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What is a "dangerous" travel destination? {Gadling}
Jan 9th 2009 11:34PM these are the murder rates of American cities featured in one of the otherwise excellent reports I postend, compared to Medellin for the previous year the 2006 report said (2005). The US numbers arenot correct.
Medellin with 3,266,636 residents had 1,161 murders / 36 per 100,000
Baltimore with 2,659,312 residents had 338 murders / 12 per 100,000
Detroit with 4,496,826 residents had 440 murders / 9 per 100,000
Washington with 5,187,049 residents had 431 murders / 8 per 100,000
Atlanta with 4,837,981 residents had 334 murders / 6 per 100,000
http://www.nationmaster.com/static/cccr2005.pdf
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/data/table_06.html
What is a "dangerous" travel destination? {Gadling}
Jan 8th 2009 7:38AM American cities are not anywhere as dangerous as South African or Colombian cities, more comments which just sound like absolute, random rubbish. There is no comparison. See it's fashionable for some unknown reason to criticize the US for crime while not more dangerous places. 'I felt safer in the Congo thatn the US' blah blah heard it all before. South Africa is normally overhyped, certainly compared to Colombia but not the US which really isn't a violent place at all.
I believe the guy also made a point that he was excluding war zones that don't keep count of bodies so his list wasn't that bad apart from Medellin's out of date numbers.
Mike, living somewhere is different from going on holiday under controlled condoitions. Maybe you could pay one of the big city graveyards in Colombia a visit and make a note of how many were murdered during your time there if you give them the dates? You give the amazing impression that no murders, not a single murder would've taken place when you wnet. You went to one of the safest parts as well.
I've been to Medellin four times. I never saw any crime (because I tend to stay in nice areas probably) apart from hearing at times very considerable and disturbing levels of gunfire in the distant hillside th slums - nothing like a city with a paltry violence problem such as Chicago. This was in the mid 90's and early 00's. When I visited again in 06 it had calmed down massively and I never heard anything, thanks mainly to right wing militia who have been given a green light to rid the city of neighbourhood bandits.
It's a two-sided coin, think about that and please read my links which are serious scientific analyses not tourist advertisements like some people have been posting. Read them as well if you want but their hardly balanced.
Medellin is safe to visit but it's a big city with nice and bad areas like every big city, chances are you're not going to go to the barrios are you?
Mexico City is more dangerous than most US cities - not safer. Another factoid attacking US crime, ho hum.
http://www.iammyownreporter.com/fromtheandes.htm
A nakedly honest and fair portrayeal of Medellin. Scroll down about a third.
What is a "dangerous" travel destination? {Gadling}
Jan 7th 2009 9:31PM Okay let's calm down. When I see people playing with security situations I get angry.
Out of curiosity Brenda, what Comunas or districts did you visit? Give me the names or numbers.
There almost seems to be an unwritten rule that you canb butcher cities like Chicago for crime and are slaughtered if you say anythning bad about Medellin now, even if you're talking factually. Call me an idiot but I do find that just a little bit weird. For unbiased folks overcome by the whiff of political bullshine from Brenda and 'Good Times in Medellin' :
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2007/data/table_08_il.html (note: about 16 per 100,000)
http://www.medellin.gov.co/irj/go/km/docs/EstadisticasGobierno/tasa872008.pdf
Paramilitary influence on Medellin's cerime:
http://www.ciponline.org/colombia/blog/archives/000296.htm
Btw, Medellin is still more dangerous than those American areas, they're using dodgy statistics.
How dare people try and cover up murders In Medellin and bring Chicago into this. Do not besmirch a safer city like that.
What is a "dangerous" travel destination? {Gadling}
Jan 7th 2009 9:10PM Good Times in Medellin, nice spin and a slur on Chicago. Medellinis, in fact, FAR more dangerous than Chicago. The stats say that and I've been to both cities. Hearuing full blown machine gunfire popping about in the hills around is something you don't hear Chicago. How the hell you make Chicago more dangerous is beyond me it isn't even dangerous!
What is a "dangerous" travel destination? {Gadling}
Jan 6th 2009 7:32PM Brenda, curious statements about Colombia. Do you not denty it still has one of the highest levels of recorded murder in the world? Does your slightly over-optimistic-sounding experience mean it' is as safe as anywhere? Does your 'opinion' really count?
The dark reason for Medellin becoming so much safer is because right wing death squads have been legalised and have cleaned up the city, freeing it from the jobless thugs who were responsibnle for most of the anarchy.
