Crime, Safety, and the Police

[Dickhead]

A roll of quarters is another good, legal "weapon" that is relatively easy to explain. Works with either a straight punch or the safer hammer punch (why break your hand?) Nickels or dimes are better, depending on the size of your fist, but harder to explain. A potato in a sock is good in the Yew Ess but I wouldn't want to have to explain it in TJ, plus it's really meant for the jacket pocket and at 1:30 PM in August a jacket might be tough to explain as well. A cheap metal watch is good, but might attract attention since these punks are too dumb to know a cheap watch from a good one. But slip it across your knuckles with the crystal facing out and you can really open someone's face up.

Resisting is risky. I do it, but I probably wouldn't if I had a family to support. But carry a camera anywhere in Latin America and you increase your odds of trouble exponentially. Don't even get me started about jewelry.

[Surfnk9]

I carry a pen or a pencil with me whenever I go to TJ. It's not a weapon so the police can't stop you over it but in a situation like yours, if you react quick enough you could have whipped it out and take out an eye or something. I really doubt these guys where armed to begin with. Could have been possible to turn the tables.

Yes!! Jason Bourne lives!!

PS Joking aside, that is a damn good idea, next time I'll have a Bic handy.

[Precocious One]

I am not at all surprised that you and your wingman got jumped. This could have happened anywhere in the Zona Norte, or anywhere else for that matter.

The thing that probably gave you up was the cameras. You have to learn to leave the bling at home or in the car as well as other important things like cash, credit cards etc. This is first year monger stuff and you should have known better.

Why in the world were you walking in that area so late with cool stuff?

Look, if you want to roam around in the Zona Norte, you need to learn how to be smart, low profile etc.; by the sounds of things you already had your first class, a hands-on demonstration of what happens when you are none of the above.

I am glad you are ok.

I know that you are the resident monger there in TJ and have, in all likelihood, spent more time on the ground than any of us here in Mexico. However, you cannot discount the fact that within a period of less than 30 days two ISG members were robbed, strong-arm at that. I would venture to say that has never happened since the inception of this blog or particular thread. People can sit in denial all they want. But the bottom line is that Mexico's GDP has cumulatively declined 9 percent(10 percent is universally considered a depression) in Q1 and Q2 of 2009 and U-6 UE is believed to be somewhere around 20 percent(it hit 30 percent in the 1930's US GD). And since Mexico technically does not offer it's citizens UE benefits(some companies give three months of severance), once an individual is terminated there is no government support given as such afforded by the USG to its citizens. Once the money is gone... it is gone. And like many Americans that are entirely clueless about what is currently happening, the vast majority of Mexicans are unprepared for the greatest credit unwinding, and subsequent tightening, in world history.

You guys be careful out there. It's going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

[Efjayel]

Next time I'm going to hide my ID in my shoe. If they where to take my money, that's fine, not too big of a loss but I can't go without my ID. I'm a Permanent Resident, not a Citizen so it would be worse for me trying to cross the line back without ID.

Mike, good to hear you are not discouraged from going back. I'm guessing you will obviously be more alert. I carry a pen or a pencil with me whenever I go to TJ. It's not a weapon so the police can't stop you over it but in a situation like yours, if you react quick enough you could have whipped it out and take out an eye or something. I really doubt these guys where armed to begin with. Could have been possible to turn the tables.

By the way, did you get a look at these guys and would you be able to identify them if you see them again?

[Phordphan]

I am not at all surprised that you and your wingman got jumped. This could have happened anywhere in the Zona Norte, or anywhere else for that matter.

The thing that probably gave you up was the cameras. You have to learn to leave the bling at home or in the car as well as other important things like cash, credit cards etc. This is first year monger stuff and you should have known better.

Why in the world were you walking in that area so late with cool stuff?

Look, if you want to roam around in the Zona Norte, you need to learn how to be smart, low profile etc.; by the sounds of things you already had your first class, a hands-on demonstration of what happens when you are none of the above.

I am glad you are ok.

1:45 in the afternoon is hardly late.

This matches the same circumstances of my mugging that I posted in the TJ thread a few weeks ago. It was about 12:45 in the afternoon, on Constitucion. Luckily I was able to struggle enough to where the guys lost interest and beat it before I could identify them and I didn't lose anything. And I had absolutely NO bling outside of a cheap pair of sunglasses.

Unless they looked like Japanese tourists with cameras hanging around their necks, I can see no fault with their behavior. I agree that one shold leave the CCs and ATMs at home, but you still have to have cash and a passport, and that was what was taken from one of the victims. I note that the police were oh-so-helpful to a couple of tourists in obvious distress.

This is starting to happen all too often. If the shithead bar owners are so short sighted that they can't get together and pony up for some private security, well, their business deserves to suffer.

[Efjayel]

He miss pronounced street names. If I translated correctly he was mugged on Articulo 123 and Constitucion. Where I marked on this map;
http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/8233/muggedmap.gif

That street is an area that sees a moderate amount of foot traffic on a busy day. You should see see people walking around at least every half-minute or so. So it's not exactly a deserted street. There should also be the occasional paraditas around that area as well.

Cj, 1:45PM isn't late. If anything that's early. Good time for the tourists and towns people running around doing errands.

The guy said he had both a digital camera and digital video recorder so I'm guessing both where not concealed but in plain view. That would be a major factor as to why they got jumped. Being two of them didn't help obviously. Maybe they could have avoided it if they had walked separately. One watching the other's back.

[One Wing Low]

Reallyaniceguy and Phordfan both reported being jumped on the same street, which is Constitution heading south, toward the top of the hill.

This stretch of the street is dark, has a few run down bars, no security cameras, blind alleys. A very good place for robbers to set up ambush. They can hide in the dark and spot the gringos a mile away. They would probably jump anyone for a few pesos, with or without blings.

Mongers should stay in the alley and around HK, Adelita etc. Where there are security cameras, and avoid wondering out to the side streets, even in daytime.

Owners of the bars in La Zona, if they know what they are doing, should find ways to buy some protection.

I am not at all surprised that you and your wingman got jumped. This could have happened anywhere in the Zona Norte, or anywhere else for that matter.

Look, if you want to roam around in the Zona Norte, you need to learn how to be smart, low profile etc.;

[Country John]

We are OK!

............Full report below.............

I'll be back later this week, maybe twice!

Mike

I am not at all surprised that you and your wingman got jumped. This could have happened anywhere in the Zona Norte, or anywhere else for that matter.

The thing that probably gave you up was the cameras. You have to learn to leave the bling at home or in the car as well as other important things like cash, credit cards etc. This is first year monger stuff and you should have known better.

Why in the world were you walking in that area so late with cool stuff?

Look, if you want to roam around in the Zona Norte, you need to learn how to be smart, low profile etc.; by the sounds of things you already had your first class, a hands-on demonstration of what happens when you are none of the above.

I am glad you are ok.

[One Wing Low]

What a bummer. Sorry it happened to you and your friend.

I am trying to figure out exactly where it happened.

After the tacos, you crossed Constitution and head up the hill, pass the policia station?

You headed further up, at the top of the hill, you turned left, heading towards the arc? There are a bunch of cheap hotels and SG in this area. There are also many mariachis hanging around looking for work. It happened at the entrance to one of the parking lot?

This area is pretty run down with a lot of shady characters. It may be safer to hang out in Coiahuila alley, as there are a lot of security cameras. They are less likely to attack there.

BTW, where did you get the money for cab fares if they took your wallet?

We are OK!

We head to Honk Kong, not a lot happening, we walk through and out the back to the Alley. Turn left, walk the alley, not a lot here either, turn left at the corner to go get some tacos.

we finish our tacos, cross the street and head up Constitucion.
At the corner, Articleta, it's about 1:45 PM, we turn left, walk about 20 steps, at the end of the buildings at the driveway to a parking lot, we are jumped,

on on each of us, choke hold, another guy, again one on each of us, starts trying to go through my pockets, the choke hold is so tight we both pass out. Next thing we know we waking up laying on the ground. It happened in a split second!

I am missing: Canon Digital Camera, Digital Video Camera, Wallet with $200.00, 3 Credit Cards and my Drivers License plus all the other misc. stuff you carry in your wallet.
My friend is missing: Wallet (he took his Credit Cards out) $340.00, Cellphone and his Passport.
Mike

[ReallyaNiceGuy]

We are OK!

Yesterday evening a friend called and said his wife was going out of town and wanted to know if I wanted to go to TJ on Sunday. I said sure, we met in the valley at 10:30 AM, I drove and away we went.

Arrive at the border, cross, stopped at the McDonnell's go to bathroom but it closed, got a taxi and went to Adelitas, it was dead, we walk around, go to the bathroom and leave.
We head to Honk Kong, not a lot happening, we walk through and out the back to the Alley. Turn left, walk the alley, not a lot here either, turn left at the corner to go get some tacos.
Eating our tacos we talk about how dead it is, I tell my friend about Catarina and show him her pictures, he wants to see her, we finish our tacos, cross the street and head up Constitucion.
At the corner, Articleta, it's about 1:45 PM, we turn left, walk about 20 steps, at the end of the buildings at the driveway to a parking lot, we are jumped, on on each of us, choke hold, another guy, again one on each of us, starts trying to go through my pockets, the choke hold is so tight we both pass out. Next thing we know we waking up laying on the ground. It happened in a split second!

I am missing: Canon Digital Camera, Digital Video Camera, Wallet with $200.00, 3 Credit Cards and my Drivers License plus all the other misc. stuff you carry in your wallet.
My friend is missing: Wallet (he took his Credit Cards out) $340.00, Cellphone and his Passport.

The 3 Police cars arrive, they ask what happened, they walk around the street but they never even talked to anyone that was standing around, they came back and got in their cars. As they were trying to leave we stop them and ask about a report or something because my friend didn't have a Passport and we needed something to explain why at the border. They told us to go to the Police station at Gonzalez and International.
We walked there, explained what happened, the guy called the car/cars that were there, they showed up, they talked among themselves and then we are told we need to go to Ministeno Publico Orden Comon in Zona Rio on Ave. Rio Suchiates to get the report we needed..

We walk up a couple of blocks, flag down a cab, show the note to the guy, he says he knows where it is and off we go.
When we get there we are ignored, we try to talk to the lady behind the counter, no English, but she indicates she will get someone that speaks English, we wait. While we are waiting, I go outside to smoke, a nice young woman starts talking to my friend, he explains what happened, the nice young woman offers to help and explains it to the lady behind the counter, OK this is the place and she is getting someone that speaks English.
A man comes, we explain what happened, he asks us to write our information and what is missing, we give it to him, he gives it to the Woman behind the counter, she types it up, prints it out, the guy stamps and signs it and then gave it to us and showed us what we needed at the border.

Flag down a taxi and head to the border. At the counter we explain what happened, he typed in Isaac's information, asked a couple of questions and let us through.

I guess the lesson is: Do not leave the Zona and if you do, take a taxi.

Needless to say my friend wouldn't be back to YJ for a long time. I'll be back later this week, maybe twice!

Mike

[One Wing Low]

It would be so funny to see Serge shaking and sweating in fear as he humps the leetle chicas, wearing his big helmet and full body armor.

Pervs would risk anything, including their lives, for pussies as you should know.

Well there it is for the nay sayers. He must of been doing something wrong, right? He probably just did not get it.

Honestly, the safest thing is to stay out of harms way.

[Double]

WBBM News Radio reports: Officials confirmed today that Sgt. E5 Anibal Beltran Jr., 37, was shot to death outside of his fiance's home in Tijuana, Mexico. Beltran was a 12-year Army veteran from East Chicago and an active member of the U.S. Army Reserve stationed at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and in San Diego.

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2...n-tijuana.html

Well there it is for the nay sayers. He must of been doing something wrong, right? He probably just did not get it.

Honestly, the safest thing is to stay out of harms way.

[Sgt Perv]

Serg the Perv would be wise to wear his helmet and his flak jacket as he humps the leettle chicas.

I always wear my latex helmet and am smart enough to know that a flak jacket is useless against bullets. A flak jacket is for flak not bullets. Gotta love it when a civilian tries to speak on military matters.

[One Wing Low]

This news means there are a lot of hand guns in TJ waiting for sergeants and ex-sergeants.

Serg the Perv would be wise to wear his helmet and his flak jacket as he humps the leettle chicas.

WBBM News Radio reports: Officials confirmed today that Sgt. E5 Anibal Beltran Jr., 37, was shot to death outside of his fiance's home in Tijuana, Mexico. Beltran was a 12-year Army veteran from East Chicago and an active member of the U.S. Army Reserve stationed at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and in San Diego.

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2...n-tijuana.html

[Sgt Perv]

WBBM News Radio reports: Officials confirmed today that Sgt. E5 Anibal Beltran Jr., 37, was shot to death outside of his fiance's home in Tijuana, Mexico. Beltran was a 12-year Army veteran from East Chicago and an active member of the U.S. Army Reserve stationed at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and in San Diego.

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2...n-tijuana.html