Block Talk is a weekly feature that tells about a neighborhood as seen through a resident's eyes. Today we're talking to Suzette Muñoz, who grew up across the street from Mary's Lucky Dollar Market, 1555 S. 10th Ave., in Barrio Libre.
Name, age and occupation: Suzette Muñoz, 27, assistant manager at Mary's Lucky Dollar Market.
Muñoz lives across the street from Mary's Lucky Dollar, has been going to the restaurant since she was 7 and has worked there for years. Mary Alfaro, who owns the restaurant and market with her husband, Alex, is Muñoz's godmother.
Whom she lives with: Muñoz lives with her two children, Casandra, 9, and Ruben, 1, and her parents.
Name of neighborhood: Barrio Libre.
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How long she's lived in Barrio Libre and South Tucson: All her life, Muñoz said.
How old is the neighborhood? Barrio Libre is as old as, if not older than, South Tucson itself, said Richard G. Salaz, South Tucson planning and zoning director. South Tucson was incorporated in 1940.
Why she chose to live there: "It just feels like home," Muñoz said. "I grew up in this area and I know my neighbors and my work is nearby. Everything you need is all here. Stores, restaurants, schools — everything."
Muñoz added that her parents' Barrio Libre home is often the scene of family get-togethers.
"We can see 'A' Mountain from our yard," Muñoz said. "Especially during fireworks; we got a good spot right here. Just bring the ice chest and the grill."
What sets this neighborhood apart: People living in Barrio Libre and South Tucson have a pride of their neighborhood Muñoz said she doesn't see in Tucsonans.
"We have our own government, police and fire station," Muñoz said. "It's special. Everyone really likes living here."
Best story or memory about this area: The immigrants-rights marches of 2006 that passed through South Tucson, Muñoz said.
"I'm not really into politics and that stuff, but it made me feel proud to see the Mexican people, my people, marching for their rights," Muñoz said. "A lot of people don't have the willpower to do that, but a lot of people were out there. A lot of neighbors went out to join all the other raza, and it was just cool to see so many people marching down 10th (Avenue)."
One improvement that could be made to the neighborhood: "Maybe if trash cans were put in the empty dirt lots, that might help" with the trash problem, Muñoz said. "Turning the dirt lots into parks and things like that would help, too."
Murals on short walls along South 10th Avenue have helped the community image, and Muñoz thinks Barrio Libre is getting better every day.
"It's a good neighborhood," she said. "I hope it's as good or better when my kids are my age."
BLOCK TALK: Barrio Libre
Neighborhood statistics
Name of neighborhood: Barrio Libre.
Founded: 1940.
Boundaries: Same as that of the city of South Tucson — West 25th Street to the north, the Union Pacific Railroad tracks to the east, West 40th Street and Benson Highway to the south and South 12th Avenue to the west.
Municipality: City of South Tucson.
