Thoughts?

Rob,

Thanks for your reply. I am not a tourist. I moved to Mexico in May and I am in Zihuatanejo until at least March.

I am not here to just to sling back drinks for a week. I want to learn more about Mexican culture, society and especially about the cartels. I don't want to scare people off either so I do understand why you may be frustrated by my post. I honestly wanted to hear from locals about what they think about the killings so I posted here looking for some answers.

I don't need to know if Zihuatanejo is safe. I already live here and get it. I'm looking for a more insider discussion. I should have made that clear.

Stacey

Thanks, Stacey. Forgive me. Got a bad head cold and I thought you were just making small talk.

There's a narco war going on for local turf. The CNG vs the GG. Not sure which side the mayor's on, but he recently commented that he's not worried about his personal safety because "he has friends". Local rumor has it his "friends" are in the narco trade, so maybe that explains why he washes his hands regarding public security. But then again there is never any shortage of rumors.

Personally I find it much more interesting what General Cienfuegos, head of the Secretaría de Defensa Nacional (Sedena) commented yesterday. He said the military should be returned to their quarters because they didn't study to be chasing criminals in the streets, which is what the president, the governors and the mayors all have them doing. He criticized the Secretaría de Gobernación (Segob) for not doing their job, i.e. making sure the states and municipalities have adequate resources and develop correct policies to provide public security. To my recollection no military chief has ever made such a comment publicly, and from what I gather most Mexicans are praising him for saying so. He went on to suggest that criminality isn't resolved with bullets but with laws and policies. Almost sounds like he's suggesting we need the legalization of stupidly banned recreational substances.

Seguridad en calles, “responsabilidad de Segob, no de Sedena; violencia no se resuelve a balazos”: Cienfuegos