In the tradition of balanced "news reporting" I feel obliged to place some perspective on Mexico's murder rate as President Calderon presses his "War On Drugs." By the way, this blog comes on the heels of the announcement that forty-nine headless bodies were discovered near Monterrey, in the state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico.
I have posted several blogs over the past two years concerning the chaos in Mexico and President Calderon's (failed) "War On Drugs." In fairness, I feel I should provide a blog with information that puts a little perspective on the killings and the high murder rate in Mexico. Currently there are more drug/organized crime-related deaths per year in Mexico than was the case in 2006 -2009. But here is some interesting information concerning the appalling murder rate in Mexico and comparing it to the appalling murder rate here in the United States.
The last time the Mexican government released "official" statistics (2010), known drug-related deaths numbered 34,612. Though no new "official" figures have been released since then, Mexican press sources agree that the current death toll is around 47,500 - and rising every day. Many reporters are publicly stating that the major drug gangs operate with impunity in many cities around that nation. There is no doubt that Mexico is a dangerous nation at the moment, particularly for members of rival drug cartels. But there is another aspect of the killings that has caught media attention, though is not widely reported, especially in the United States. Based on Mexican and American statistics, there are several locations in the United States, particular cities and parts of cities, that actually have higher murder rates than some of the Mexican "war zones" are currently experiencing. As if to make this point, our own President Obama allowed his older daughter to make a Spring "excursion" to Mexico. Let's be realistic about this one, though. Obviously the Secret Service (those agents gallivanting with women of the evening notwithstanding) and Mexican federal forces maintained massive security for this visit. Equally obvious, the cartels themselves wanted nothing to do with attacking Mr. Obama's daughter, as they realized such a stupid action would immediately result in the swift end of the War On Drugs, at least in Oaxaca. By the way, why would someone send his or her thirteen-year-old child to Mexico for Spring Break!? But I digress...
Mexican officials did their homework and were able to show that, for instance, certain locations in Houston, Texas and New Orleans, Louisiana have higher annual murder rates than several locations in Northern Mexico where Calderon's government has mostly lost control of those cities and towns to the cartels. These officials also pointed out that the vast majority of the drug war killings happen in the Northern states of Tamaulipas, Durango, Chihuahua, Zacatecas, Sonora, Coahilia, and San Luis Potosi. All of these states are listed on a United States Department of State bulletin as states that U.S. citizens should consider off limits. The bulletin further warns that although most traditional tourist destinations are safe, travelers should stick to the "tourist trap" areas. Commentators point out that Americans traveling to Mexico are statistically safe. They also point out that anyone, whether American, Mexican, Canadian, or of whatever nationality should not stray from such tourist destinations and should not participate in illegal activities that could attract the attention of gang members.
It was interesting to learn Mexico City has a lower murder rate than such American cities as Chicago and Miami. And then there is New Orleans, the Big Easy. The estimated total tourism for New Orleans last year was around 8 million people. Yet New Orleans' murder rate, per capita, is triple that of the NATIONAL murder rate in Mexico, drug war or not. There were 199 murders last year in New Orleans, or 6.8 per 100,000. Maybe the State Department should put the Big Easy on the warning list, too! When statistics are broken down into precincts or boroughs as the case may be, many cities in the United States contain sections in which the murder rate outstrips that of similar cities in Mexico. Law-abiding people in those cities learn to avoid certain areas of their cities as a matter of course.
Mexican government and tourist officials also point out that such destinations as Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, and Vera Cruz are about as safe as always for Americans and other visitors. The statistics collected by independent sources seem to bear this out. The same Mexican officials chide the United States for over-reacting to the possible dangers that tourists might face. These officials point out that even when killings occur in the tourist destinations, these appear to be "typical" crime of passion type murders or isolated robbery homicides. According to available information, approximately five million American citizens visited Mexico last year, both in the tourist destinations and in the war-torn areas of Northern Mexico. Mexican officials point out that of all the murders across the nation last year, only 126 Americans were killed. Officials also point out that they could not conclusively determine which murdered Americans were engaged in illegal activity or possibly were in the employ of one of the drug cartels at the time of their murders.
I hope this blog has accomplished two things. First I hope that it has provided a fair and balanced approach to my other blogs about Mexico's War On Drugs and the related killings and national chaos. Second, I hope that it has pointed out that many of the traditional tourists destinations in Mexico are still safe, as long as one applies common sense when going out beyond the motels or the beaches.
I have posted several blogs over the past two years concerning the chaos in Mexico and President Calderon's (failed) "War On Drugs." In fairness, I feel I should provide a blog with information that puts a little perspective on the killings and the high murder rate in Mexico. Currently there are more drug/organized crime-related deaths per year in Mexico than was the case in 2006 -2009. But here is some interesting information concerning the appalling murder rate in Mexico and comparing it to the appalling murder rate here in the United States.
The last time the Mexican government released "official" statistics (2010), known drug-related deaths numbered 34,612. Though no new "official" figures have been released since then, Mexican press sources agree that the current death toll is around 47,500 - and rising every day. Many reporters are publicly stating that the major drug gangs operate with impunity in many cities around that nation. There is no doubt that Mexico is a dangerous nation at the moment, particularly for members of rival drug cartels. But there is another aspect of the killings that has caught media attention, though is not widely reported, especially in the United States. Based on Mexican and American statistics, there are several locations in the United States, particular cities and parts of cities, that actually have higher murder rates than some of the Mexican "war zones" are currently experiencing. As if to make this point, our own President Obama allowed his older daughter to make a Spring "excursion" to Mexico. Let's be realistic about this one, though. Obviously the Secret Service (those agents gallivanting with women of the evening notwithstanding) and Mexican federal forces maintained massive security for this visit. Equally obvious, the cartels themselves wanted nothing to do with attacking Mr. Obama's daughter, as they realized such a stupid action would immediately result in the swift end of the War On Drugs, at least in Oaxaca. By the way, why would someone send his or her thirteen-year-old child to Mexico for Spring Break!? But I digress...
Mexican officials did their homework and were able to show that, for instance, certain locations in Houston, Texas and New Orleans, Louisiana have higher annual murder rates than several locations in Northern Mexico where Calderon's government has mostly lost control of those cities and towns to the cartels. These officials also pointed out that the vast majority of the drug war killings happen in the Northern states of Tamaulipas, Durango, Chihuahua, Zacatecas, Sonora, Coahilia, and San Luis Potosi. All of these states are listed on a United States Department of State bulletin as states that U.S. citizens should consider off limits. The bulletin further warns that although most traditional tourist destinations are safe, travelers should stick to the "tourist trap" areas. Commentators point out that Americans traveling to Mexico are statistically safe. They also point out that anyone, whether American, Mexican, Canadian, or of whatever nationality should not stray from such tourist destinations and should not participate in illegal activities that could attract the attention of gang members.
It was interesting to learn Mexico City has a lower murder rate than such American cities as Chicago and Miami. And then there is New Orleans, the Big Easy. The estimated total tourism for New Orleans last year was around 8 million people. Yet New Orleans' murder rate, per capita, is triple that of the NATIONAL murder rate in Mexico, drug war or not. There were 199 murders last year in New Orleans, or 6.8 per 100,000. Maybe the State Department should put the Big Easy on the warning list, too! When statistics are broken down into precincts or boroughs as the case may be, many cities in the United States contain sections in which the murder rate outstrips that of similar cities in Mexico. Law-abiding people in those cities learn to avoid certain areas of their cities as a matter of course.
Mexican government and tourist officials also point out that such destinations as Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, and Vera Cruz are about as safe as always for Americans and other visitors. The statistics collected by independent sources seem to bear this out. The same Mexican officials chide the United States for over-reacting to the possible dangers that tourists might face. These officials point out that even when killings occur in the tourist destinations, these appear to be "typical" crime of passion type murders or isolated robbery homicides. According to available information, approximately five million American citizens visited Mexico last year, both in the tourist destinations and in the war-torn areas of Northern Mexico. Mexican officials point out that of all the murders across the nation last year, only 126 Americans were killed. Officials also point out that they could not conclusively determine which murdered Americans were engaged in illegal activity or possibly were in the employ of one of the drug cartels at the time of their murders.
I hope this blog has accomplished two things. First I hope that it has provided a fair and balanced approach to my other blogs about Mexico's War On Drugs and the related killings and national chaos. Second, I hope that it has pointed out that many of the traditional tourists destinations in Mexico are still safe, as long as one applies common sense when going out beyond the motels or the beaches.
No comments:
Post a Comment