El consejo del Pi(n)che Gabacho - 23-nov-2007, 10:01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
During the last year, there has been an alarming increase in the incidence of Tijuana municipal police taking money from tourists under color of
authority. This behavior violates city ordinances, state penal codes, the federal constitution, and international treaties. This behavior is on the
rise because its victims do not, by and large, complain to the right people.
If a Tijuana cop takes your money from you, you're not likely to get it back. This is not just a Tijuana thing. Around the world, possession is nine
tenths of the law. If you really want to get your money back, you'd have to file a complaint with the Sindicatura and possibly also with the
Ministerio Público. The legal system in Mexico is very similar to the legal system in the U.S. You would need to identify your assailants beyond a
reasonable doubt -- by name, by badge number, by physical description, and identify them in real life. You would need to supply an accurate
description of the crime, its time, and its place. You would need to appear before authorities in Tijuana several times. You might need to appear in
court to give testimony and to be cross-examined.
But … if you don't do anything about your assault … more people will be assaulted, and in increasingly more brazen ways. If you wish to make your
future visits to Tijuana safer and more enjoyable, your most effective course of action is to mobilize the bureaucracy into taking preventive action.
Tourism is the single most important source of income for Tijuana and for Baja California. Tourism is the third most important source of income for
Mexico as a whole. Consequently, there are many governmental and non-governmental bodies whose mission it is to bring in the tourist dollars. When you
let these groups know of your assault, they will be able to compile the data they need to initiate "sting" operations against corrupt officials.
According to a member of the Sindicatura here in Tijuana, more than two hundred municipal police lost their jobs during the first half of 2007 as a
direct result of the complaints filed by their victims.
This is one of those cases where you can either be part of the problem or part of the solution. The world would be a better place if you were to try
to be part of the solution.
STEP ONE - THE ASSAULT
Many tourists believe that, so long as they travel by taxi, they will be safe from the corrupt members of the police force. Lately, however, there
have been corroborated reports of tourists being assaulted by policemen within a few hundred feet of the San Ysidro pedestrian border. Evidently you
can now get out of a taxi at the SENTRI turnaround and still get robbed by a pair of policemen.
Two things are vitally important: preserve as much evidence as possible and avoid escalating the situation. Try to remember what your assailants look
like, their names, badge numbers, insignias, and type of uniform. Make a note of the time and place of the assault and try to get contact information
from any willing witness. All this will help corroborate your story. Do not become combative with your assailants and do not speak to them in a
disrespectful manner: both of these behaviors are crimes that your assailants would just love for you to commit.
STEP TWO - FIRST ALERTS
There are closed-circuit video cameras throughout the touristed areas of Tijuana. Most are monitored by the municipal police department; some (like
those used by the Tijuana Duty Free store) are privately operated. All of this video can disappear if you don't let people know it's worth preserving.
Immediately after the assault, go to the closest public phone and dial 078. This is an emergency number used throughout Baja California for the
protection of tourists. It is said to be staffed around the clock with bilingual employees. Report the assault with as much detail as you can. You
will be speaking with the state's tourism secretariat, which employs licensed attorneys who can intercede on the behalf of any tourist who makes such
a request. If your closest phone is in the U.S., dial 1-888-775-2417.
The Tijuana Convention and Visitors Bureau also recommends that you call the local chief of police. The Bureau even gives out photocopies of his
business card. As of this writing (November 2007), the chief of the Zona Norte comandancia (which includes the border crossing) is Aurelio Martínez.
His office number is (011-52-664) 973-7000 extension 5587. His cell phone is 011-52-1-664-121-4939 (from U.S. phones) or 044-664-121-4939 (from
Mexican phones). His Nextel number is 152*164801*1.
STEP THREE - SPREAD THE WORD
Let the right people know you've been assaulted.
Writing rambling, angry accounts for the delectation of gringo Internet forums isn't going to help much. Writing concise, dispassionate accounts for
the people in Mexico whose job it is to promote tourism or capital investment -- yes, that will get the results we need. Especially if you end your
note with something along the lines of "By permitting rogue elements of the Tijuana police to trample the federal Constitution and to violate
internationally recognized human rights, all of Mexico is demeaned. In order to promote foreign investment and tourism in Mexico, please make Tijuana
safe for tourists by bringing these abusive policemen to justice."
http://www.sexytijuana.com/foro/showthread.php?t=315 |
