MexConnect.com Forums: General: Living, Working, Retiring: The Facts Concerning Violent Crimes Committed Against US Tourists in Mexico: Page 2

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arbon

Mar 16, 2012, 1:41 PM

Post #26 of 48 (5129 views)

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Re: [bronco] The Facts Concerning Violent Crimes Committed Against US Tourists in Mexico

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interesting thread. i do not see an update for 2011 & 2012. (except for the guad drug war blockade, which is ok now). yes we need to take precautions. i sympathize with those who have been victims. i myself have not had trouble.

¿Have there been many American tourists since 2009?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sculptari

Mar 16, 2012, 2:31 PM

Post #27 of 48 (5114 views)

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Re: [Jim Scherrer] The Facts Concerning Violent Crimes Committed Against US Tourists in Mexico

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Better be careful Jim - they are starting to target time share salesmen and lawyers. Young father zipped out, early evening, to the local OXXO, died of massive head wound, body found miles away. This kind of thing makes statistics look kind of cold. If someone wanted to rent a car and poke around the isolated backroads within 20 miles of Puerto Vallarta - what would you tell them?

http://www.kfor.com/news/local/kfor-okla-native-killed-working-in-mexico-20120315,0,1018684.story

bronco

Mar 24, 2012, 11:16 AM

Post #28 of 48 (4951 views)

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Re: [arbon] The Facts Concerning Violent Crimes Committed Against US Tourists in Mexico

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arbon forgive me i am new on forum. please direct me to the "interesting thread" i need to catch up. received this message thru my email, the one i dont check more than 1x per week. but this site does not alert me for responses. or i dont know how to work it correctly.

bronco

Mar 24, 2012, 11:40 AM

Post #29 of 48 (4937 views)

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Re: [bronco] The Facts Concerning Violent Crimes Committed Against US Tourists in Mexico

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ok i found this.

GringoCArlos

Mar 24, 2012, 1:48 PM

Post #30 of 48 (4897 views)

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Re: [Sculptari] The Facts Concerning Violent Crimes Committed Against US Tourists in Mexico

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If someone wanted to rent a car and poke around the isolated backroads within 20 miles of Puerto Vallarta - what would you tell them?

I would just ask them that if they visited any city in most parts of the world, wouldn't they ask someone where are the areas to avoid if you wanted to go sightseeing as a tourist? Most places in the world have their garden spots, and the not so nice/unsafe areas don't they?

If I wanted to be safe, I wouldn't just fly into L.A. and then go sightseeing in South Central or East LA, or to New York and then to the South Bronx. Poke around isolated areas of Northern California in the beautiful forests and you might come face to face with a pot farmer and his crew. Taking a drive up a beautiful western North Carolina mountain on a long, deadend road runs the risk of being mistaken for a "revenuer" by a "tomato farmer". Atlantic City is full of billion dollar casinos/hotels, but if you wander back a few blocks, you'd be taking risks. Why would Puerto Vallarta be any different, especially for someone who can't speak or read the local language?

Tourists need to do some research before their trips and not leave their brains "back home" when going on a vacation.

hunteradvisor

Mar 25, 2012, 8:28 AM

Post #31 of 48 (4821 views)

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Re: [GringoCArlos] The Facts Concerning Violent Crimes Committed Against US Tourists in Mexico

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I cannot find the original poster's question, however, in response to "where would you recommend poking around near to PV", I would like to respond. My husband and I flew to PV 6 years ago with tent in hand and rented a car. We explored for a month every single road or path 2 hours north and 2 hours south of PV, which was a far as we were willing to be from an International airport. We eventually found the small village of Mayto 1 hour from El Tuito on the most beautiful, pristine beach we could imagine. We purchased a goat ranch where we continue to raise goats, make cheese, grow our food and make electricity. We have developed a center for sustainable living and welcome visitors. Our little village of 200 is safe, hospitable and is also the site of a turtle sanctuary run by the Univ of Guadalajara. www.RanchoSolYMar.com
Isabel
www.RanchoSolyMar.com

(This post was edited by Rolly on Mar 25, 2012, 8:51 AM)

Rolly

Mar 25, 2012, 9:00 AM

Post #32 of 48 (4802 views)

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Re: [hunteradvisor] The Facts Concerning Violent Crimes Committed Against US Tourists in Mexico

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Sol Y Mar looks really wonderful.

Rolly Pirate

Sculptari

Mar 25, 2012, 9:18 AM

Post #33 of 48 (4791 views)

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Re: [hunteradvisor] The Facts Concerning Violent Crimes Committed Against US Tourists in Mexico

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hunteradvisor -this was sort of trick question. this time last year I would have recommended the same, and in fact have brought down a tough little SUV to explore Cabos Corrientes and similar areas. What has angered me, and frustrated me, is the truth behind this "22 person tourist bus hijacking". Not the reaction of the media, swine will always act like swine, but the actions of state and city police that these security matters are entirely their domain, and too important to ever be shared with the public. This is related straight from the Chief of Police. A local Mexican was driving this same road in El Nogalito with his girfriend, he is the sometimes bodygaurd to the Mayor. They were stopped by four men with machetes, what turned out to be a non-working rifle,and what they think was toy 'reproduction' pistol. They taped the man's hands, then they found in the drivers door a live clip (holds bullets). They demanded to know where the gun was, untied his hands, the driver reached besides his seat, pulled the pistol, killed one guy dead, shot the other in the shoulder, the other two ran away. The next day an embaraased father brings his teenage son, dragging him by the ear, into the poilice station, saying that the police can have him, he was involved with the attempted robbery. So the one left over -who they know where he sleeps, they know his distinctive tattoo - this is the guy who then robbed the three tourists walking around off the bus. So the police knew there was an armed robber loose in the area, the police knew that someone thought they need a loaded handgun to feel safe in the area, and since they still have not caught the robber (and we are not talking John Rambo here) - there is a dense cone of silence about this entire event, so dense that you will never hear of this again, even if there is another robbery in that area.

As far as an event happening like this "anywhere' -this would be unheard of in Vancouver or anywhere in British Columbia.

hunteradvisor

Mar 25, 2012, 9:33 AM

Post #34 of 48 (4786 views)

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Re: [Sculptari] The Facts Concerning Violent Crimes Committed Against US Tourists in Mexico

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I am so confused how a man or why a man in a car would stop or allow himself to be stopped by 4 men with machetes? And he had a gun that he could have pulled before stopping?
Isabel
www.RanchoSolyMar.com

Goyo

Mar 25, 2012, 11:06 AM

Post #35 of 48 (4757 views)

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Re: [hunteradvisor] The Facts Concerning Violent Crimes Committed Against US Tourists in Mexico

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I am so confused how a man or why a man in a car would stop or allow himself to be stopped by 4 men with machetes? And he had a gun that he could have pulled before stopping?

that's progress. at least you know you're confused. most people, especially here, don't know what they don't know.

norteño

Mar 25, 2012, 1:08 PM

Post #36 of 48 (4731 views)

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Re: [hunteradvisor] The Facts Concerning Violent Crimes Committed Against US Tourists in Mexico

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I am so confused how a man or why a man in a car would stop or allow himself to be stopped by 4 men with machetes? And he had a gun that he could have pulled before stopping?

The report also said they had what were purported to be real firearms, whether they were or not. If they had been real fleeing would have been suicidal.

Reefhound

Mar 25, 2012, 4:37 PM

Post #37 of 48 (4701 views)

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Re: [hunteradvisor] The Facts Concerning Violent Crimes Committed Against US Tourists in Mexico

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Mexico, or certain parts of it, have changed quite a bit from six years ago.

donemry

Mar 26, 2012, 8:00 AM

Post #38 of 48 (4643 views)

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Re: [Sculptari] The Facts Concerning Violent Crimes Committed Against US Tourists in Mexico

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I would suspect that the "tattoo kid" will be found and arrested. Sometimes even more notorious villans evade capture, even in :civilized" countries.

For example: http://en.wikipedia.org/.../Eric_Robert_Rudolph

I have more than a passing interest in this as we own a house in Mismaloya.

Sculptari

Mar 27, 2012, 1:04 PM

Post #39 of 48 (4543 views)

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Re: [Reefhound] The Facts Concerning Violent Crimes Committed Against US Tourists in Mexico

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Another event this weekend, within ten miles of Vallarta. Five women and some of their young kids decided to hike a local mountain (the one with the large cross on top) and have a picnic. They are assaulted by what they describe as a homeless man, carrying a rifle. One woman is shot -because she attacked the man with a machete. The man abducted one woman, as of Monday no one has been caught - but the stories keep changing. Who packs a machete with them to go on a Saturday hike???

Reefhound

Mar 27, 2012, 1:24 PM

Post #40 of 48 (4540 views)

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Re: [Sculptari] The Facts Concerning Violent Crimes Committed Against US Tourists in Mexico

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Seems prudent to carry some kind of weapon when going for a hike, anywhere in the world. To fend off wild animals.

cbviajero

Mar 27, 2012, 2:07 PM

Post #41 of 48 (4528 views)

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Re: [Sculptari] The Facts Concerning Violent Crimes Committed Against US Tourists in Mexico

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I don't think carrying a machete on a hike in the mountains in Mexico is unusual at all,it's more a tool than a weapon,cut some fire wood or nopales for your picnic,we do it all the time.A homeless guy with a rifle,that's unusual.I would be interested to hear any more facts regarding this incident.

richmx2

Mar 28, 2012, 3:38 PM

Post #42 of 48 (4442 views)

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Re: [Sculptari] The Facts Concerning Violent Crimes Committed Against US Tourists in Mexico

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And how many "homeless guys" are there in rural Mexico? Sounds more like a small scale property dispute than anything else.

http://mexfiles.net
http://editorialmazatlan.com

Sculptari

Mar 28, 2012, 3:57 PM

Post #43 of 48 (4437 views)

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Re: [richmx2] The Facts Concerning Violent Crimes Committed Against US Tourists in Mexico

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You are really interested in all this? Last night "El Guero' described as a 'garbage picker' came back into town with his rifle. All the neighbors called the police. They came immediately, they heard a woman screaming "as if tortured" on the mountainside, so they know his abductee is still there. They had already formed a perimeter around the whole mountain. The police were not going in at night against a rifle (WTF!?!?). So at first light they are sending in 60 armed officers. The guy had been crashing in a local house, but the ladies were complaining he was ogling them and acting strangely when they did their neighborhood Zumba classes (this is a competitive thing in Puerto Vallarta). "El Guero" became enamoured with the girl he eventually kidnapped, I guess he stalked the group up the mountain for their Sunday picnic.

This is all on www.siemprelibre.com if you really need a fix of local blood, gore and sensational writing. None of the local English language news sources covers these type of stories - not ever.

Vichil

Mar 28, 2012, 7:13 PM

Post #44 of 48 (4403 views)

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Re: [Sculptari] The Facts Concerning Violent Crimes Committed Against US Tourists in Mexico

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Most indigenous I know carry a machete when going in the woods.If the group was composed of women only they may have taken a machete as a weapon as well but it is not unusual to see people with machetes in the country.

esperanza

Mar 28, 2012, 7:34 PM

Post #45 of 48 (4388 views)

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Re: [Vichil] The Facts Concerning Violent Crimes Committed Against US Tourists in Mexico

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Really--in Michoacán, I once picked up four indigenous women walking from a community work site (clearing brush) back to their village. Each woman had a machete. I didn't know they'd been clearing brush till they told me, but the machetes were just business as usual for them AND for me.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

richmx2

Mar 28, 2012, 9:33 PM

Post #46 of 48 (4369 views)

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Re: [Sculptari] The Facts Concerning Violent Crimes Committed Against US Tourists in Mexico

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This is all on www.siemprelibre.com if you really need a fix of local blood, gore and sensational writing. None of the local English language news sources covers these type of stories - not ever.

Why would they... since it was just the kind of unfortunate incident that happens everywhere without too much media attention outside the local press... and it has nothing to do with the core readership of local English language media -- tourists and retirees?

http://mexfiles.net
http://editorialmazatlan.com

Sculptari

Mar 29, 2012, 10:42 AM

Post #47 of 48 (4315 views)

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Re: [Jim Scherrer] The Facts Concerning Violent Crimes Committed Against US Tourists in Mexico

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In summarizing, the next time someone insinuates that traveling to or vacationing in Mexico is dangerous for Americans, you can present the facts to them. Hopefully, after reviewing this analytical approach with the documented facts and figures provided by the US government, you'll feel much more comfortable and inclined to visit our beautiful Paradise south of the border, where you have four times better odds of surviving than in the good ol´ US of A!

The fact I am pointing out is that based on local reporting on violent crimes against Mexicans and AmeriCanadians that this statement is not true - it is at least as dangerous as many cities and much, much more dangerous than my many years living in Vancouver. Does English language media have a responsibility to warn the public of this? They, apparently do not think so. Two recent crimes here point out another difference, it seems common in Mexico that if a gay man is robbed here, possibly associating with dubious characters, they are murdered, rather than beat up, or tied up.

Sculptari

May 5, 2012, 1:26 PM

Post #48 of 48 (3769 views)

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Re: [Sculptari] The Facts Concerning Violent Crimes Committed Against US Tourists in Mexico

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Some of you were interested in a followup to these stories. As already reported, the "Tijuana Tattoo" bandit, who robbed the tour bus, was assassinated by an unknown person(s). The "Guero" double murderer has escaped, and yesterday the police found his abductee's partially buried body, in the location where they were afraid to send in the 60 armed officers at night. The body was about one month old. He obviously killed her, buried her, and then escaped through the police barrier.

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