rockyptjoe said:
Pete....please go back and read my last post CAREFULLY! In terms of statistics, the old saying...."figures don't lie, liars figure" holds true.....and when it comes to violence, you have to look at the "quality" (for want of a better term) of the violence, and not the "quantity". We dont' have police chiefs ambushed with AK-47's or several bodies dismembered as a course of our "violence"!
I am not against people going to Penasco.....ala "keeping it to myself" although I readily admit I preferred it to how it was before the condos.....but times change and we all have to "move on". I will not, however, stick my head in the sand and keep telling everyone that it is perfectly safe if there are more instances of what has happened in the last week or so. It is not that I fear getting targeted....but I am concerned with getting caught "in the wrong place at the wrong time" during some shootout! BTW, I used to tell all my friends that I always felt safe going to Penasco.....now I am getting leary and reserving judgment. And just some additional info....I was raised in New York City....and there were a lot of homicides that occurred every day when I was growing up...I could be off, but I recall something like 5-7 EVERY day! There go the statistics.....I believe there were somewhere around 7 million people in NYC at the time. How many people live in Penasco......maybe 50,000? The statistics are meaningless. We didn't have mass murders on a regular basis. Cops didn't get targeted, or shot.....if they were, the culprit was usually caught very quickly, that is, if he didn't get shot in the process.
So please,, let's stop with the one sided approach....particularly for the new people on the Forum and the ones who are not frequent visitors or are first timers. Let's get the FACTS out there....and let them decide based on their own comfort level. I know people like Rosy have tried to do that, while there others on here who are part of the "rah rah" crowd....and also the naysayers (sorry Sub!!)! Oh, almost forgot....I put very little stake in the reporting of the US media, or some of the "warnings" put out by the State Dept......I prefer to get my "facts" from the people on the ground in Penasco!
RockyPointJose', your point is well taken and I respect it. I just do not think it is fair to insinuate that Pete's response is 'one sided' or 'rah-rah'. It's HIS OPINION, just like you leaving your opinion. Everyone has a different level of fear and yours seems to be higher than others. No problem. I too am concerned about these new events but like Puerto Vallarta, Matzatlan and other vacation areas which have had a many, many more stories of shootings and violence, you do not hear about tourists or Americans getting caught up in this stuff.
This is drug related and as long as you are not participating, you should be fine and life in Rocky Point should appear as normal as ever. Cross-fire is definitely a possibility but so is getting hit by a bus. It can happen. Likely, no, but can happen. You mention that we don't have police chiefs being targeted. However we have cops being targeted and yes with AK-47's. It just happened off of I-8 a couple weeks ago. It's also important to point out that an LA Police Chief or a Phoenix Police Chief is much different than these little towns. The police chiefs in a lot of these little towns are regular cops who step up to take a position that has a target on them. Not putting them down or implying that they are the exact same quality of officer as a regular beat cop, but it's not a fair comparison to compare a Rocky Point police chief to a major metropolitan city like New York's police chief. To be clear the event that happened is absolutely no less tragic though.
Another point you made is that you prefer to get your facts from "people on the ground". Personally I think Pete qualifies. With 6 days a month you would get a pretty good feel. If that's not enough, then I'll tell you about both American and Mexican friends I have who live, work and have businesses full time in Rocky Point and how they feel. They feel that this is a possible battle for turf, that possibly the Police chief was either doing his job too well, or was taking sides one way or another and the other side was sending a message. Whatever the circumstances, they have known that there is has been a drug presence for long, long time like every city in the U.S and that as long as you stay out of their way, life goes on. They are concerned for people and family in law enforcement or local government who are trying to crack down but for themselves, they are not concerned at all. Again they have known that stuff goes on behind the scenes and they stay clear. In the meantime, they continue to enjoy the peaceful life they have in Rocky Point, the beaches, restaurants and food, and the quality of life.
As far as you saying, "let's get the FACTS our there", that is what this site is for. But for guys like Sub who have an agenda, or people who are driven by fear, or the news media whom needs the big story, sharing what I shared is always going to be an uphill battle. It's too bad, but that's just the way it is. Fear sells, sensationalism sells and we Americans lop it up like shrimp tacos on the Melecon. At the end of the day, everyone needs to take in all the information they can and make a decision based upon reality and what is really going on behind the headlines. Unfortunately for a lot of
people NOT in the know, that is really hard to do. And, I do understand when folks decide not to go down because of what they hear. It's too bad for them, and it is too bad for the good people of Rocky Point who rely on tourism as their sustenance.