Days go by...

I am currently downstairs in the lobby of El Paso's City Hall.
Waiting.

It is only six days until the Procession and Mass in Response to Border Violence and despite many visits to speak with city representatives and even more phone calls, we still have not been able to get the permits.

To make matters worse, the city work-week is only Monday through Thursday, so if I am not able to get the permits today, then the entire weekend will pass...then it will be Monday-- T minus two days.


Today is my day off, but as soon as I showered and rinsed off the grime from a grueling (yet interesting) PM shift at Annunciation House, I walked down to City Hall.

This building no longer intimidates me. When I first came here with Dunya a couple of weeks ago, its imposing fortress-like appearance made me feel small and powerless.

I'm beginning to feel a bit powerless, but surprisingly not so small. I walked confidently into the building past the reception desk in the lobby and made my way up to the 6th floor. I already knew where I was going and whom I needed to speak with. The 6th floor is home to both Parks and Recreation (in charge of issuing the permit for Lions Plazita where the mass will take place) as well as the Traffic Engineering Department (in charge of issuing the permit for the procession).

At this point, the permit for the procession is all squared away--we have paid for the police escorts and everything. I even received a call from Sun Metro (the city bus) the day before yesterday asking me about specifics in case they might need to divert a bus route. Traffic and Engineering, however, cannot issue that permit for the procession until we have the permit for the use of the procession's endpoint--Lions Plazita, which depends on Parks and Recreation.

Part of the problem lies in the fact that we cannot know how many people will be in attendance. Obviously.

Kyla and I were first sent on a wild goose chase by Parks and Rec. because they told us that we needed another permit, but they couldn't tell us what it was called or what it was for exactly... just that it had to deal with assembly. I proceeded to speak with the police department, who in turn directed me to City Hall again in the Development Dept, who confirmed for me that we were not in need of another permit.

That wild goose chase set us back an entire day in getting these affairs in order. Yesterday I finally was able to speak with the supervisor of the woman in Parks and Rec. with whom I had originally spoken (I'd like to think she was well intentioned yet just confused, but honestly, it is hard to say). The supervisor had been on vacation before. I spoke with her on the phone in the morning and then later while I was also on PM shift at A. House. Talk about trying to juggle! No soy una malabarista.


She assured me that she would call back. She didn't, but I understand she is a busy woman. I tried calling again this morning, but the closest I came to speaking with her was responding to her voicemail recording "you've reached the business office [...] please leave a message and I'll call you back."

So here I am, downstairs in the lobby at City Hall. I walked into the office of the woman at Parks and Rec., introduced myself and discussed particulars. She informed me that she was waiting on a copy of the application I had submitted for the procession along with the paperwork from the Police Dept. regarding the procession. I asked her, "from the Traffic Engineering Department, down the hall?." She answered yes. She had to run off to a meeting, but I walked down the hall to the next office where Traffic Engineering is located, briefly spoke with the people there (with whom I am now on a first-name basis) and asked for a copy. Honestly! It was right down the hall! They didn't even know that Parks had supposedly requested copies.

The woman from Parks said that she would give me a call "later", which is basically the kiss of death. I told her that I would be sitting downstairs, here, in the lobby, waiting for her call... that I wasn't planning on going anywhere. That seemed to make a difference. Regardless of how much technology can help to facilitate communication, there is no contest when it comes to physically dedicating one's presence to the matter at hand. It's also a lot easier to forget a voice than it is to forget a voice, handshake, smile, and eye-contact bordering on fierce (yet friendly).

I am sure that I am not the first to be frustrated by government bureaucracy, and I certainly won't be the last.

I hope that the next time I write I will be able to deliver some good news.

In the mean time, wish me/us luck!