How safe is Mexico?

From Insight Crime...

Mexico Toughens Kidnapping Sentences as Abductions Continue to Rise

http://www.insightcrime.org/news-briefs/mexico-toughens-kidnapping-sentences-as-abductions-continue-to-rise

Smartalex wrote:From Insight Crime...

Mexico Toughens Kidnapping Sentences as Abductions Continue to Rise

http://www.insightcrime.org/news-briefs/mexico-toughens-kidnapping-sentences-as-abductions-continue-to-rise

Hopefully Canada will follow Mexico's lead because kidnappings in Canada appear to be a huge problem,at least that's what the article in the Banderas News would have us believe....

The lede of the article:
Mexico: A Traveler's Guide to Safety Over Sensationalism

Why don't the gringos who believe Mexico is so dangerous for them and other Americans and Canadians   document the actual risks for  - Americans and Canadians visiting Mexico and   - Americans and Canadians living in expat-enclaves?  

If the grumpy fearful worrying gringos have valid opinions,  then they should be able to report data from verified sources,   based on real counts and pertinent applicable facts, to document their reality.

Where's the beef?

snowyco wrote:The lede of the article:
Mexico: A Traveler's Guide to Safety Over Sensationalism

Why don't the gringos who believe Mexico is so dangerous for them and other Americans and Canadians   document the actual risks for  - Americans and Canadians visiting Mexico and   - Americans and Canadians living in expat-enclaves?  

If the grumpy fearful worrying gringos have valid opinions,  then they should be able to report data from verified sources,   based on real counts and pertinent applicable facts,  to document their reality.

Where's the beef?

In Chapala since February three expatriates, out of a total of at most 8,000 expatriates of all nationalities, have been murdered in their homes by burglars, as reported and discussed on these forums. There have been at least as many more over the last three years or so, as also discussed here at the time. Crunch the figures and you will see that you are looking at a murder rate for that segment of the population as high as for the entire population of any crime ridden inner city in the U. S., and these victims were of any age group (elderly) that is not at a high risk of being murdered anywhere in the U. S.

Ricardo wrote:
In Chapala since February three expatriates, out of a total of at most 8,000 expatriates of all nationalities, have been murdered in their homes by burglars, as reported and discussed on these forums. There have been at least as many more over the last three years or so, as also discussed here at the time. Crunch the figures and you will see that you are looking at a murder rate for that segment of the population as high as for the entire population of any crime ridden inner city in the U. S., and these victims were of any age group (elderly) that is not at a high risk of being murdered anywhere in the U. S.

Thank you for the good data.

Did any of the 3 expatriates contribute significantly to their demise, by taking a lot of risks?

One murder of an American man last year in Mexico sadly happened to a gay man who held weeks of an "open house" - unlocked door - 24 hr a day party. Anyone who wanted to enter and drink was welcome. His neighbors said they saw lots of strange men from other towns coming and going at all hours. After a week of the neighbors not seeing the man, the neighbors reported that the strange men were still coming and going but the house smelled terrible.

Police found the man's decaying body stuffed behind a hasty masonry wall in the garden.

Another murder reported last year of another American man in Mexico involved him also having lots of strange men coming and going as a part of art programs. This gentle gay man opened his home to other men (strangers) who wanted to practice art.

An elderly Canadian couple died last year in Progreso under suspicious circumstances late at night, but laboratory Blood Alcohol Concentration results showed both members had BAC's over 0.4 and 0.45 respectively (both very very drunk), and that they had gone swimming drunk in the sea. Driving ability is impaired at lower BAC levels than 0.08. 0.45 BAC is fatal for most ordinary people, but hard-core alcoholics are still able to walk at this level.

I doubt that most of us here on this board face these kinds of risks, having strange men coming and going, at will, at all hours or going swimming in the sea when stone drunk. Should these examples be counted when describing the risks for typical Americans or Canadians in Mexico?

snowyco wrote:

Did any of the 3 expatriates contribute significantly to their demise, by taking a lot of risks?

If I'm not mistaken there have been four, not three,murders of ex-pats in the Chapala area so far this year, two of them took risks,two did not according to what I've read.
If you crunch the numbers as Ricardo suggested,even not counting the risk takers,who regardless of the risks they might have taken did not deserve to be murdered,you get a homicide rate for ex-pats in the largest ex-pat community in Mexico that equals the rate for Culican and far surpasses that of Detroit or New Orleans.

viajero wrote:

snowyco wrote:

Did any of the 3 expatriates contribute significantly to their demise, by taking a lot of risks?

If I'm not mistaken there have been four, not three,murders of ex-pats in the Chapala area so far this year, two of them took risks,two did not according to what I've read.
If you crunch the numbers as Ricardo suggested,even not counting the risk takers,who regardless of the risks they might have taken did not deserve to be murdered,you get a homicide rate for ex-pats in the largest ex-pat community in Mexico that equals the rate for Culican and far surpasses that of Detroit or New Orleans.

Only one of the four was involved in any kind of risky behavior...that would be the alcoholic living in the trailer park in Roca Azul. The risk-taking days of the 88-year-old guy who was murdered in Chapala were long gone. And the biggest risk the Canadian couple took was to buy that new TV.

So much for blaming the victims snowyco.

brigitte wrote:So much for blaming the victims snowyco.

How does blaming the victim take away the fact that there are more murdering bastards here, it seems, than in the US cities mentioned?

And just what does the gun violence in the US have to do with what is going on in Mexico? The repeated comparisons are nothing more than ignorant rationalizations!

CheenaGringo wrote:Let's get a grip: what happens in Mexico stays in Mexico!

Huh?

kipissippi wrote:

CheenaGringo wrote:Let's get a grip: what happens in Mexico stays in Mexico!

Huh?

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas! is the original quote.

Z

Uh ...Duh.  I'm pretty sure the entire world has heard that particular quote... but Mexico?

kipissippi wrote:Uh ...Duh.  I'm pretty sure the entire world has heard that particular quote... but Mexico?

Humor challenged?

Z

Here's a timely article identifying the most violent cities in Mexico. Follow the highlighted link to the original Animal Politico article for more details. From Insight Crime...

Mexico Violent Cities List Reflects Chaotic Criminal Landscape

http://www.insightcrime.org/news-briefs/mexico-violent-cities-list-reflects-chaotic-criminal-landscape

Zedinmexico wrote:

kipissippi wrote:Uh ...Duh.  I'm pretty sure the entire world has heard that particular quote... but Mexico?

Humor challenged?

Z

Not particularly

kipissippi wrote:

Zedinmexico wrote:

kipissippi wrote:Uh ...Duh.  I'm pretty sure the entire world has heard that particular quote... but Mexico?

Humor challenged?

Z

Not particularly

I never said it was permanent. We all don't get jokes once in a while I am very good at missing jokes.

Z