Safety Situation in MTY

Before arriving in Mexico I was aware of drug cartels and violence, but I just assumed it would be somwhere else, it would not affect me.

Last semester two Tec students were shot in crossfire out the front of the University.

So by the time I arrived, the situation was worse than I had expected.

My third day in Monterrey I went to a information session hosted by the University about 'safety issues in Monterrey'. Some recommendations included not walking in the streets at night, not carrying your laptop with you, only taking secure taxis, always letting someone know where you are and when you will be coming home. Jokingly someone asked where you can buy bullet-proof vests. The speaker jokingly replied 'the shop just across the road'.

A month later, there was a shooting a few blocks from the campus. The recommendations became don't walk alone ever, don't go out on weekends, and don't give bribes to police officers. People seriously asked about the bullet-proof vests.
One class was cancelled and instead our teacher gave a lecture on "what to do if you get caught in a shooting". In case you're wondering the best is to lie down behind a car or building. DO NOT RUN!

Soon, we were getting regular updates from the head of the international office. They usually went something like 'over the weekend Tec students were involved in an incident involving drug cartles or 'last night, some of our students reported being arrested by police for no reasn and forced to pay X pesos to be released'.
At the same time, rumours were rife. "Oh did you hear John and Sandra were held up last night by some narcos ad they had to give them all their money".
"Hey did you know the police took Tim last night for just standing out the front of his house."
"What about the house where the French guys live, apparently they got robbed when they were all home. They took everything".

Soon after, students started leaving. Embassies, home universities and parents became frantic about how it would reflect upon them if something happened to their citizen, student or child. And Tec obliged, even more worried about their reputation if something should happen to one of their exchange students, letting students return home, change campus or just go travelling.

The Australian government travel site increased it's travel warning to high degree of caution and added a whole paragraph about Monterrey.

There has been a wave of drug-related violence in 2010 in the city of Monterrey (Nuevo Leon). Shootouts at busy intersections and restaurants, as well as road blockades, have taken place without warning. Gunfire has been heard around the city at irregular intervals which has been attributed to territorial disputes between rival drug cartels. Local government officials located in smaller towns outside of Monterrey, who have attempted to stop corruption, have been fatally targeted by the drug cartels.

And then came the CNN report. http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2010/11/18/gutierrez.mexico.univ.exodus.cnn Apparently Monterrey is a 'battleground for warring cartels'.

The situation is unpleasant, and for sure it is getting worse. Five years ago Monterrey was called the safest city in Mexico. By now it's near the worst.
It's proximity to the border, its wealth and it's size all contribute to the drug problem. At the moment no one is sure how to control the situation. The narcos control most of the mayors offices as well as the police force.
So while I get to leave next week and look back on the semester as a unique experience, my Mexican friends, other exchange students and Monterrey residents have to live with this danger daily.