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I'll believe my sources rather than you thanks. Many, many innocents are murdered every day in Mexico, unlike in any country on earth that isn't a war zone.
People talk non stop of the drug murders there that it overshadows a lot of other ongoing problems in Mexico when it comes to murders.
One being women. I was there once in Juarez and the taxi driver showed me a huge lot they are making into a memorial, as is where they found hundreds of womens skelotons. It was so depressing.
We live in a human world where "FEAR" is the common denominator ruling our lives. Mass media has always portrayed a Mexico of savages, highwaymen, corrupt police forces, criminal gangs, total decomposition, etc. Although we suffered from an epidemic state of ruthless oligarchic principles during the 70s, 80s and part of the 90s. We are changing our country little by little. No we are doing the cleaning.
What mass media shows and sells is "FEAR". The fact that criminals are being put down by the Mexican army and they are also killing each other is actually the best that can happen. Of course there is crime in Mexico, but if we focus on negativity, FEAR will rule our lives. What we focus on expands.
The only one place free of crime is where no human being lives.
Is there crime in Mexico?, sure, there is. But not as it is shown by mass media. I live in Central Mexico and I have never witnessed a single event other than normal street happenings.
The source of all evil and conflict in our planet is the "human mind". The source of crime is the unstable and criminal mind that is constantly victimizing the self and the others. Crime rates are higher in developed nations (Canada, U.S., Australia, New Z, and Europe) because of drug consumption, which drives the human mind insane. Homicide rates are higher in nations where political tyranny rules and on those countries along drug trafficking paths (all about money and drugs).
It is about time for we all to free ourselves from mass media tyranny, prejudice and stereotyping. Let us live our lives free of FEAR and misconceptions.
You are right, I lived in both a small town and larger city in Mexico and never did I see anything. Actually, when I lived in Tijuana people said it was a bad area but didn't feel bad at all. I heard many stories though. I am not saying it is safe or to let your guard down, I am saying this world as a whole, can be both safe and unsafe. I spent a total of 3 months in Juarez and never felt unsafe. Actually all the locals I met talk about th neews there just like we do here.
I found in the larger cities I felt most safe when I stayed in areas with much commotion. Also I learned how to avoid walking by people in quieter area by zig zagging on streets. It worked many times when some guy was staring at me. The thing that surprised me most about living in Mexico was the openess of people, even in large cities. Every one seems happy to talk to eachother, even strangers. To me in U.S. is not like that at all!
dude it has to be a small town it cant be no big citie there al getting violent it has to be san juan de los lagos there only 1kidnap every 10yrs and the guy that said mexicali your way off mexicali has over 27murders each month in its population of 920thusd so it has a 35.2173913043478 murder rate wach 100thusnd peopleand san juan de los lagos has 50thusnd people in it and it only has only has 1 muder in two year so it has a muder rate of 0.5 per 100thusnd people so it has to be SAN JUAN DE LOS LAGOS
dude when i went to juarez i saw 4 murders in my first day there about 25murders every day you think thats safe your wrong there closing almost every stroe due to unsafe tell the people the truth dont be playing around
I, too, lived in central Mexico (in and around Mexico City) for two years recently. I worked, took public transportation every day, shopped, was out at night alone at malls and restaurants, and did my errands all over the city at all times of the day. And I took a car trip all over southern Mexico and stayed in nice and not-so-nice areas and hotels along the way. Never once did I witness the "big bad Mexico" everyone imagines. The cartel wars have been devastating and the crimes committed by them are among the most heinous I've seen, that's for sure---but to think that ALL of Mexico is like that is naive. And Geree is right. Turn off the fear-mongering news outlets and live your life. Get to know the people, speak to them, eat where they eat, be part of the community. I'll certainly be going back sometime in 2013 for an even longer period.
Fear-mongering it isn't. And it's not the foreign press which principally reports these things. It's the local, Mexican press. Go ahead, call them liars, extremists ... or whatever term people use to describe messengers the messages of whom they don't like to hear. Call the Mexicans who live in these areas liars, as well. Such responses indicate to me people making them haven't lived in Mexico, and particularly not in the areas being discussed. Regarding the area around Mexico City and in parts of the city ... it's not narco death squad violence to fear, it's the crimes which sare an off-shoot or otherwise happen in the climate of lawlessness in the areas. Ask people who ride public busses in parts of Edo. de Mexico adjacent to Mexico City ... Ecatepec, and others ... about the robberies, rapes and violence. Once that's done, there won't be so many smirks on the faces of the "experts" who, I surmize, haven't visited these areas. No, not all of Mexico is under siege ... but a substantial portion is and anyone who traverses some of these areas is at risk ... be they tourists or residents. Happy New Year, all!
Fear-mongering it isn't. And it's not the foreign press which principally reports these things. It's the local, Mexican press. Go ahead, call them liars, extremists ... or whatever term people use to describe messengers the messages of whom they don't like to hear. Call the Mexicans who live in these areas liars, as well. Such responses indicate to me people making them haven't lived in Mexico, and particularly not in the areas being discussed. Regarding the area around Mexico City and in parts of the city ... it's not narco death squad violence to fear, it's the crimes which sare an off-shoot or otherwise happen in the climate of lawlessness in the areas. Ask people who ride public busses in parts of Edo. de Mexico adjacent to Mexico City ... Ecatepec, and others ... about the robberies, rapes and violence. Once that's done, there won't be so many smirks on the faces of the "experts" who, I surmize, haven't visited these areas. No, not all of Mexico is under siege ... but a substantial portion is and anyone who traverses some of these areas is at risk ... be they tourists or residents. Happy New Year, all!
The difference with the Mexican media is simple, people like to hear about this stuff and its gets them wound up. If local media reported the latest car jacking or mugging in the unsafest parts of DC or Chicago the people watching would get bored and switch to the channel showing news of the latest lost child or sexual offender. Media report on what people want to watch. People living in the safer parts of US cities yawn at the news crime happens in the worst parts of town, of course it happens they'll tell you. But for some reason Mexicans in the safer parts of their cities want to hear about how unsafe it is for the poor in parts of town they never go to on a bus they will never get on. Doesn't mean crime is out of control everywhere, it just means these are the stories people will tune in for.
Are you saying I didn't live in Mexico? Well I assure you I did---for two years from 2010 to 2012. I lived in Atizapan de Zaragoza (north suburb of Mexico City) and also a small village about 2 hours northwest of the city. I did plenty of traveling and living amongst the locals. I was not in fancy areas like Polanco or Condesa and the sort. I lived and worked in regular, working class neighborhoods---and travelled extensively while I lived there. Perhaps I was just lucky then---but I honestly saw no violence or experienced it first hand. Of course, I heard of petty thefts and such, but that happens here too. Americans think Mexico is so violent everywhere and it's not. At least not in my experience.
Mexico City is relatively safe. I certainly feel safer here than my life in New Orleans. Either way though, if you use common sense you should be fine just about anywhere.
US Department of State Warning about Tijuana
For 2011, approximately 509 homicides were recorded in Tijuana, down from 2010’s staggering number of 817 but still well above the homicide rates of 2007 and 2006. The past year stands as the fifth most deadly year in Tijuana’s history.
I forget what year the Tijuana homicide rate was more normal, but I think it was 2004. Jorge Hank Rhon was elected as mayor of Tijuana in 2004, and I think electing a known gangster did not help matters much.
That said, I went to Tijuana frequently from 1998-2008. I never had a problem above getting ripped off by policeman and one time having a laptop stolen out of my truck (at a tourist restaurant on the coast). Just remember that tourists are not the target of the violence in Tijuana, and while on rare occassion tourists get caught in crossfire, that statement is true in any major city in the USA.
I was not soliciting prostitutes or looking for drugs. I was nottrying to buy stolen goods. All those activities exponentially increase the possibility of getting in serious trouble. But I was not just venturing out to the museums. I stayed in mid level hotels there, walked the streets alone and unarmed at night, and went to clubs where I was drinking.
There is an appalling level of violence aimed at innocent Tijuana citizens. Either they are trying to do their job (judges, policeman, or government officials) or they are simply upper income people who are affected by the violent kidnapping business that is the offshoot of the drug trade. But this organized crime does not target American citizens, as they are not worth bringing on the heat.
The "well to do" in Tijuana takes advantage of the Border Crossing Cards (BCC) issued by the American State Department. Nearly every middle class Mexican citizen along the border has one. In 2004 GW Bush changed the allowable crossing time from 72 hours to 30 days. As the extreme violence was ramping up in Tijuana around the same time, the "well off" citizens of Tijuana simply bought homes in southern San Diego county, and crossed back into Mexico at least once every 30 days. I believe they only had to be in the country long enough to go through border control. Many of the businesses in Tijuana also moved over to Southern San Diego County.
A BCC is good for 25 miles with some exceptions. In Arizona you are permitted to travel to Tucson (75 miles) as there is no cities of significant size in the first 25 miles. In order to go to Phoenix you need a visa. Although San Diego county is more than 25 miles wide, the northern sections of the county have no significant cities so, as a result, you can effectively use the BCC anywhere in San Diego or Imperial County.
There are permanent highway patrol stations as you cross out of those counties.
Away from the border, many Mexican cities have very low levels of violent crime. Guadalajara, Morelia, Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, Morelia, Oaxaca City, Veracruz to name a few.
Last edited by PacoMartin; 01-08-2013 at 04:42 AM..
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