"Mexico Safer than Headlines Indicate"

[Jackie]

My daughter brought home this story to me from school. The kids were asked what was the most difficult situation they had faced. One of the kids volunteered that he and his nanny were kidnapped while living in Mexico city.
of course this has nothing to do with Cozumel and many other areas of Mexico. Still this does not happen in NYC where my daughter attended HS.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Crime (perhaps specifically kidnapping?) does not happen in NYC? Is that really what I just read or did you mean only on the same block that the school is on?

 

[vladimir]

It wouldn't surprise me to hear that Cozumel is statistically more hazardous than it was was 10-15 years ago. Everywhere is.

This is dead wrong. Much of the United States (and the United States in general) is significantly safer than it was 15 years ago--a phenomenon that has prompted a lot of analysis. Demographics, abortion (see Freakonomics), and better policing ("broken windows theory") have all been promulgated as theories for the change. New York's homicide rate is about half of what it was 15 years ago.

(Homicide rates are often used as a proxy for violent crime in general, because they tend to be better reported and less subjective. NY's violent crime rate improvement parallels that of its homicide rate over that period (1995-2010).

 

[ScubaSteve]

Take this as one view but it does clearly support the fact that the US has gotten "safer".....the link only applies to murder.

http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0312.pdf

I did see other census information and FBI links that showed crime overall down. The problem is that today we are bombarded with data from every TV station, Radio station, social media sites, news sites etc.. so it seems that everything happens more. When in reality it is just that we are learning of more even though the totals are lower. Just one man's opinion.

 

[robbcayman]

There are too many dangers to list in Cozumel. As soon as our family hits the island we will go underground into strong ninja mode. We will play in the shadows and have too many aliases too list. We will be there, but you won't see us, because the danger is far too great. We have even trained our toddler never to cry, so he won't relay our position. Okay, okay... it's called a pacifier, but it works.

We will see you there, but you won't see us....

 

[Invictys]

Christi and all of the other fanbois with their own interests to protect come out quite regularly on SB to staunchly defend and promote their beloved Mexico.

I love Mexico also but occasionally these promoters take it a step too far. Such as in this thread where they try to claim that it's "just like the U.S." since crime happens everywhere. Please don't insult people's intelligence and try to contradict the U.S. State Department with your anecdotal 'evidence'.

This thread's title says "MEXICO safer than headlines indicate" yet people here have focused on Cozumel specifically since that's the subforum she posted it in. However, not everyone going to Cozumel stays on the tiny insulated island. Some like myself like to spend a few days on the mainland.

Sure, if you stay just in Cozumel and use basic common sense used when traveling anywhere you'll be fine. Same goes for Cancun, Playa, and the road in between.

But what if you want to go see Chichen Itza or go to Merida for a day or two? What if you like taking back roads and passing through small local villages along the way? I've traveled extensively throughout the world and almost everywhere in the world these things are not an issue or concern.



Source Nazi's can find the upcoming FACTS here and here (my apologies that they conflict with your prejudices)

These examples are why Mexico isn't like a high crime inner urban U.S. city that can simply be avoided.

Also, the State Department refers to these incidents as occurring THROUGHOUT MEXICO not just border towns or northern mexico (they have separate sections for those areas)

"While violent incidents have occurred at all hours of the day and night on both modern toll ("cuotas") highways and on secondary roads, they have occurred most frequently at night and on isolated roads. To reduce risk, you are strongly urged to travel only during daylight hours throughout Mexico, to avoid isolated roads, and to use toll roads whenever possible."

"U.S. citizens traveling on Mexican roads and highways may encounter government checkpoints, which are often staffed by military personnel. You are advised to cooperate with personnel at government checkpoints and mobile military patrols. TCOs have erected their own unauthorized checkpoints, and killed or abducted motorists who have failed to stop at them."

"Robberies and assaults on passengers in “libre” taxis (that is, taxis not affiliated with a taxi stand) are frequent and violent in Mexico, with passengers subjected to beating, shooting, and sexual assault"

"U.S. citizens should be very cautious in general when using ATMs in Mexico. If an ATM must be used, it should be accessed only during the business day at large protected facilities (preferably inside commercial establishments, rather than at glass-enclosed, highly visible ATMs on streets)"

 

[PhillyKev]

I live in Philly, specifically, the border of North Philly. One of the most dangerous areas in the country, or even the world by pure numbers. I don't worry, you know why? I'm not a young black male involved in the drug trade. Who you are, who you interact with, and what your activities are define your risk much more so than your geographical location.

And guess who has a higher statistic of intentional homicides per 100k than Mexico. Belize, almost double that of Mexico. St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, even the Bahamas have higher murder rates than Mexico.
List of countries by intentional homicide rate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Heck, Iran has a lower murder rate than the US. But I'm not moving my family there for their safety.

 

[PhillyKev]

"Robberies and assaults on passengers in “libre” taxis (that is, taxis not affiliated with a taxi stand) are frequent and violent in Mexico, with passengers subjected to beating, shooting, and sexual assault"

Women have been raped here after taking cabs home from trendy bars.

I wonder what the state department warnings about the US would say.... Hell, most countrires, including the UK issue warnings about the gun crime in the US to their citizens.

 

[Christi]

To those of you who want to attack me - I have thick skin and don't hide behind an internet alias. But I will say now that I am not going to continue to come back and argue with idiots who want to twist and turn my words/post and/or who want to attack me basically for being alive and having an opinion. It's high season and I am way too busy! I know many are envious of those of us who live in this beautiful paradise and I suspect that fuels some of these ridiculous statements towards those of us wanting to defend it against false beliefs SOME have of our island. Any of you would do the same thing (I would hope) if your town, company, industry, friends, family came under false attack. I'll add that while I appreciate and enjoy scubaboard as much as the next person, it represents a very, very small percentage of the actual divers/travelers to Cozumel. I (we dive ops/hotels) have many scubaboarders that dive with me and I am grateful for that - but I (we) have just as many clients/friends who do not participate on Scubaboard - so what a few Cozumel haters or skeptics post here or elsewhere is very tiny in the grand scheme of things.

What did I do that was so awful? Haha! I shared an article and agree that the article does a great job of putting things in perspective, specifically by showing those who are geographically ignorant where the trouble areas are in relation to Cozumel and the Maya Riviera - because SO MANY people blanket the entire country when speaking of the crime without realizing it is a big country!

I never once claimed that all of Mexico was safe, I don’t believe that myself! I am fully aware that there are places in Mexico that are incredibly dangerous and I would never DREAM of driving from the US to here - I would have 5 or 10 years ago, but not now. BTW - Chitzen Itza is in the "safe zone" in case you didn't see the map! I would drive to Merida, Chitzen Itza, Holbox, Cancun, Chetumal, etc. without any hesitation - I'd just practice common sense like I would anywhere.

I did travel to Mexico City in March and had an amazing trip, it is a beautiful city full of culture – for the record, I never once felt unsafe there either – and I was all over the place. I just felt like I do in any giant city – and handled myself accordingly. I was also planning to travel to San Luis Potosi in October, but Rina cancelled those plans. I have several friends there – they admit that there are some problems with the Zetas and cartels (aka gangs) there (just like any big city), but they don’t bother people not involved with them and not getting in their way (unlike many of the drug thugs in USA). I would not have hesitated to go, and I am looking forward to rebooking my trip there when high season is over!

My point to sharing this article as my original post says (I'll be more precise for those of you with reading comprehension issues and who like selective reading and cannot figure out the intent ), was for those who have family and friends that think Cozumel is a dangerous place to go simply because it is Mexico - share this article with them and show them the map so they can understand how big Mexico is and that it is not the entire country under attack with the drug cartel bloodbaths.

Do I have a vested interest and want to protect the islands reputation, of course I do - but I am not lying or sugarcoating facts with relation to Cozumel - I'm telling it like it is. If I didn't feel that it was a safe place, and/or if I feared leaving my house (BTW I live in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Cozumel - which still doesn't hold a candle to some of the safest areas of Austin or Houston where I spend my life before Cozumel), you can bet that I would be out of here like white on rice. But that simply isn't the case. I still feel safer here any time of day or night by myself than in middle/upper class suburbia Spring, TX when I go home to visit family - even with the "outrageous" eleven homicides on the island over the last 4 years – ALL of which were:

1. specific drug dealers from the bad guys they stole from or got crosswise with – meaning not random
2. late night/early hours
3. no victims in the crossfire
4. no tourists
5. not in the tourist areas

I am not saying that this is OK – I am just putting it in PERSPECTIVE again – those who are not looking for, selling, buying, stealing, hanging out with, venturing into areas they shouldn’t be late at night/early morning have no more risk than any of us have anywhere. At least the bad guys are killing each other and eliminating 11 more off of Cozumel streets!

That's all I have to say, I already spent way more time than intended "justifying" my post. I need to go get my afternoon boats out! Some people actually do come here to dive!

Here is my original post again – yeh, I don’t see anywhere that I claimed all of Mexico was safe – I used the word reality, which seems to escape some of you!

Some of you may have already seen this considering it was written in August, but this article is a great reminder of the reality of violence in Mexico in relation to the US. It really puts things in perspective!
So for those of you that have friends and family who think you are "crazy" for wanting to come to Cozumel, please share this with them!

Mexico safer than headlines indicate

Here is a map of the "Trouble Spots" with more information on each location as well:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object...1313475760.jpg

 

[matt_yates]

Are people really staying away from mexico? I was there a few months ago (Playa del carman) and had a great relaxing time, and never once felt unsafe. I didnt even have any dramas about catching buses. My little sister and her boyfriend spent 3 months backpacking around the country four years ago with no worries. Im guessing now but havent more americans been shot in school shootings in the last 10 years than have been killed in mexico?

I dont wish to upset people but things should be looked at in perspective.