February 6th 2012 – In Ciudad Juarez, the violence is a constant, human suffering a given, and trying to understand why the city has so many problems depends on who you ask. The people who live there are justifiably weary of the violence and the near-blanket impunity enjoyed by those who perpetrate it.

But then, sometimes you meet people that offer a glimmer of hope — like a group of young “angels” who since 2010, get together on weekends and sometimes during the week to stand at crime scenes and street corners, asking murderers to repent. Is it having an impact?

Violence over the past year has declined. Local Juarez newspaper El Diario reports that murders in January in 2012 were half what they were in 2011. Perhaps it’s just a momentarily lull, but the angels and their persistent determination suggest that Ciudad Juarez could emerge as something more than just a city of victims.

This video was shot, produced and edited by Deborah Bonello and published by Univision. You can see it here on their website if you live within the US.

This report was produced for Time Magazine by Deborah Bonello.

Watch the video on Time’s website here.

Camera Assistant was Myles Estey - you can see his website here.

You can read the report by Human Rights Watch on their website here.

Photo: Laura Garcia and her family outside the club from where her brother Francis disappeared on March 1st 2010. The family believe Francis was taken by the Mexican military. Credit: Myles Estey.

November 2 2011 – Day of the Dead in Mexico is usually a time for celebrating and remembering lost loved ones. But in the context of a brutal drug war that has cost 40,000 lives, the commemoration of the dead has taken on a more sombre tone this year.

Below, other video edits from the Day of the Dead celebrations around Mexico City this year.

October 25 2011 – A dispatch for Time from a recent trip to Veracruz:

In touristy Veracruz, Mexico, drug-related violence has spiked. After a recent wave of 80 killings, the federal government sent troops to patrol the city. But many still don’t feel safe

See the video here on Time.com

October 14 2011- The Mexican government has launched a military crackdown in the state of Veracruz following more than 80 killings in the tourist port in the last few weeks. Despite the military’s poor human rights record, local residents say they will seek safety where they can find it.

You can also see the dispatch here on AFP’s YouTube channel in English and in Spanish.

Daniel Dominguez, one of the hard-worked crime reporters on El Diario, the biggest newspaper in Ciudad Juarez, was kind enough to let me spend the day with him last week. Here’s the report I produced for AFP, which you can also see here on YouTube. The same video is also embedded below, in case of geographical restrictions on the above.

Mexico’s march for peace, led by Catholic poet Javier Sicilia, crossed over from Ciudad Juarez – the violent epicenter of the country’s drug war – into El Paso, Texas Saturday.

They were joined by hundreds of Americans in their demands for a change in strategy from both the Mexican and US governments.

This video was created for AFP.

June 6th 2011 – Since Javier Sicilia’s son was killed by gunmen in March, the left-leaning Catholic poet has become the voice for those left dead or grieving by drug-related violence in Mexico. Some 37,000 people have died since President Felipe Calderon launched his assault against the country’s drug cartels and organized crime networks in 2006. But how far can Sicilia go in improving Mexico’s future?

This video was produced by Deborah Bonello / MexicoReporter.com for AFP and you can see it here on their site.

April 7 2011 – Between 3,000 and 5,000 people have disappeared in Mexico since 2006, depending on who you ask. A recent visit by the UN Working Group on involuntary or forced disappearances questioned the Mexican army’s current role in President Felipe Calderon’s “war” against organized crime and drug gangs.

Video by Deborah Bonello for MexicoReporter.com

March 7 2011 – No Mas Sangre (No More Blood), a social protest group that began life as a cartoon, took to the streets of Mexico City on a recent weekend. They were protesting what they see as a failed policy – President Felipe Calderon‘s campaign against the country’s drug cartels and organized crime. But how representative are they of the Mexican people?

John Ackerman’s blog -  and the Mexican Law Review

The two polls quoted in this video come from Buendia & Laredo, and Consulta Mitofsky.

With thanks to Jorge Buendia and John Ackerman.

This video was shot, produced and edited by Deborah Bonello.

Editorial assistant Ulises Escamilla Haro.

See last week;s edition of MRTV here.