I would bail out. That's just to close to home for me to expose my wife and kitties to.

I would go. I'd be freaked out as hell, but I would go.

I'm with arse_hat. Whether you're alone or have a companion is irrelevant.

Maybe you can transfer to the Cancun office? But yeah, I'd bail. And: Mexico is an amazing country with so much to offer and this isn't how you want to remember it in a few years.

WTF.

I'd not be going. Important part of my job? I'd be getting a different job.

I'm not familiar with Satillo, but, my take on this is, if this is a regular event in that town, why would you continue to go there? On the other hand, people still go to New York, even after 9/11, because that was an isolated event.

There is the potential for violence everywhere, there was a gang shooting close to where I work, in the states, last week, I'm still going to work, if it were to happen again, I would start to reconsider being in that location.

My job is so not worth dying for.

I would not travel through areas in Mexico where drug cartels are shooting it out. They don't care about you. They aren't going to hold their fire and say, "Oh wait, Twiggy isn't alone, she's got Steve and Rosemary from Marketing with her, let's pause while they get to the office".

I guess you have to decide how important your work is and how far you're willing to stick your neck out for this company. In any case I am glad you weren't there and hope you stay safe.

For me it would depend on the job itself. Providing humanitarian services? Yeah, I'd probably keep going. Sales? Not so much.

Whether you're alone or have a companion is irrelevant.

Having companions might help you avoid sort of crime where you yourself are the target -- street harassment, muggings, etc.

The good news is that you are not a target in these sorts of shootings and, in all likelihood, never will be. The bad news is that if you find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time, you could wind up just as dead as the intended victim.

The violence there appears to be getting worse. The police are powerless. If my visit there meant that lives would be saved, there would be world peace, global climate change would be controlled, I'd consider visiting. If it was just part of my company making money, not a chance.

Time to revamp your emloyment contract. Consider hazard pay, injury bonuses, more say about when and how to clear out if needed, a promotion now, a promotion at the end of the contracted period, and the option to renegotiate the contract after six months (variable). Google around for employment contracts. You should find something relevant.

These are resume-building positions and you should leverage your own situation to your advantage.

This is big time Zetas territory. The Zetas started out as the sicarios (a word with an interesting history) for CDG (Cartel de Golfo), and are some seriously violent and ruthless mofos. I'm not by nature an alarmist, nor particularly easily scared by situations that are inherently dangerous when I know how to mitigate the danger to an appreciable extent. I'll spare you the constant stream of really graphic and gut-wrenching stories about mass graves, cases of dismemberment, and otherwise fucking hair-raising shit coming out of Coahuila, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosi states on the Zs, but suffice it to stay that being there alone or with others is incidental to the situation. I'm not going to say that you're in danger, because that would imply some measure of willful intent to do you (or others like you) harm. The fact is, it's not that predictable because the Zetas will kill anyone, just to show they can.

Sorry, that's more than you likely wanted, but there it is.

I wouldn't go back. But it wasn't that long ago someone was shot and bled to death right across the street from where I live. And I posted to Metachat.

With all due respect, you're probably more likely to be injured in a car accident on the local freeway than you are in a cartel shooting in Mexico.

I read an article where the author made a big deal about being near a shooting in Juarez in 1996 and he described how, even then, people in El Paso feared visiting and this was a regular topic of conversation among Americans. I looked up the murder rate for Juarez in 1996 and it was less than it was for Houston that year. (To be sure, it was a bad year for Houston and a much, much better year in 1996 than it has been in Juarez for the last three years.)

I'm not saying there's no risk. I'm not saying that the risk is negligible. I'm not even sure that the risk really is comparable to freeway driving. What I am sure of, however, is that a combination of factors cause people to greatly overestimate the risk; likely because there are numerous things involved which poke at common and easily provoked fears.

But your question has (it seems to me) almost as much to do with how your boyfriend (and perhaps others) feel about your visits as you do. I recall a few years ago when I was looking for an affordable apartment and most of what I found were deep in the barrio. I've lived comparable places and felt perfectly comfortable. But there was no question in my mind that my family, especially my mother, would have worried incessantly about it. I realized that the peace of mind of those who loved me was an important consideration.

Holy shit. Did I just see kmellis on MetaChat? Dude, long time no see!

(Hi!)

woah. Hi, kmellis!

When I said I wouldn't go back I was taking family into consideration. The mister would go absolutely batshit insane and say no no no. And I can't blame him for that, I'd do the same.



kmellis! It's wonderful to see that you've posted! Pull up a seat and tell us how you've been.

KMELLIS...it is awesome to see you here.

I would continue to go. However, I would also use this as the opportunity to say to the Powers That Be "Hey, Mexico has become increasingly unstable. It's an international issue and now it's on our doorstpe. How much sense does it make to be maintaining this office in this location at this time? In what ways is this company involved in international discussions on Mexican domestic security? What other options do we have?"

In other words, I see this more as an opportunity for a non-Mexican, North American (I assume) firm to consider its role in the deteriorating internal situation in Mexico. There's certainly a risk to doing business there that's greater than a risk to doing business even in the worst domestic environment in the US, because of the weakness of the internal police forces in Mexico. But I, personally, would not consider just not showing up as a reasonable response. I would take the matter up through formal channels and encourage the company to come up with some contingencies.

It's hard to get a job. I would go.

When my brother-in-law had to travel to the Philippines for work a few years ago, I believe he had to have a briefing and have a driver and whatnot because of the kidnapping fears. I don't know how often he goes to the Philippines now, but if he ever does go back, he's likely to be completely surrounded by our family which will hopefully dissuade potential kidnappers from taking him.

With respect to your job situation, I would totally ask for hazard pay. Also, how good is the job market for your position? Wouldn't hurt to look into this.

But I, personally, would not consider just not showing up as a reasonable response. I would take the matter up through formal channels and encourage the company to come up with some contingencies.
Yeah, this and everything else Miko said. In the end, it's part of your job, so you either do your job or find another one.