Keeping Crime In Perspective - New Orleans 2.5 ++ times worse than Colombia

I just got back from my yearly trip to the USA, and i have to say Medellin is doing much better than a few USA cities i visited! New Orleans just published there latest murder stats , and its at 95 per 100,000. Some say its much higher than that because the city is fixing the number of actual residents because they want the crisis to look better than it really is!

Back on track, in Colombia the national murder rate was just posted in eltiempo.com and elcolombiano.com at 40 per 100,000 people. Though i know Colombia plays with their stats, i can tell you i feel much safer walking around El Poblado than i did walking around in New Orleans or Oakland California! I have had no problem as a blonde gringo walking in the middle of the night leaving clubs en Parque Lleras. Medellin is much safer than people believe.

Wether its the Mayor of New Orleans or the President of Colombia they all love playing with their stats. YES 2 DEVERSE EXAMPLES! You can't believe everything the government says. For example the president of Colombia, Uribe, had his top crime stats guy walk out because he did not feel comfortable with the way Uribe was playing with the numbers. He wants Colombia to look better, so i don't blame him.

The mayor of New Orleans, who really needs to get out of office, wants it to appear that 50% of the people didnt leave the city, so his crime stats are not really 10 times HIGHER THAN COLOMBIA! An old New Orleans restraunt i ate at reminded me of being in Colombia, because now they have to hire a cop to sit in his car out front during business hours to protect the business.

Disappearances dont count as murders, so OF COURSE THIS WOULD CHANGE THE NATIONAL MURDER RATE IN COLOMBIA! Let me add that this doesn't really affect the numbers in the nice neighborhoods. This is UNFORTUNATELY A PROBLEM in poor neighborhoods mostly outside big cities in Urban areas. Still a sad thing, but it should help any gringos relax that are visiting the big cities.

A new law was just passed in December that makes it a kidnapping if you are hijacked in a car and taken around to ATMS. This is a form of express kidnapping, but there was no way for the judges to give out tough penalties until december. A guy just got 45 years in prison in bogota for doing a paseo de millionario on a family leaving a clinic in bogota. So THINGS ARE CHANGING! I havent heard of too many people getting robbed in taxi's in medellin but it happens, however in bogota it was a huge problem.

Disappearances or kidnappings really dont target gringos here, unless your dumb enough to go out into the jungle, or into guerilla terroritory. HOWEVER ALL GRINGOS ARE STILL AFRAID OF THIS. ITS NOT A PROBLEM IN THE CITIES. 99% of kidnap victims are colombians.

Man i can go down the list of dangerous cities in the USA in no particular order, Memphis, Chicago, Los Angeles, Oakland California, Miami.... For now the big cities in Colombia have made a big turn around, but just like any big city you need to becareful and not do stupid things. For example don't take money out of an ATM down town at night, and keep an eye on your drinks at the bar, and who is serving your drink to you.

Sometimes i say why do i even try to convince ignorant people that Colombia is a more pleasant place to live! Colombians want tourism to go up, but im actually quite happy with paradise UNSPOILED!

Enough of this serious talk, time to go spend some time with my paisa girlfriend and enjoy life! DID I SAY MY BREAKFAST IS READY?

By Cali2005 on Mar 20, 2008, 09:10 in Friendly Talkzone.

Simon says on Mar 20, 2008, 09:39:

Woooohooooo Viva Colombia!!!

HERE'S SIMON!!!!

jack_jason says on Mar 20, 2008, 10:21:

Then, we are not good at doing anything! not even at being bad!

This is just spanglish, please do not correct me

MitchAlvarez says on Mar 20, 2008, 10:31:

que que? who is not good at anything?

jack_jason says on Mar 20, 2008, 12:04:

Huy Mitch, I did not know you were around here!. I was just being humble. off course we are good at doing so many things.

This is just spanglish, please do not correct me

CatGirl says on Mar 20, 2008, 14:26:

Looked around at the posts....this particular comment "DID I SAY MY BREAKFAST IS READY?" ...this brings memories

My comment has nothing to do with the crime comparisions - although I tend to agree with Rubito's comment.

Maybe its not WHERE you are (always exceptions to every rule) but rather WHO you are.
My ex and I lived this lifestyle here in the states in our home. Of course once you step outside it is different. "Home is where the heart is as they say."

They also say - "it's a messed up world out there"

Love and Time: the only two things that cannot be bought, but only spent

goin_south says on Mar 20, 2008, 23:32:

Oh, so... Cali2005... we see, you visited one of the Stellar Cities of the US of A: Nuevo Orleans... jajja.. nice comparison... what sort of standard is that you use for comparison??

BUT..... YOU DID... survive to tell about it, didn't ya?
jajja.. you punk.

y, un mil gracias.

goin_south says on Mar 20, 2008, 23:33:

you need to watch some Pistol Pete Maravich rewinds on youtube, just to get your head twisted

y, un mil gracias.

DodgerDogs says on Mar 20, 2008, 23:40:

GS: He can go duck hunting with Will Clark ( basaball) and Dick Cheney( vp ) in the Bayous.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.Martin Luther King:

goin_south says on Mar 21, 2008, 00:13:

and, Hokie Guyan.

y, un mil gracias.

lpdiver says on Mar 21, 2008, 05:11:

1.A big city is a big city; be it in Estados Unidos o Colombia. I frequent Bogota and New Orleans and find them very similar in many ways...what's your point?

2. There are two types of liars...Damned ones and statisticians.

t

"cook some rice!"

Chriscan says on Mar 21, 2008, 06:48:

It's time for Colombia to do even better. One thing that bothers me about being from Canada is that we tend to be smug because things are better than the u.s. Being so close to them is probably the main reason.
The u.s is one messed up country it's just the massive aomounts of cahs taht sometimes mask serious problems and mismanagement.
It's unfortunate that Colombia is copying a lot of american ideas, especially in health care.

Colombia has improved security but I think that things can get a lot better still.

How does the crime in Bogota compare to that of Oslo?

************* WARNING ************* my words often come from my ass