I blew off looking at these threads 2 weeks ago, but since it's revived I'll tie up a couple of loose ends.
Roberto asked if I contacted Tim Steller of the Az Daily Star and brought him to this forum. Here's my answer.
A couple of years ago another reporter gave Tim my name as a possible source for a story involving wildlife and hunting in Arizona, and I spoke with him on the phone for a few minutes. I've never met him in person, and based on some of the things he's written, I suspect he and I are several degrees apart ideologically. But he does seem to be a smart reporter who digs for the truth, as he demonstrated with his story on local politics in Agua Prieta.
After the ruckus broke out in Saric and Penasco's police chief was shot under curious circumstances, and all the newspapers were parroting half-a$$ed government reports from both sides of the border, I sent Tim an email suggesting that people on the ground in Rocky Point were finding the official statements ridiculous and that he might do well to take a look at this forum. I believe I also mentioned a couple of names (which I'll withhold here for their protection) that I thought might make good sources for tamping down the hysteria and putting things in perspective. I don't know whether he contacted anyone at that time.
Then came the rolling gun battle on Fremont and the official statements that raised more questions than were answered, followed by Tim's report in the Star about the Las Conchas home invasion two days earlier that had gone unreported both in the news and on this forum. Having assured friends and co-workers for years that bullets flying through the city and home invasions at upscale tourist digs weren't part of the Rocky Point scene, I now wanted to know the truth.
Self-censorship among Mexican reporters is understandable given that narcos have shown their willingness to bump off those who probe too deeply, but U.S. reporters are presumably much safer. I sent Tim another email suggesting he might get some leads from this forum's habitues. It goes without saying that he would protect his sources, as reporters tend to do if only in their own self interest. And since each country's newspapers are read on both sides of the border, further illumination by the Star might prod Mexican officials to be a little more forthcoming.
I never expected that anyone in the know would spill their guts on this forum. What I'd hoped for was that someone would give Tim some back story and leads, and that we'd eventually get a more complete picture of how things are really working around Rocky Point. Whether or not anyone ever gave him any info I'll never know, nor should I.
Anything said publicly on this forum I'm disregarding as conjecture, rumor and in some cases possibly disinformation. I have no idea whether the shootout and home invasion were connected, or what events might have precipitated either incident, the ethnicity or lifestyle of the home invasion victims or anything else. I did not expect to learn any of those things directly from this forum.
Now I can only say that the city's future as a destination for U.S. tourists has been badly damaged. Rocky Point's reputation for being outside the drug corridor and free of the kinds of violence for which Mexico has become infamous is now shattered, and rehabilitating its image will take years. Anyone with half a brain should know that all the comparisons to violence in Phoenix or Aurora are entirely irrelevant. Human behavior is driven more by emotion than statistics, and few will take their families where they perceive any risk of suddenly finding themselves in a scene from a Robert Rodriguez movie. And while it's true there are bad people everywhere, Americans are accustomed to the support of such civil instutitions as a vigorous free press, responsive officials and a transparent and effective criminal justice system. Imperfect as U.S. systems may be, they nevertheless provide a sense of security, false or otherwise, that we don't have in foreign countries. When you're in Mexico, you're on your own, and if you're killed or simply disappear, you can't assume anyone will be made accountable. Those are Mexico's terms, taken them or leave them. Many people were already saying no to Mexico before the lastest "fiasco in Penasco."
As for me, I'll still go down for fishing with like-minded folks who are willing to accept some risk, but such folks will now be harder to find.
Roberto asked if I contacted Tim Steller of the Az Daily Star and brought him to this forum. Here's my answer.
A couple of years ago another reporter gave Tim my name as a possible source for a story involving wildlife and hunting in Arizona, and I spoke with him on the phone for a few minutes. I've never met him in person, and based on some of the things he's written, I suspect he and I are several degrees apart ideologically. But he does seem to be a smart reporter who digs for the truth, as he demonstrated with his story on local politics in Agua Prieta.
After the ruckus broke out in Saric and Penasco's police chief was shot under curious circumstances, and all the newspapers were parroting half-a$$ed government reports from both sides of the border, I sent Tim an email suggesting that people on the ground in Rocky Point were finding the official statements ridiculous and that he might do well to take a look at this forum. I believe I also mentioned a couple of names (which I'll withhold here for their protection) that I thought might make good sources for tamping down the hysteria and putting things in perspective. I don't know whether he contacted anyone at that time.
Then came the rolling gun battle on Fremont and the official statements that raised more questions than were answered, followed by Tim's report in the Star about the Las Conchas home invasion two days earlier that had gone unreported both in the news and on this forum. Having assured friends and co-workers for years that bullets flying through the city and home invasions at upscale tourist digs weren't part of the Rocky Point scene, I now wanted to know the truth.
Self-censorship among Mexican reporters is understandable given that narcos have shown their willingness to bump off those who probe too deeply, but U.S. reporters are presumably much safer. I sent Tim another email suggesting he might get some leads from this forum's habitues. It goes without saying that he would protect his sources, as reporters tend to do if only in their own self interest. And since each country's newspapers are read on both sides of the border, further illumination by the Star might prod Mexican officials to be a little more forthcoming.
I never expected that anyone in the know would spill their guts on this forum. What I'd hoped for was that someone would give Tim some back story and leads, and that we'd eventually get a more complete picture of how things are really working around Rocky Point. Whether or not anyone ever gave him any info I'll never know, nor should I.
Anything said publicly on this forum I'm disregarding as conjecture, rumor and in some cases possibly disinformation. I have no idea whether the shootout and home invasion were connected, or what events might have precipitated either incident, the ethnicity or lifestyle of the home invasion victims or anything else. I did not expect to learn any of those things directly from this forum.
Now I can only say that the city's future as a destination for U.S. tourists has been badly damaged. Rocky Point's reputation for being outside the drug corridor and free of the kinds of violence for which Mexico has become infamous is now shattered, and rehabilitating its image will take years. Anyone with half a brain should know that all the comparisons to violence in Phoenix or Aurora are entirely irrelevant. Human behavior is driven more by emotion than statistics, and few will take their families where they perceive any risk of suddenly finding themselves in a scene from a Robert Rodriguez movie. And while it's true there are bad people everywhere, Americans are accustomed to the support of such civil instutitions as a vigorous free press, responsive officials and a transparent and effective criminal justice system. Imperfect as U.S. systems may be, they nevertheless provide a sense of security, false or otherwise, that we don't have in foreign countries. When you're in Mexico, you're on your own, and if you're killed or simply disappear, you can't assume anyone will be made accountable. Those are Mexico's terms, taken them or leave them. Many people were already saying no to Mexico before the lastest "fiasco in Penasco."
As for me, I'll still go down for fishing with like-minded folks who are willing to accept some risk, but such folks will now be harder to find.
