our problem is socially generated."
But a closer look reveals that the success Medellín enjoyed had more to do with finding accommodations between organized crime and the government than with eradicating organized crime. In short, Medellín is a lesson