San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico Forums > Topical Forums > San Carlos Forum > Mexico's Violence Not as Widespread says USA Today |
San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico Forums > Topical Forums > San Carlos Forum > Mexico's Violence Not as Widespread says USA Today |
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| Mexico's Violence Not as Widespread says USA Today | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Tue Aug 10th, 2010 04:55 pm |
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1st Post |
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justme Member 
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class="subject"Mexico's Violence Not as Widespread says USA Today class="mediumtxt" A little perspective is a good thing. [url=http://http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2010-08-03-Mexico-drug-violence_N.htm]http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2010-08-03-Mexico-dr ug-violence_N.htm[/url] By Chris Hawley, USA TODAY MEXICO CITY — Gruesome murders appear to be commonplace in Mexico. The severed heads of eight men found in pairs along highways in Durango. Seventeen people massacred at a birthday party in Torreon. The bodies of 55 people found dumped in a mine near the town of Taxco. Mexicans and their American neighbors are being bombarded by news of shootouts, bombings, kidnappings and executions as drug smugglers battle each other and the government for control of the narcotics trade. But a closer look at the latest official statistics indicates that much of Mexico has modest murder rates. The horrific violence that is jacking up the national death toll is largely in nine of Mexico's 31 states. Despite a wave of killings in these states the murder rate in 2009 was still lower than it was a decade before, long before the Mexico government began a crackdown against the cartels. "If you look at history, today we have fewer murders, both in raw numbers and rates," said Mario Arroyo, a researcher with the Citizens' Institute on Crime Studies, a Mexico City think tank. The statistics show that the most deadly violence is happening in northern Mexico close to the U.S. border where smuggling occurs, and in the states where marijuana and heroin are produced. Also: •The state with the lowest murder rate is Yucatán, the Gulf of Mexico state known for its beaches and Mayan ruins. Its murder rate of 2 per 100,000 was comparable to Wyoming and Montana. •Washington, D.C.'s murder rate is nearly quadruple that of the Mexican capital, Mexico City. Washington's murder rate was 31.4 per 100,000 people in 2008; Mexico City's rate in 2009 was 8. Footnotes to the numbers Experts caution that murder statistics give only a narrow view of crime. Mexico's 2009 murder rate was still more than twice as high as the U.S. rate. The statistics also do not take into account extortion, robbery or other offenses. Some anticrime groups say Mexico City is No. 1 in the world in kidnappings for ransoms or cash that a victim is forced to withdraw from ATMs. The Mexican government has not released a breakdown by city, only states, so it is difficult to know where in a sprawling state that the violence is occurring. Mexico's Public Safety Secretariat released the 2009 murder totals in July in response to a request by the Citizens' Institute on Crime Studies. The statistics are the most recent released by the government. Some Mexican news media keep their own daily tallies, but they only track drug-related murders. The numbers do not reflect the increasingly macabre nature of Mexico's drug killings as the cartels try to intimidate Mexicans. Bodies are routinely dismembered or hanged from bridges. Mass shootings have become common as hit-men hunt down rivals at parties or drug rehabilitation centers. "There's a disconnect between the statistics and the perception of the public," said Elias Kuri, president of Light Up Mexico, an anti-crime association. Nevertheless, the numbers do give some credence to President Felipe Calderón, who insists that the worst violence is confined to certain regions and is mostly among gang members. He has accused the news media of exaggerating the violence. "We've got problematic cities, yes," Calderón said in a speech on crime. "But we also have areas and states, especially tourist areas, that have murder rates equal to many countries in Europe." In past decades, most murders in Mexico were over personal disputes, Arroyo said. Hundreds of people also died in conflicts between ethnic groups, Catholic and Protestant villages, and rival ejidos, or communal farms. But murders had been dropping steadily, from 16,163 in 1997 to 10,291 in 2007, even as Mexico's population grew. The murder rate sank from 17 to 10 per 100,000 people. Part of the decline was due to Mexico's stable economy, helped along by the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, Arroyo said. A 1992 constitutional amendment that changed laws on communal land also helped, said Edna Jaime of Mexico Evaluates, another think tank in Mexico City. It eased ethnic frictions by settling disputes and giving out deeds to individual farmers. "It was a very steady and pronounced decline," Jaime said. "It was part of becoming a more modern and civilized country." Recent violence tied to crackdown The rise in murder rates coincided with Calderón's crackdown, which has splintered the old drug cartels and led to a spate of infighting, according to the government. Calderón said the offensive was needed because the cartels had infiltrated local governments and were threatening to become more powerful than police. From 2007 to 2009, the murder rate jumped from 10 to 14 per 100,000 people. That's still low compared with countries such as Brazil, with a murder rate of 22, or Honduras, with 60.9. "If you look at Mexico as a whole country, it's really not as bad as other places," said Jose Miguel Cruz, an expert on Latin American crime at Vanderbilt University. The real question is whether Mexico can stop the recent upswing in violence, experts say. In recent months Mexican authorities have killed several drug lords, including Arturo Beltrán Leyva and Ignacio "Nacho" Coronel, and captured dozens of lower-level smugglers. But the gangs have also gotten better at killing, carrying out sophisticated ambushes on police and experimenting with new techniques like car bombs. "We're seeing brutal violence, and in some states it's almost more than society can bear," Jaime said. "Numbers are one thing ... but what we don't know is where this is all headed." Contributing: Hawley is Latin America correspondent for USA TODAY and The Arizona Republic
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| Posted: Wed Aug 11th, 2010 01:23 am |
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2nd Post |
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lasninas Member
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Great article. Now...if they legalize drugs the violence will really slow down! I love that Calderon is considering even debating the subject.
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| Posted: Thu Aug 12th, 2010 09:46 pm |
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3rd Post |
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RichD Member
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I also think it was a good article. I hope Calderon is successful. Mexico is my home now and I want it to become a better place. One of the contributors in this article said it well... "It was part of becoming a more modern and civilized country." I don't think it is realistic to think that the US will legalize drugs. I don't want to start another debate on that subject, I just do not think it will fly politically. Given that, I hope the US provides support in helping Mexico fight their own "war on terror".
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| Posted: Fri Aug 13th, 2010 12:55 am |
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4th Post |
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lasninas Member
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I agree I don't want to start a debate on the subject either and it is Mexico, not the US that is open to debating legalizing drugs. That is very interesting indeed!
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| Posted: Fri Aug 13th, 2010 03:19 am |
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5th Post |
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RichD Member
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If Mexico legalizes drugs and the US does not, the profit motive will still exist and therefore the smuggling problem will still exist.
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| Posted: Fri Aug 13th, 2010 05:12 am |
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6th Post |
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lasninas Member
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Hey...I thought we were not going to debate this issue! Ha! Good points however and let's hope that there is a way for the insanity to stop. The only way it stopped during prohibition was to legalize the sale of alcohol. Okay...I'm debating again and I will now officially end the debate! Your comments are appreciated.
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| Posted: Fri Aug 13th, 2010 04:53 pm |
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7th Post |
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RichD Member
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One thing we all can agree on is that the violence (and the media coverage of it) is hurting people in San Carlos. I hope that people will read beyond the headlines and see that San Carlos is still safe for tourists and residents.
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| Posted: Sat Aug 14th, 2010 06:06 pm |
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8th Post |
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moisheh Member
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San Carlos may be safe but more and more areas are now off limits. Dont believe all the false statistics. Mexico is a violent state. Even Calderon admitted this week that something has to be done.
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| Posted: Mon Aug 16th, 2010 02:36 pm |
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9th Post |
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Eire Member
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The World is a violent place. We just have to pick where we feel the most comfortable and at home. It is a shame that the media seem to point to Mexico as violent without looking around them.
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| Posted: Mon Aug 16th, 2010 10:51 pm |
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10th Post |
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Dave Member
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Last week I was in Tucson, and wanted to get a coke at Circle K, just as I started to pull in to the Circle K a man was shot and killed, so much for my Coke. That night when I was in my hotel room asleep, I was awaken by gun shots, I counted 27 shots. So I think they should make a travel advisory for travel to Tucson. I go to Tucson about once a month, and every time I am there, there is someone shot and killed. The people that don't come to San Carlos are missing a good time
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| Posted: Tue Aug 17th, 2010 12:34 am |
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11th Post |
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Eire Member
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Now that should be the headlines I want to see! Read all about it: "Last week I was in Tucson, and wanted to get a coke at Circle K, just as I started to pull in to the Circle K a man was shot and killed, so much for my Coke. " "That night when I was in my hotel room asleep, I was awakened by gun shots, I counted 27 shots. So I think they should make a travel advisory for travel to Tucson"
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| Posted: Thu Aug 26th, 2010 03:59 pm |
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12th Post |
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barato Member 
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saw an interesting stat today....Mexico's overall murder rate of 8 per 100K population is about equivalent to that of Wichita, KS. and this was coming from a business rag akin to the WSJ, not exactly anyone Mexico friendly. here's source: http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/545008/201008251856/The-Killing-Fields-Of-Caracas.htm good factoid to remember and quote back at people when they get off on the ain't it dangerous? theme? Last edited on Thu Aug 26th, 2010 04:00 pm by barato |
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| San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico Forums > Topical Forums > San Carlos Forum > Mexico's Violence Not as Widespread says USA Today | Top |
