Chasing the Scream

by Johann Hari

Rubi Fraire Character Analysis

Rubi Fraire was a young woman from Ciudad Juárez who was murdered by her boyfriend, Zeta Cartel member Sergio Barraza, at the age of 16. Fraire’s mother, Maria Escobedo, dedicated her life to winning justice for her daughter, but was ultimately murdered for her activism. Fraire and Escobedo’s deaths demonstrate how the drug war spreads senseless violence and redistributes power from government officials to criminal gangs.

Rubi Fraire Quotes in Chasing the Scream

The Chasing the Scream quotes below are all either spoken by Rubi Fraire or refer to Rubi Fraire . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Drug Legalization and U.S. Policy Theme Icon
).

Chapter 10 Quotes

That is when Marisela heard rumors that started to make it possible to make sense of this whole story. Sergio, she was told, is a Zeta. That is why the police would not touch him. That is why he kept escaping. When Marisela got her final lead on where Sergio was, the police were finally honest with her. “If he’s with the Zetas, we’re not going to be able to do anything, because they run the state,” they told her. “If we do a bust, it’s because they allow us to do it. We don’t bust people just like that.” They were apologetic, but they explained that the Zetas give them money if they serve them and death if they don’t.

Related Characters: Johann Hari (speaker), Marisela Escobedo , Rubi Fraire , Sergio Barraza , Harry Anslinger , Billie Holiday , Henry Smith Williams , Edward Williams
Page Number and Citation: 137
Explanation and Analysis:
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Rubi Fraire Character Timeline in Chasing the Scream

The timeline below shows where the character Rubi Fraire appears in Chasing the Scream. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 9: Bart Simpson and the Angel of Juárez
Drug Legalization and U.S. Policy Theme Icon
Prohibition and the Cycle of Violence Theme Icon
Stories and Human Psychology Theme Icon
...story: “an angel [Juan Manuel Olguín], a killer [Rosalio Reta], and a girl in love [Rubi Fraire].” (full context)
Chapter 10: Marisela’s Long March
Drug Legalization and U.S. Policy Theme Icon
Prohibition and the Cycle of Violence Theme Icon
Stories and Human Psychology Theme Icon
...experience it. This is how he learns about a young woman from Ciudad Juárez named Rubi Fraire. When she was 11, on a family vacation, she accidentally got left behind at... (full context)
Prohibition and the Cycle of Violence Theme Icon
Then, Rubi and Sergio mysteriously disappeared again. They left a note saying that they wanted to get... (full context)
Prohibition and the Cycle of Violence Theme Icon
...nothing happened. Marisela started visiting the police station every day to demand action, then investigating Rubi’s death herself. She eventually found Sergio’s location and number. Just days after breast cancer surgery,... (full context)
Prohibition and the Cycle of Violence Theme Icon
Stories and Human Psychology Theme Icon
At Sergio’s trial, Angel testified about seeing Rubi’s body and said that Sergio threatened to kill him if he spoke out. From the... (full context)
Prohibition and the Cycle of Violence Theme Icon
Stories and Human Psychology Theme Icon
Marisela started protesting in the streets every day, holding a picture of Rubi. Other mothers who had lost their daughters joined her. Eventually, she found another address for... (full context)
Drug Legalization and U.S. Policy Theme Icon
Prohibition and the Cycle of Violence Theme Icon
Stories and Human Psychology Theme Icon
...the U.S.’s drug war, the U.S. will undermine Mexico’s economy. Hari can only imagine how Rubi Fraire, Juan Manuel Olguín, and Rosalio Reta’s lives would have been if the U.S. let... (full context)
Conclusion: If You Are Alone
Drug Legalization and U.S. Policy Theme Icon
Addiction and Human Connection Theme Icon
Prohibition and the Cycle of Violence Theme Icon
Stories and Human Psychology Theme Icon
...Billie Holiday, Deborah Hardin, and Marcia Powell. He thinks of Marisela Escobedo and her daughter Rubi, Bud Osborn’s friends in Vancouver, and all of Edward Williams and João Goulão’s patients who... (full context)