In February of 2008, American tourist Eddie Maco Campbells (37, Oakland, California) was killed after a brawl at "The Vibe" nightclub in Isla Verde, Puerto Rico; as reported by police officers Roberto Ramos and Amarilis Calderon.
Campbells and two friends were involved in a fight inside the bar. After being asked to leave by Vibe management, someone outside walked up and executed him in what sounds like gangland style.
Now - it is important to note that harm to tourists in Puerto Rico is apparently a rare event, and it would be challenging to find much evidence of it on the Web. But what Government and (specifically) Tourism officials in Puerto Rico should be aware is that crime (particularly the "murder rate") *is* actively scaring away tourists from the island.
With the highest crime rate in all of the United States (or Semi States) of America, I think tourists have the right to be at least concerned/alarmed even if the statistics of violence towards tourists do not seem to indicate any significant risk.
This blog alone gets significant traffic for searches related to Puerto Rico's crime & murder rate. Now consider some of the statements made by individuals (both inside & outside Puerto Rico) on one online forum:
Puerto Rico sounds great in many ways. Then I read in Frommers about safety issues.
The Insider: People are doing their research before they travel. And the Web is even more powerful and more accessible than mainstream travel guides such as Frommers.
And I would definitely stay off the beaches after dark
The Insider: And, from personal experience, I would say don't leave anything unattended on the beach during the day.
we looked at the statistics and recently passed on a trip there [Puerto Rico] primarily for this reason
The Insider: I can understand these concerns, yet the murder rate is only one of several possible issues keeping tourists away. The poster then linked to Puerto Rico gang info.
In Isla Verde most condos and resorts are fortified...limited access, razor wire, locked gates, guards, cameras etc.
The Insider: Secure, yes, but all that razor wire and bars covering the face of homes and businesses throughout Puerto Rico is not sending a great message. People do not think about the "security". They think about the "threat that makes it necessary".
There hasn't been a tourist killed here since the 50's. Having said that I'm not taking a jog on the beach at 2am in San Juan
The Insider: As of February 2008, there has.
I once spoke to a San Juan police officer who told me the gangs and dealers know better than to do anything in the tourism areas. I believed this to mean there is an unspoken (at least not publicly) rule that police have zero tolerance for drug trafficking and gang activity in those areas (for good reason). It might be argued that they should have "zero tolerance" everywhere on the island, but we know that in reality this is logistically impossible.
This is not to say the situation cannot be improved, because it absolutely has to change.
Now - if any of you suggest "This is no big deal. Places like Mexico and Columbia have risks and people still visit there", I would ask:
Is this really the standard Puerto Rico should be held to? Is there is no other differentiating factor that can be found?
We need a solution to reduce gang/drug activity and reduce the murder rate. The solution cannot be "filing homicides as accidental deaths" to understate the statistics. Note: I am NOT suggesting this happens here and I am NOT advocating it. I am only raising it as a possibility that it *could* conceivably be thought of in times of desperation (in Puerto Rico or elsewhere in the world).
What is the solution?
- More police?
- Better police training?
- Using technology for better Intel, investigation, & case processing?
- Applying for a lease to Guantanamo after Barack vacates it?
Note: Although this murder occurred outside of Vibe night club, it is important to note that they do have a policy against gun possession, fighting, and drugs within the club... of course. The killing also did not occur inside the club, although the earlier fight did. They have an image on their mySpace page that emphasizes no guns, drugs, or fighting. So they have covered their legal aspects so to speak.
The Insider
Resources:
