Violence Across Mexico Is Not Just Another Republican Candidate's Lie Andres Oppenheimer - Miami Herald
go to original August 24, 2016

A forensic technician ties a used police line together to seal off a crime scene (Reuters)

Most of Donald Trump’s statements about Mexico are the product of ignorance, racism and demagoguery, but the Republican candidate would be delighted to read the latest headlines in this country.

According to the news splashed across the front pages, the Mexican Association of Mayors is requesting urgent help from President Enrique Peña Nieto to stop a wave of killings of city mayors. At least five city mayors have been killed so far this year, for a total of 56 over the past 10 years, news reports say.

The overwhelming majority of these crimes remain unsolved, in line with an overall pattern of impunity for all crimes that are committed in Mexico.

A study by the Center for Impunity and Justice Studies (CESIJ) of the University of the Americas in Puebla shows that Mexico has the second-highest impunity rate — after Philippines — in the world.

Only 7 percent of the crimes that take place in Mexico are reported to authorities, and less than 1 percent of all criminals end up in jail, the CESIJ’S newly released “Index of Impunity in Mexico 2016” says.

Most Mexicans don’t even report crimes because they think it’s a waste of time, and because they don’t trust the police, polls show.

An old Mexican joke says that “if you are mugged on the street, don’t scream, because you may attract the police!” Often, the police shake down crime victims, as well as criminals.

Read the rest at Miami Herald

Related: More Than 80 Mexico Mayors Murdered Since 2006 (Insight Crime)

Related: Mexico is Not a Failed State or a Threat, Despite What Trump Says (The Wall Street Journal)

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!