61 replies to this topic

[micnsu]

Our 6 yr old's school (behind Mirasol) was canceled for today and tomorrow, but my husband heard them mention "teacher's week"? They already had Monday and Tueday off, went back Wednesday with a new padlock on the gate and kept it locked, and now off 2 more days? Maybe I'm just not used to this loose school schedule here...

[wisecracker]

Our 6 yr old's school (behind Mirasol) was canceled for today and tomorrow, but my husband heard them mention "teacher's week"? They already had Monday and Tueday off, went back Wednesday with a new padlock on the gate and kept it locked, and now off 2 more days? Maybe I'm just not used to this loose school schedule here...

In Jocotepec, the school officials had told parents, since may 10th that if they chose to send their children to school the schools would be open, however it was up to the parents to accept responsibility for them. As of today, the three schools have been closed until further notice. No mention of teacher's week.

[bmh]

The Mexicans demanded and got a promise from the chief to have police at the entrance of the schools. They are supposed to be speaking with the school directors and get them to release all the children at the same time so the police can watch over them. That is about the only thing the Mexican people got.

Please do not bring Jocotepec in the conversation as it has nothing to do with the Municipality of Chapala. The chief or any other person of authority cannot comment on what is happening in Jocotopec no matter what they know so you will not get anything put of the chief on any other municipality.,

[gimpychimp]

my assessment was 3 Mexicans to every gringo ...... the Mexicans were the most vocal 10 to 1

I agree with you.

[bdmowers]

1. Did people truly learn anything that was significant at the meeting?

2. Do you feel safer after either attending the meeting or reading a summary?

Perhaps not significant, I learned:
that the 5 Riberas bodies found were actually parts of the bodies in Iztlahuacan, so not additional to the 18.
the man who was hiking with his dog and female friends up in the hills were let go by the kidnappers rather than the humans escaping

Other than that, though my memory is quite often not complete, I did not learn any information that was useful. He slid over a few of the questions he was asked at the beginning of the meeting to address but most questions were not addressed at all.

I do not at all feel safer after the meeting. That the chief was constantly, relentlessly exhorting people to report on their neighbors was straight out of the novel '1984'. To my memory, there was no specific information on how the Chapala Police will be addressing the violence.

[Estrella Roja]

The chief of P. said there are 58 schools in the area but there are only 200 policeofficers ( 28 cars) in the area so it is difficult to go around every school.

[Estrella Roja]

1. Did people truly learn anything that was significant at the meeting?

2. Do you feel safer after either attending the meeting or reading a summary?

1. Yes, there is no more kidnapping in the area after May 9.
2. No

[ezpz]

Línea anónima a Canada 01-800-839-3416 Reporta!

If you can't speak Spanish, copy this down in writing to hand out to Mexican friends. I was trying to find my old Guadalajara Reporter article about this but couldn't. I believe this is direct, no need to dial anything else. They say it is un tappable, but on another webboard, someone said it's better to call from a pay phone. But there are hardly any anymore! And that would look suspicious in itself.

[ezpz]

Regarding ratio of gringos there last night...

"My perception is that it was 50-50"

Only if you were standing near the restaurants serving drinks! If you looked around the crowd, there were far more Mexicans than gringos. I left at the rain only because I became extremely tired after standing for an hour. My friend who stayed said that in the end the Mexicans moved forward and that only about 5 gringos were left.

[ezpz]

Other thoughts...with so much rumor and innuendo going around, the police still have to be careful what information they make public because it could either endanger victims or potential victims and/or hurt the investigation. Sometimes total discretion is needed while the bad guys are hunted down and capture planned.

In the newspaper Pagina 24, which I recommend, they always have a small English section of content from the NY Times. In an article about other killings in another MX state, they discussed the sticky, complicated problems of large extended families who might have one "bad egg" that causes danger for everyone in the family. That adds greatly to the fear if not paranoia among the MX people.

In my neighborhood, people are not only not coming out at night, they are turning off their front room lights, totally dark, and keeping their windows and doors shut and locked in this heat. They mostly don't have nice patios and back yards to retire to. No one is playing any music.

Only a small fraction of the population of Ajijic actually attended last night.

[ezpz]

"I do not at all feel safer after the meeting. That the chief was constantly, relentlessly exhorting people to report on their neighbors was straight out of the novel '1984'."

I don't think this was quite 1984 type paranoia, but the bad guys have rented or purchased homes that have been used in recent criminal activity. I think the intent was to caution people of strange new neighbors coming and going - this could be suspicious - probably not intended to mean the neighbors you already know. And this obviously can happen in the upscale neighborhoods, as we have learned.

I'm moving soon and will be proactively sociable to meet all my new neighbors, which are not far from my present location anyway. I'm already a familiar face in the new location. One can't overstate how important it is to have a decent rapport with your Mexican neighbors, which you do by speaking Spanish and being polite at all times to everyone, if nothing more.

[Alex]

My perception was that the crowd was overwhelmingly Mexican...maybe 80 percent or more.

When the subject of schools came up, the chief claimed the cops were maintaining a presence there in the morning when the students arrived and in the afternoon when they went home. This was met with intense jeering from the crowd and shouts of "That's not true," coming mostly from the women. The Chief seemed surprised and said he would look into it and be sure the cops were there.

When the subject ot bringing in the army came up, the Chief said, "Bringing in the army is not the answer." Once again, the crowd jeered.

The Mexicans were amazingly free in their criticism of the police. They told the Chief outright that they didn't trust the local police. They also asked him who they should call when the police where the problem.

[regc80]

It bothered me how the Police Chief spent so much time trying to convince us that he's going to tell us everything and give us 100% the truth! I am very leary of someone who tries so hard to convince me that they are telling the truth. A truthful person just states what they know to be true and leave you alone to accept it or not. I, for one do not believe him. A liar must convince their audience!

[micnsu]

There were no police to be found at my child's school, nor her brother's Kinder school next door yesterday... Maybe because there are such small numbers there, those don't matter as much. Not going to risk it for now.

Did the Chief address anything about rumors being spread with political motives behind them? As in "let's make _____ (insert current person in office) look bad by making people think things are much worse than they are"? Nothing like a little paid propaganda to "help" another person get elected in July.

[Estrella Roja]

He did said nothing about this is political related.

[regc80]

Interesting. My post was deleted. I guess because it was not favorable about the meeting. This is not a free opinin board if your opinion is not liked by the moderator.

[hensley]

Línea anónima a Canada 01-800-839-3416 Reporta!

If you can't speak Spanish, copy this down in writing to hand out to Mexican friends. I was trying to find my old Guadalajara Reporter article about this but couldn't. I believe this is direct, no need to dial anything else. They say it is un tappable, but on another webboard, someone said it's better to call from a pay phone. But there are hardly any anymore! And that would look suspicious in itself.

Many Mexicans will not call as they are afraid that they will get killed because of the call being traced, they don't understand, so offer to your Mexican neighbors that they can use your phone anytime and maybe more would be reported.

[Ajijic]

Many Mexicans will not call as they are afraid that they will get killed because of the call being traced, they don't understand, so offer to your Mexican neighbors that they can use your phone anytime and maybe more would be reported.

And stress to them it is free and the person answering is bilingual.

[Mad_Max]

Informador article about the meeting http://www.informado...e-en-ajijic.htm

[halcon]

correct regc80, that used to bother me too. being so accustomed to free speech and all. but it IS
their baby so............and this is "off topic" so it too may not make it. let me add tho' that the recent
changes regarding crime are ,imho, favorable cuz this site was getting "off the wall".