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Prof.Gringo · Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 4:29 pm Post subject: Attack on US consulate

There was an attack in Monterrey against the US consulate over the weekend. Shots were fired and a grenade failed to detonate in the attack that happened during the early morning hours. Nobody was reported hurt.

Check out the link here- http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081013/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_mexico_us_consulate

I went to the US embassy website but I couldn't find any more info.

First the grenade attacks in Morelia on Sept. 15 and now this.

Does anybody feel less secure or is it just me?

Are we just too jaded after living here for sometime, often years, to all of the violence that is taking place around us?

I think that Mexico is really becoming a dangerous place. I know many people will talk about how they feel safer, but are you really safer than in another country?

Does anybody have second thoughts about either staying in Mexico as a teacher or coming here in the first place?

I think that all of the drug war violence has been increasing and it hasn't stopped or slowed at all. Tourism is down, both due to the violence and the economic problems.

Any predictions on how this will affect the ESL industry? Will people stop taking classes now? Or does the lack of security and the economic problems not have any real effect? I personally don't see how all of these issues will have anything but a negative impact on the ESL market in Mexico.

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

I don't feel less safe at all. Drug violence has been a problem for a long time, especially in the north. Anyone remember when the Fox government caught the Arellano brothers back in 2001 or 2? Tons of violence followed as cartels competed for new territory. Cripes, they were using bazookas in running street battles up there.

Then came the Zetas.

Then all those murdered women in Ciudad Juarez.

A bunch of journalists killed in Tijuana and Mexicali.

And it goes on and on. DF has always felt like the safest part of Mexico to me.

All the extra media will certainly harm Mexico's ability to attract talented teachers, but Mexicans will still take classes. They don't really have a choice, especially with an economy that will be shedding jobs and increasing competition for what good jobs are still to be had.

Prof.Gringo · Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 7:20 pm Post subject:

I don't think DF is so exceptionally safe, just not as touched as many other places by the drug war violence. DF has a high crime rate and kidnappings are out of control.

Anybody that hasn't decided to make Mexico their permanent home want to comment, please? Positive or negative. Also, anyone that has been thinking of coming to Mexico to teach.

Thanks!

dixie · Joined: 23 Apr 2006 Posts: 644 Location: D.F

Prof.Gringo · Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 4:21 pm Post subject: Re: Attack on US consulate

GueroPaz · Joined: 07 Sep 2007 Posts: 216 Location: Thailand or Mexico

To paraphrase what Tip O'Neill said about politics, all violence is local. One mile away, different crime rates. San Cristobal, very little violence. 50 km away in the Conflict Zone, lots of violence, some of it done by the army or paramilitaries. On the beach and the borders, lots of property crime, due
to poverty and desperation. Tourist zones, I do not remember any crime.

Crime would be down low on my list of considerations for returning to Mexico, but it would still be on the list. Right now, the police are murdering civilian unarmed protesters in Bangkok, and Cambodia is on the verge of a border war. Things are very safe in northern Thailand. In fact, the leading cause of death among extraneros here is motorcycle deaths.

notamiss · Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 5:17 pm Post subject:

Here is a bare-bones, factual version, without the speculation of what the incident may or may not have been related to: http://news.scotsman.com/world/Gunmen-attack-empty-consulate.4587584.jp

Prof.Gringo · Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 5:31 pm Post subject:

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

Technically, pedestrians do have the right of way here...it's just that no one seems to know it!

The consulate attack is interesting when you look at the details. Wee hours of a Sunday morning the day before a US holiday. Only 6 rounds fired. The grenade thrown didn't blow up because the pin hadn't been pulled.

Sounds more like a message to get some press. Possibly even a prank, though I hope grenades aren't that easy to come by up north. The US government isn't even calling it a terrorist incident. Went by the US embassy in DF today and there was no extra security.

Milenka · Joined: 30 Jun 2008 Posts: 113 Location: Mexico City

dixie · Joined: 23 Apr 2006 Posts: 644 Location: D.F

El Gallo · Joined: 05 Feb 2007 Posts: 318

[quote="GueroPaz"]To paraphrase what Tip O'Neill said about politics, all violence is local. One mile away, different crime rates. San Cristobal, very little violence. 50 km away in the Conflict Zone, lots of violence, some of it done by the army or paramilitaries. On the beach and the borders, lots of property crime, due
to poverty and desperation. Tourist zones, I do not remember any crime.

--------------------------

"Conflict Zone"? How long has it been since you were in Chiapas?
Sounds as current as the CIA / State Department assessment of travel in Chiapas.

Algo5 · Joined: 06 Feb 2008 Posts: 13 Location: London

I'm currently applying for a year-long teaching job in Mexico City, and although I can't help but be slightly nervous by the statistics on muggings, kidnappings, etc., they haven't put me off the prospect of working there.

I'm from London, and I figure that just as there are parts of London where I wouldn't really want to be at night (or any time), there are also parts of Mexico City that I should steer clear of. I'm just gonna try to keep my wits about me, and listen to the advice of people who have already been living/teaching there for a while.

Speaking of advice, I'd like to thank you folks on this forum - several topics have been very useful for me in my research of Mexico City!

I've also been reading the Lonely Planet guide to Mexico (don't worry, I won't be reading it in public when I get there!), and it advises not to carry too much cash/cards, and to perhaps also wear a money belt. What do you all think of this advice? And how much cash would you say is too much?

Alex

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

brianrex · Joined: 13 Jan 2006 Posts: 11 Location: Vancouver BC

I'm currently riding a motorcycle that I bought in Antigua, Guatemala, up through Mexico. I also rode a bicycle down the Baja Peninsula in 1999. What I've noticed is that everyone is full of anecdotal evidence of why one should not travel beyond their borders. It is even happening now between different parts of Mexico. The local folks here (I'm in Campeche at the moment) would never dream of living in Mexico city, to them it is a place of kidnappings and random violence. While in Guatemala I was warned of the police here in Mexico, and how they would be pulling me over asking for mordidas. In 1999 while in San Diego I was told how I must be crazy to want to ride a bicycle in Mexico. I was told how I would certainly meet my demise at the hands of some crazy Mexican. The only problem I had that trip was with the RVers from Canada and the States. I remember the locals in La Paz telling me to be careful of the crazies in Sinaloa when I took the ferry over to the mainland.
I have been pulled over twice now by the police, once in Quintana Roo, and once here in Campeche. Both times it was because of the Central American license plate I have on the bike and both times when they found out I was Canadian, they let me go without further questioning. I have wondered though what would have happened if I'd been Guatemalan. I think things with the police might have turned out differently.
Do I feel safe here in Mexico? Yes.
I don't travel at night though.
Brian