Protection money - Anyone pay before?

thanks for explaining

 

I have had this happen to me before too. I went to watch an Arsenal match at the old Manchester City stadium (Maine Road) which is in a very rough area of Manchester (Moss Side). We parked the car about quarter of a mile from the stadium and no sooner had we stepped out did a gang of young lads come over asking for £5 to 'watch the car' as apparently there are allot of 'little shits' around those parts (his words). I paid as I had heard the stories before!

On our return we walked back down the same street to the car; which was untouched. Unfortunately I don't think everyone had paid up as there was different cars with various amounts of damage (Broken wing mirrors and trivial things to smashed windscreens).

I wouldn't normally pay people like this but we had already parked and we were late and it obviously wasnt going to be an everyday thing.

 

I find it very hard to believe.

 

nobody has fucked with me in a while....

 

Working in Sicily back in 1999 - the family I was living with told me a story about some local thugs who demanded protection money from them, otherwise they would blow up their shop. I was actually quite surprised these things still went on down there (I come from London) - but it turns out it's all very common practice in the south of Italy... and still is.

On the plus side, when this happened they had a policeman staying with them and he sorted it all out - they didn't pay up but I'd say they were very, very lucky.

Still, reading that account of what goes on in Mexico on the previous page it doesn't seem so serious - Mexico sounds like one 'very' messed up country by all accounts.

 

Do you think the affair that is going on in Mexico is a fucking joke or what ?
Cause it aint. Since you have been here since 2005, just like quite a few of us, then you must understand, that XerdoPwerko has almost always been calm and polite in his remarks when it comes to different things, such as these incidents. I used to have a comment in my location, that I did not know his/her cousin in Aalborg, but XerdoPwerko, actually knew some one who has lived in that city, and well it was not XerdoPwerko´s cousin, it was a former classmate, and in his courtesy and all that, I felt he basically said to me, stop having so much joke stuff about your location and what not. Just state where you are from, and be cool with that.

 

I'm thinking you missread my sentence... I mean what happened in Mexico IS very serious (...compared to my experience in the south of Italy)

Sorry for any missunderstanding!!

 

Weird thing.

Yesterday, there was an article on the newspaper about protection money in Michoacán (that's one of the southern neighbours of the state of Jalisco - where I live) and it pretty much even lists the prices that organised crime requests to let businesses operate. The article even has a picture of a deserted mall - where the business owners were charged about 30,000 pesos a month (about 2,400 dollars - a big deal in Mexico, not so much in First World money, I think) to operate.

The article also stated that some street vendors are charged 100, 300, 3000 pesos (8, 24, 240 dollars) a month or they are "searched" by the police (who are in the business of organised crime, sadly) and have all their wares confiscated.

When I used to work downtown (I worked at a bridal shop as a teenager, froma age 16 to age 21 - we sold wedding and "quince años" gowns), some rich business owner started paying "coyotes" - people who scare customers away from your store and take them to the competition to stand right at the door of businesses who wouldn't pay the "coyote" fee. We almost went out of business because of that.
One day, one of our seamstresses (Her name was Leonor, but we called her "Leo", as she was very masculine) chased some of the coyotes away with her big wooden ruler.
I remember the shop being robbed several times (I scared a couple of fucking stupid kids with an industrial stapler one time), and being mugged by a junkie and harassed by really fucked up prostitutes.
Eventually, the owner of the "coyotes" did drive every bridal shop in the area out of business, and now he owns all of them.
(Yes, this store was in a VERY bad part of town - but it was also right in front of San Juan market: the capital of piracy, smuggled goods, and video-gaming commerce in Guadalajara)

Man, and I should tell you guys about the Mafia-like qualities of video-game businesses in Guadalajara in the 90s and early 2000s. I get nostalgic just thinking about it.

 

I would just say "Forget about it"

 

It was an issue until I got married. The wife quit making me where condoms then.

 

I see what you did there. :110:

My ex just poked holes in them, unbeknownst to me. Should count as organised crime, in my opinion. :noooo:

 

Sad to say but I think the only way Mexico is going to get control of their drug and corruption problems is when the people finally have enough and start taking extra-judicial action. I think the system is too broken to be fixed any other way.

 

My thoughts exactly, good sir. Sadly, Organised Crime, the government and the Police are on the same side, and many times, they even the same people. And they have really big weapons. Fixing Mexico requires a revolution, but I wish, for once, that it could be a peaceful one. And for the looks of it, it's going to end up in a not-so-peaceful manner.

I would also say "Legalize Drugs" but that might start a flame war, so disregard it.