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The ex-pats living in Acapulco, Mexico will tell you that Acapulco is safe as can be. There is even a hashtag campaign going on - #acasafeasuck. I would like to see it changed to #acasafeasfuckfortouristsandamericans.
The truth is, if you are an American or a tourist in the Costera area, Acapulco is quite safe. But for business owners and locals, especially those living in the poorer areas of town, it is not safe and is in fact one of the most dangerous places in the world which consistently has the highest murder rate in all of Mexico.
Ex-pats and anarchist tourists do videos about how safe it is but their videos are filmed from the ultra luxurious Princess Hotel or while walking in a neighborhood that is guarded by private security with machine guns.
I have been in Acapulco for 3 weeks now and I have not felt unsafe at all. I am living in a walled off condo and in the tourist dense Costa Azul. I want to share to those listening that we can't discount the terror being experienced by the locals as we tout our "tourist privilege" online.
In this video I talk about the freedom Acapulco affords, the inequality present between upper income families and tourists and the rest of the locals in Acapulco, and I also talk about some recent violence that has occurred in the drug war here in Mexico.
NOTE: the video cuts out towards the end.
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So great to see so many folks reactivating from the convention this year! Definitely one of the most inspiring events we've ever attended. So many good people making lasting connections. Steem on John!
Thanks Bruce, its been good seeing you! The conference and Anarchaforko especially got me excited about Steem again for sure. Thanks for following my work.
It's actually @johnnyhurley on the keyboard at the moment.. We met briefly at the conference and we chatted a bit back in 2015 at Free Your Mind in Philly. @bruceb did mention how excited he was to interview you and I know he's working to get the footage off his not-so-smartphone!
Again I appreciate your in depth analysis here. I asked the same question everywhere I went, "is your city safe to live in?" And I began to wonder if they were being completely honest with me when they said yes because they know that the reports of violence are detrimental to their tourist economy. I did go with my friend @dannyquest on tour of the city away from "disneyland" to see the real city, and we told our tour guide to take us to the poorest parts of the city. The few people we talked to did say they felt safe to walk the streets alone and at night, but we did not reference the news stories against the testimony like you did here. He did point down into one area that he said he would not take us to because he could not guarantee our safety. Seemingly no different than any other densely populated city in the world though; there are places you just don't go into if you're not from there and don't want trouble, that's pretty normal I think. And the places we went were very poor, but the streets were lively, children were playing, people were selling in their little markets, and we were well received. Then again, everybody knows the value of reputation and how to keep up appearances.
Thanks again for your research and insight! Can't wait to see you down there next year!
Here's our short impromptu video if you wanna check it out
https://steemit.com/acapulco/@dannyquest/fmxvt2lq
Ill definitely check it out! Thanks for making that video and getting out there and doing some solid journalism. Boom!