El Tijuanense's perspective on Tijuana violence

[Efjayel]

Ok I'll try to look into it next time I'm there.

[One Wing Low]

That's the one.

Please find out how and why the old man was shot.

TJ may be a lot more dangerous than we thought.

Which Marisco's stand? The one on the corner of Niños Heroes and Coahulia St?

[Efjayel]

Which Marisco's stand? The one on the corner of Niños Heroes and Coahulia St?

[One Wing Low]

Could someone find out why the old man was shot? I hate to hang around his mariscos stand and got shot with him.

Went to the familiar mariscos stand across the intersection from restaurant La Perla.

The old man was not there. His son said he was was shot 4 times in a taxi somewhere in TJ. He's apparently not dead, in a hospital somewhere.

If he was in a taxi when shot, then he was targeted, not hit by stray bullets. Wondered what he could have done to get shot, besides serving some very tasty mariscos cocteles.

Can someone talk to his sons and brothers and give us some details?

[Traveler X]

Wow, that was a great post. I've found that everything in your post is accurate.

Still, though, I would like kno know how you got out of that situation.

Dylan

If you actually get taken in the car and you have an ATM card on you, they'll force you to take money out of your ATM and keep your ATM card. If you don't have anything, I've seen one case where they held one friend and had the others cross the border and withdrawl money at San Ysidro's. It even made the news years back.

That said, they just want your money. You are in no real danger because they may be crooked and immoral but they're not that evil. A friend who still goes says when he had no money he asked them to take him to jail and they let him go with a warning. So it depends on what they think you're willing or able to pay.

My suggestion is simply not to go in the first place. Buy a ticket to Thailand.

[Dylan]

You don't even want to know how we got out of the situation.

Wow, that was a great post. I've found that everything in your post is accurate.

Still, though, I would like kno know how you got out of that situation.

Dylan

[Amerioca]

I have never felt more safe in TJ than in recent times. The TJ popo is scared sh$tless. That being said, they are either out in force or cannot be found. They are more worried about their safety than subsidizing their incomes via tourists (which they have been doing for many decades).

And the Amercian that was found decap, last week. He was no tourist, he was a dopeman.

[Country John]

I would like to throw in my input on this topic. While I do appreciate the fact that El Tijuanense has taken the initiative in trying to "warn" us about the dangers that exist in Tijuana, I disagree with a lot of things he is preaching. First and foremost, if you truly are as "authentic" Mexican as you claim, you know that there are two way of doing things in Mexico; the "right way" and the "wrong way. " More often than not, if you do things the "right way, " you have very little to worry about. However, if you decide to do things the "wrong way" either out of ignorance, stupidity, or just for the hell of it, there are potential consequences. I would like to share a story with this board to demonstrate my point.

Several years ago, before I knew about this board, I decided to drive down to Tijuana with some friends of mine just to visit. Having lived in America all my life, I was completely oblivious to what actually goes on in Tijuana/Mexico. I had no idea driving into Tijuana with my own car was a bad idea. I had no idea my US insurance was void in Mexico. I had no idea there were a bunch of crooked cops looking to make a buck off retarded "gringos" such as my self. I had no idea the dangers that existed at night in Tijuana. I had no idea how to speak Spanish. I had no idea period. We arrived at the border around 1:00 AM on a Saturday morning. I was nervous as hell and completely lost. I went down a bunch of streets that I had no idea were safe or unsafe, couldn't read the street names, couldn't understand the traffic signs, couldn't see where the lanes were. Long story short, I ended up running a red light, went down a road the wrong way, got pulled over, and was questioned for almost 2 hours as the Policia searched my car. I had absolutely no contraband of any kind, no alcohol, no drugs, no weapons, nothing in my car to be worried about. However, they just "somehow" found some "mysterious" narcotics that just happened to be in my trunk. I had no money, no way of communicating with the officer who either couldn't speak English or simply chose not to in order to **** me over even harder. My friends couldn't speak Spanish and were of no help to me either. Every second of every minute that I talked to the TJPD, I feared I would go to jail in a Mexican prison and would never return. You don't even understand how scary and stressful such a situation is. You don't even want to know how we got out of the situation. In any case, when I got back on US soil, I vowed to never return to Mexico ever again. It was around this time that I found this message board and realized just how stupid I was for doing what I did. I could have died in Tijuana that night. I went about the situation all wrong and I paid the price as a result.

Yesterday, I returned to Tijuana after my 3-4 year hiatus. I knew EXACTLY what I was doing. There is a war going on in Mexico and the media is reporting that 4-5 people are dying on a daily basis. I took all the necessary precautions before hand, I made sure I had everything set up correctly, and I executed. I parked on the US side, I walked across, I took a taxi (sat in the front seat) to EXACTLY where I wanted to go, I gave propinas to almost every person I came in contact with, I was polite, I was friendly, I didn't overdrink, I didn't make threats or assualt anyone, I did exactly what I was supposed to do and I was fine. All the avoidable problems were taken care of. Now, I understand, there are some things that are unavoidable. If some lunatic narco decided to shoot up Adelitas and I got hit in the cross-fire, that is unavoidable. However, as of right now, that isn't happening. Bodies are showing up in Tijuana but people aren't getting popped in front of clubs, especially not mongers such as ourselves. Am I saying it can't happen? Absolutely not. Innocent citizens have died in the crossfire, they were at the wrong place at the wrong time. As long as you visit Tijuana and do EXACTLY what you are supposed to do and nothing "stupid, " generally, you'll be fine. You can sit and scare us all you want, but you have to acknowledge this.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I would suggest that the author or another Forum Member consider posting a link to this report in the Reports of Distinction thread. Please Click Here for more information.

If you read the above post again and understand it, you will then have an accurate picture of what is happening in Tijuana.

Good post.

Country John

[Wooterz]

I would like to throw in my input on this topic. While I do appreciate the fact that El Tijuanense has taken the initiative in trying to "warn" us about the dangers that exist in Tijuana, I disagree with a lot of things he is preaching. First and foremost, if you truly are as "authentic" Mexican as you claim, you know that there are two way of doing things in Mexico; the "right way" and the "wrong way. " More often than not, if you do things the "right way, " you have very little to worry about. However, if you decide to do things the "wrong way" either out of ignorance, stupidity, or just for the hell of it, there are potential consequences. I would like to share a story with this board to demonstrate my point.

Several years ago, before I knew about this board, I decided to drive down to Tijuana with some friends of mine just to visit. Having lived in America all my life, I was completely oblivious to what actually goes on in Tijuana/Mexico. I had no idea driving into Tijuana with my own car was a bad idea. I had no idea my US insurance was void in Mexico. I had no idea there were a bunch of crooked cops looking to make a buck off retarded "gringos" such as my self. I had no idea the dangers that existed at night in Tijuana. I had no idea how to speak Spanish. I had no idea period. We arrived at the border around 1:00 AM on a Saturday morning. I was nervous as hell and completely lost. I went down a bunch of streets that I had no idea were safe or unsafe, couldn't read the street names, couldn't understand the traffic signs, couldn't see where the lanes were. Long story short, I ended up running a red light, went down a road the wrong way, got pulled over, and was questioned for almost 2 hours as the Policia searched my car. I had absolutely no contraband of any kind, no alcohol, no drugs, no weapons, nothing in my car to be worried about. However, they just "somehow" found some "mysterious" narcotics that just happened to be in my trunk. I had no money, no way of communicating with the officer who either couldn't speak English or simply chose not to in order to **** me over even harder. My friends couldn't speak Spanish and were of no help to me either. Every second of every minute that I talked to the TJPD, I feared I would go to jail in a Mexican prison and would never return. You don't even understand how scary and stressful such a situation is. You don't even want to know how we got out of the situation. In any case, when I got back on US soil, I vowed to never return to Mexico ever again. It was around this time that I found this message board and realized just how stupid I was for doing what I did. I could have died in Tijuana that night. I went about the situation all wrong and I paid the price as a result.

Yesterday, I returned to Tijuana after my 3-4 year hiatus. I knew EXACTLY what I was doing. There is a war going on in Mexico and the media is reporting that 4-5 people are dying on a daily basis. I took all the necessary precautions before hand, I made sure I had everything set up correctly, and I executed. I parked on the US side, I walked across, I took a taxi (sat in the front seat) to EXACTLY where I wanted to go, I gave propinas to almost every person I came in contact with, I was polite, I was friendly, I didn't overdrink, I didn't make threats or assualt anyone, I did exactly what I was supposed to do and I was fine. All the avoidable problems were taken care of. Now, I understand, there are some things that are unavoidable. If some lunatic narco decided to shoot up Adelitas and I got hit in the cross-fire, that is unavoidable. However, as of right now, that isn't happening. Bodies are showing up in Tijuana but people aren't getting popped in front of clubs, especially not mongers such as ourselves. Am I saying it can't happen? Absolutely not. Innocent citizens have died in the crossfire, they were at the wrong place at the wrong time. As long as you visit Tijuana and do EXACTLY what you are supposed to do and nothing "stupid, " generally, you'll be fine. You can sit and scare us all you want, but you have to acknowledge this.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I would suggest that the author or another Forum Member consider posting a link to this report in the Reports of Distinction thread. Please Click Here for more information.

[Country John]

I try not to sh! T where I eat. I don't like to ***** around in my own community because of the drama it causes and don't like one night stands knowing that much about me. I have banged substantially fewer Chicanas than you, but that is because they have been more of the girlfriend type, requiring a much larger time investment to get what I want.

I guess I just value my Spanish more than you do. I learned Spanish as a second language without any family influence. I worked my ass off to gain near-native fluency and like hanging out with people that speak multiple languages. I just think it is such a waste when people are given an opportunity and could care less. Even worse when they don't value their native language enough to learn it properly.

When I met her, my girlfriend spoke no english (she still does not speak english) and I spoke ZERO Spanish. It's been almost four years. Now, I converse in Spanish without speaking english for days and days. Several of my key people speak only Spanish.

I want to say that learning the language at the same time as learning to understanding the culture has been one of the best experiences of my life. I believe that if the USA truly had a grasp of just how wonderful these people are, there would be more bridges instead of walls. I consider this move to Mexico one of the best moves ever, and it is a joy to work with such great people who work hard every day.

When I hear Americans slag Mexico, or even when I hear Mexicans slagging their own country and their own people, it speaks volumes about who THEY really are.

It's not hard to criticize. It takes no effort, just a bad attitude and some dirty second hand info then you're good to go. Or maybe being victimized through stupidity that, even though you might be wrong, you find a way to pin it on a people or culture unjustly.

It DOES take effort to get off your ass, check it out for yourself and educate yourself. Usually the good things and the positive side become self evident and they normally ALWAYS outweigh the bad; but again, it depends on your attitude going in I suppose.

Mexico has a beautiful culture and these are great people. It's an honor to be associated with people who play as hard as they work. A relationship bond here is worth more than almost anything else, and I have been enriched in many ways through my associations and business dealings here, not to mention the girls I've banged.

So let these people say what they want. There is nothing louder than the resonance of ignorance and stupidity and it is sometimes hard to ignore, but you'll get used to ignoring it if you start today. Just file it under "Nuts."

Country John

[Pablito Diablito]

I have banged over 100 Chicanas, Mexicanas gratis. But to me it doesn't matter if they speak fluent Espanol. When I see a hot Chicana or Mexicana that last thing that I think is if she speaks fluent Espanol.

I try not to sh! T where I eat. I don't like to ***** around in my own community because of the drama it causes and don't like one night stands knowing that much about me. I have banged substantially fewer Chicanas than you, but that is because they have been more of the girlfriend type, requiring a much larger time investment to get what I want.

I guess I just value my Spanish more than you do. I learned Spanish as a second language without any family influence. I worked my ass off to gain near-native fluency and like hanging out with people that speak multiple languages. I just think it is such a waste when people are given an opportunity and could care less. Even worse when they don't value their native language enough to learn it properly.

[Pablito Diablito]

Country John you know its a fact that Mexicanas prefer Mexican men over gringos or non-Mexicans, don't take it personal,but it's reality.

I leave it at that. Good luck in your relationship.

While I will agree with you that Mexicans are incredibly racist (ie Look at how mestizos treat the Indians), I think that your argument is flawed as a generalization. Hot girls want to date hot guys, and while ethnicity is factored into the equation, I believe it hold much less importance than fitness level, symmetry of face, style and money. Now, Mexico has a nearly 30% obesity rate. I just find it hard to believe that a Mexican chick would prefer an obese Indian from Oaxaca over a football playing (ie fit) Brazilian, Gringo or Brit. Especially chicks in the zona, that f**k for money. These girls are looking to improve their economic conditions. The idea of marrying some campesino in BFE Jalisco, remaining poor, and having to serve a machista husband just because he is Mexican, doesn't sound like a Mexican girls preference. Girls want opportunities just like everyone else, and Mexican society does not provide them with many.

[Efjayel]

Pfft, I don't think it will require three generations. Just a major event/catastrophe to happen. And we aren't far away from one.

[Country John]

To get back to what this thread was about, the following article addresses the violence in a way not very often seen.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/8320422

Probably the most accurate article I've seen. Talking to friends here, they say that they can't imagine a corruption free Mexico in our lifetime, or even in their kid's life-time. This catering to the Sinaloa Cartel is at the guts of it. The Gulf Cartel is believed to be in the hands of the Zetas, this is one reason why the military is involved, most if not all of these guys are ex-police/military.

It's a question of choosing the lesser of two evils and either choice is a bad one.

Corruption is rampant in many countries of the world but in Mexico it's higher profile because the place is under a microscope and the bad guys don't want to give up their violent ways.

Corruption is a way of life here in some sectors, that's true. It's the dirty linen and it's hanging out there for everyone to see. The only reason why it's getting the attention it deserves is because it affects the USA in ways never before experienced by Americans.

If the corruption in Saudi Arabia were as well publicized, many would be shocked. I had many dealings in the Kingdom, the layers of bureaucracy and the lengths people will go to there to become "unjustly enriched" are shocking.

So separate the two. Corruption is here to stay, and Mexicans have long since come to terms with that in quiet desperation. It's the savage murders being committed in the light of day that attract the attention of the press and strike fear into any would-be tourist and THAT, my friends, is what is costing Mexico big bucks. That's where the focus is. And if the government of Mexico can eliminate the worst of the bad guys, and the brutal mass murders stop then that would be an improvement over the existing scene for sure. What remains is their relationship with the Gulf Cartel and what effect that will have on aid from the USA etc.

You know, I go about my business here every day and every evening of the week. Every once in a while I think about the violence but it is NOT on the front burner, nor is it forefront in peoples minds here as they go about their business. People here, while disgusted and disappointed in their "leaders," long ago realized that they have to do for themselves and their families. They have to stay out of trouble, be productive and normal. Life goes on. Don't worry, be happy etc. The common folk here are naturally optimistic and do not allow themselves to become paranoid, or let it get in the way of living their life. I respect that.

As for the government of Mexico, when they (like many other governments) can rise to the level of understanding the effects their destructive behavior has had on their society, and when they can actually take responsibility for it, then I think they will have turned a corner. The general consensus here is that this turning point is AT LEAST three generations away.

So don't look for the day when corruption in Mexico will be stamped out, you'll be long dead by then. Instead look for a return to the old days when the cops had only one robber to chase and when the people of Mexico could get back to the business of living again.

Country John

[Louie OK]

To get back to what this thread was about, the following article addresses the violence in a way not very often seen.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/8320422