Five of the six most violent cities in the world are in Mexico

[left-of-center2012]

https://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-mexico-tijuana-violence-20190314-story.html

Tijuana was the most violent city in the world in 2018, according a new report by a Mexican nonprofit group that ranked cities based on their homicide rates.

The report by the Citizens’ Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice found that five out of six of the world’s most violent municipalities were in Mexico, where homicides have risen to historic levels in recent years amid a military-led war against criminal groups.

In Tijuana, where local gangs have been battling over a lucrative domestic drug market, the report tallied 138 killings per 100,000 residents last year, or about seven killings on average per day. The Mexican resort city of Acapulco was in second place, with 111 killings per 100,000 people. Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, which has been beset by crime and food shortages amid the country’s political crisis, was in third place with 100 killings per 100,000 people.

The fourth- and fifth-most violent cities, according to the Citizens’ Council, were in two of Mexico’s northern border states: Ciudad Victoria, in the state of Tamaulipas, and Ciudad Juarez, in Chihuahua. Irapuato, a city in the state of Guanajuato that has been the site of fierce battles over control of stolen gasoline, is sixth on the list. There were 15 Mexican cities on the list of 50, more than any other country in the world.

Mexico’s new president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, campaigned on a promise of pacification ...
As a candidate, Lopez Obrador pledged to use economic development, not the military, to address the root causes of crime. He also proposed a controversial amnesty plan that would allow some non-violent criminals to walk free.

[Zorro]

1. Tijuana used to be a fun place to go before 9/11

Lots of neat souvenir shops along Avenida de la Revolución, nice restaurants, cheap pottery that Lowes and Home Depot mark up 400% on the US side of the border.

Things really changed after the towers came down.

[left-of-center2012]

2. Agreed

I lived in San Diego much of 1976 -2002 and went to Tijuana frequently in the daytime,
often to the pharmacies as I had no insurance at the time.

Took the trolly to the border and walked in or took the Mexican bus for $1 or $2.

I would often get away from the 'tourist area' and just wander about on foot.
Never had a problem.
Well, in the early years, hordes of children begging for money, 'selling' chewing gum.

[Beakybird]

3. Going to the original website, it looks like the numbers come from a goup with an agenda

I don't fully trust the numbers even though we know that Mexico has a lot of violence.