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esperanza

Mar 22, 2009, 12:45 PM

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Re: [movintomx] Safety in lakeside

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The answer to your question about safety at Lake Chapala is...yes, you will probably be safe at Lake Chapala. However, there's no way to guarantee 100% safety anywhere, whether you are in Pittsburgh or Pátzcuaro, Albuequerque or Ajijic, Cincinnati or Chapala.

Many people, including posters on Mexconnect, insist that the violence in Mexico today is concentrated at the US/Mexico border. This is a generalization, and like most generalizations, has a grain of truth. However, there have been many incidences of violence in other parts of Mexico, including in metropolitan Guadalajara and in the Lake Chapala area. For example, my daily Morelia newspaper La Voz de Michoacán published an article just this morning (March 22, 2009) stating that in the state of Michoacán, which borders Jalisco to the south and east, there have been nearly 90 narco-related assassinations during the first two and a half months of the current year. Ninety is a lot, IMHO.

In 2008, nearly 7000 narco-related deaths were reported all over Mexico. In 2009, nearly 1000 assassinations were reported in the first 50 days of the year.

Few bystanders have been killed in narco-related violence, although 14 innocent men, women, and children died in grenade attacks last September in Morelia, with nearly 100 more injured, some very seriously.

Retired foreigners are not the usual targets for narcotraffickers. But: no one can say with 100% certainty that you will be 100% secure at Lake Chapala. Who here on Mexconnect would want to feel the onus of saying, "Sure, c'mon down, nothing will happen to you here," if something does in fact happen to you? It isn't likely that you will come to harm...but who can make that guarantee?

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Anonimo

Mar 23, 2009, 5:51 AM

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Re: [esperanza] Safety in lakeside

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Adding to what Esperanza is saying, yesterday morning in Morelia*, around 10, there were 3 confrontations between police and armed narcos. On of these encounter, at the intersection of Avenida Camelianas and Avenida Ventura Puente ( an upscale hotel and shopping zone to the south of the Centro Histórico), left two dead. I don't know if any civilians were injured, but I veliev a car or two was commandeered.

That is an intersection we frequently traverse when in Morelia.

*O.k.; it's not Lakeside.
All generalities are suspect, including this one.

Saludos,
Anonimo

esperanza

Mar 23, 2009, 7:19 AM

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Re: [Anonimo] Safety in lakeside

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No wonder we heard a million sirens all morning! We live about four blocks from that intersection. Time to go read the paper.

ETA: According to today's La Voz de Michoacán (pp. A36 and 38), there were actually three shootouts in Morelia yesterday (Sunday, March 22, 2009). You can read it here: http://www.vozdemichoacan.com.mx/...ridad/seg001825.html

The first was the killing of a Federal police official just off the Periférico Norte, at the intersection with Manantiales (near the salida a Quiroga). The official was killed at about 9.30AM. Police reported that he had been hit by more than 40 large-caliber bullets at a range of approximately a meter.

The second shooting, at 9.40AM, killed one of the assailants.

The third was at the intersection of Av. Ventura Puente and Av. Camelinas, in the southern (and most upscale) part of the city. In that shootout, three civilians (i.e., innocent bystanders) were injured. One man and his son were aboard an SUV that was hit directly in the windshield by large-caliber bullets. All of the civilians were trying to escape the gunfire; all had been engaged in ordinary Sunday-morning activities: walking with their friends and families in the nearby park, strolling along the sidewalk on Camelinas, etc.

The headlines in today's paper state that Morelia is living in a reign of terror.

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(This post was edited by esperanza on Mar 23, 2009, 8:11 AM)

Jean_S

Mar 23, 2009, 12:13 PM

Post #4 of 6 (1905 views)

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Re: [esperanza] Safety in lakeside

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The original poster asked about Lakeside.

Although I regret what is happening in your area this really has no relevance to Lake Chapala and Ajijic.

Here we feel very safe, cautious, as I would be anywhere, but still safe.

Your comments really might be good over in General Mexico.

esperanza

Mar 23, 2009, 2:48 PM

Post #5 of 6 (1874 views)

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Re: [Jean_S] Safety in lakeside

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My comments (and Anónimo's) would be better in the El Bajío forum. If anyone wants to move them over there, please go ahead.

I did not say at any point that I felt unsafe, either at Lake Chapala or in Morelia. I simply reported some of the things that are happening in Mexico, away from the US/Mexico border.

It's a good thing to feel safe where you live.

It's also a good thing to be aware of what goes on very close to where you live. I think particularly of the recent drug-related incident in Riberas del Pilar (between San Antonio Tlayacapan and Chapala), and the many incidents of drug-related violence in and around Guadalajara and Zapopan.

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moonfam5

Apr 11, 2009, 1:16 PM

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Re: [esperanza] Safety in lakeside

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It's funny how people measure their level of "safety". I have said many times that I "feel" safer on the streets of Guadalajara than the streets of Los Angeles, however, like in any city where there are criminals, good information on where it is safe to go and not to go, is at a premium. We will be down at our home in Michoacan in late July/early August for a couple of weeks, and I have NEVER felt that my safety was in danger.
Wink

The more I learn, I less I know.