US slaps highest-level 'do not travel' warning on five Mexican states.
"All five states- Tamaulipas on the USA Border and Sinaloa, Colima, Michoacan and Guerrero on the Pacific coast- are hotspots of drug cartel activity, either hosting trafficking routes or extensive drug-crop cultivation.
The new warning system designates the states as a "level 4" risk, the highest level of potential danger. Mexico as a whole has a level 2 rating, meaning Americans should "exercise increased caution" because of concerns about crime. But an additional 11 Mexican states got a level 3 warning Wednesday, which urges people to "reconsider travel" there. Mexico has 31 states in all. . ."
[URL]http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/01/10/us-slaps-highest-level-do-not-travel-warning-on-five-mexican-states.html[/URL]
Not to beat a dead horse.
I think what you and LongDon said is the best advice. Make it clear, by the way you carry yourself, you are not a target. Be alert, do not shy away from eye contact. Just don't act scared. Anything can happen anywhere. But if you use common sense and don't have the appearance of fear, I don't feel Tijuana is any more dangerous to gringo tourists than any other big city.
[QUOTE=Hargow20;2128282]This is precisely what I was referring too. Perhaps I should have been more clear. I constantly look to see who is behind me.[/QUOTE]
Interesting Article: Weapons and Carry Methods for Foreign Travel.
For those unwilling to simply be mugged by Rateros, this traveler has some tips: " . . . Since guns are not recommended, the most effective weapon for most travelers is a knife. Knives can be legally brought into almost every third world country in checked luggage. Unless the knife is massive in size or the traveler has dozens of them in his luggage, customs officials rarely look twice if they see a knife when searching your bags.
Even though it's rare that carrying a knife into a country would be questioned, the traveler should still have a believable "justification" for the presence of the knife in the event that customs or law enforcement officers ask you why you are carrying a blade. "Self-defense" is never a good justification to use with corrupt third world officials. Remember, most people in foreign countries don't have the same "right" to self-protection as they do here in the USA. It's best to have a more innocuous reason for carrying the knife.
I generally carry a Spyderco "Salt" folder when I travel. The knife is made of a special type of stainless steel that does a phenomenal job resisting salt water. Thus, I have a handy justification for my blade; it's my "diving knife. " That excuse has worked for me no matter where I have traveled. "Dive knives" are commonplace and cause no additional scrutiny. You could even get by with a larger fixed blade knife so long as it looked like it had marine applications. Other "justifications" could be that you are going "camping in the jungle" or that the knife is your "cooking knife. " No matter what justification you choose, have a ready answer for when the cops ask you about the blade. "Cutting throats" is not generally recommended.
With that said, the chance of getting caught and / or arrested when carrying a knife in a third world country is next to zero. If you are smart about carrying the blade, you won't get caught. If you do get caught, you'll usually be able to pay off the cop who catches you to avoid going to jail. I've only been caught with a knife one time in all of my travels when I had to go through a metal detector unexpectedly in Peru. I gave the knife to the cop. He pocketed it and that was the end of the issue. . . ".
Full article: [URL]http://www.activeresponsetraining.net/weapons-and-carry-methods-for-foreign-travel[/URL].
[QUOTE=Dcrist0527;2128960]Fair point. I overstated the safety. I had LA, Chicago, NY in mind. Only trying to reassure others that, if you are smart, aware, use common sense, etc, it's not as though you are doomed when you step into Mexico. Your advice was spot on. Be aware and alert.[/QUOTE]
Mexico had over 29,000 murders in 2017, highest in decades.
"Mexico posted its highest homicide rate in decades, with the government reporting Sunday there were 29,168 murders in 2017.
The number is the highest since comparable records began being kept in 1997 and is also higher than the peak year of Mexico's drug war in 2011, when there were 27,213 murders. The Interior Department, which posted the number, reported the country's homicide rate was 20.5 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2017, compared to 19.4 in 2011 . . . "
[URL]http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/mexico-record-homicide-rate-1.4497466[/URL]
Avoid drug dealers and back alleys. . . And stay in tourist areas.
Chalino Sanchez, the father of modern narco corrido, his history and death
A very good article with insights into Mexico's culture and lifestyles by Otis be Flywheel, a Gringo living in Baja California:
[URL]http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2018/01/chalino-sanchez-father-of-modern-narco.html?m=1[/URL]
Chalino Sanchez, the father of modern narco corrido, his history and death.
Written by Otis be Flywheel.
Born Rosalino Sanchez in 1962 on a small ranch in Sinaloa named Las Flechas close to Culiacan and raised in Sanalona. He had seven brothers and one sister, Juana, he was the youngest male sibling. Everyone in Mexico has a nickname and Rosalino was no different with various names being adopted by him at different stages in his life including his singing name of "Chalino".
Other names he had were Marcelino, El Pelavacas (the cow skinner), El Indio, Compa Chalino and El Valiente. El Valiente was a common name in this area of Sinaloa and was given to the rural tough guys who would shoot it out with as much relish as eating breakfast. Chalino started early with his criminal career, when Juan Quiroz lured away his sister as a concubine. Quiroz friend Hector El Chapo Perez helped him, later boasting about it claiming that Juana was bad in bed and the kitchen, blemishing the good name of Juana, Chalino's sister.
Chalino brooded about revenge but was not in a position to do anything about it for a few more years. They say revenge is a dish best served cold and 4 years later when he was 16, Chalino shot and killed Hector El Chapo Perez at a Mexican Revolution party. There followed a shootout with Perez's brothers. Chalino had warned Hector that he would kill him, saying " When I buy my first pistol I will shoot you in the chest with it". Chalino later even composed " Corrido de Rosalino" about the event:
He left his homeland.
Because that's what destiny wanted.
To defend his family.
That's why Chalino fought.
Chalino Sanchez, the father of modern narco corrido, his history and death
[QUOTE=CaptainSolo;2133618]Born Rosalino Sanchez in 1962 on a small ranch in Sinaloa named Las Flechas close to Culiacan and raised in Sanalona. He had seven brothers and one sister, Juana, he was the youngest male sibling. Everyone in Mexico has a nickname and Rosalino was no different with various names being adopted by him at different stages in his life including his singing name of "Chalino".
...
[/QUOTE]Great article.
29 San Diego johns arrested in prostitution sting.
San Diego underground sex industry is $800 M a year, but anti-prostitution law is still in the book, and is being prosecuted seriously by jealous cops and overzealous district attorneys.
Why risk arrest, fines, prison time and social stigmas when Tijuana's La Zona is only 1 mile South of the border, with hundreds pretty young girls every day, and sex transactions are tolerated by Mexico's laws?
[URL]https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/29-johns-arrested-prostitution-sting-operation-da-announces[/URL]
29 SAN DIEGO JOHNS ARRESTED IN PROSTITUTION STING OPERATION, the. A. ANNOUNCES.
By Miriam Raftery.
January 30,2018 (San Diego) – In what she calls a "wakeup call for men who buy sex," San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan today announced the arrest of 29 men following a three-week sting operation.
Joined by the San Diego [url=http://isgprohibitedwords.info?CodeWord=CodeWord908][CodeWord908][/url] Task Force, Summer announced that Operation Reclaim and Rebuild was aimed at stopping the sexual exploitation of young women and girls and the cycle of abuse caused by prostitution.
A coalition of law enforcement agencies across Southern California participated in the operation, which included posting fake ads online offering sex for money. When the men showed up at a hotel expecting sex, they were instead surprised by being handcuffed.
The "johns" arrested included men wearing wedding rings, active duty military personnel, and a sex abuse counselor at a local hospital who showed up wearing medical scrubs. One man came on a bicycle in cycling gear wit a backpack full of sexual props, and another left his dog in the car, which was towed by the officers.
In addition to towing vehicles, authorities also seized cell phones as evidence.
District Attorney Stephens says she hopes to raise awareness that "when people pay for sex, the person on the other end of the transaction is often a victim who was forced into sex trafficking as a child. ".
She added that the anonymity of the Internet emboldens Johns to demand extreme acts and believe that they won't be held accountable. She adds, "They are often more violent than the pimps and traffickers themselves."
A university study recently showed that the underground sex industry in the San Diego region alone is roughly an $810 million business each year.
This was the fourth year of Operation Reclaim and Rebuild, which this year included law enforcement statewide.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra states, "Together, we sent a loud and clear message—criminals who prey on young women and children will be swiftly brought to justice. ".
Upside for these Johns. No Divorce Lawyer fees!
Looking at the upside, these guys are looking at honor camp work and some fines and a state appointed defense lawyer. The upside is they avoided alimony, child support and divorce lawyer fees! Maybe they still came out ahead of the game compared to the guys going through a divorce. . . Watch this Youtube - " Thinking about getting married? Think again or at least watch what your future will be like. This dude gets sent to jail because he can't pay over 100% of his income to child support and alimony. Over 100%. This is how the system works. It's not broken, it's not insane and it's not ridiculous. It's serious and it's meant to work that way. . . " [URL]https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=345&v=EzoNRiKDz2I[/URL].