Guanajuato. Mexico: Barrio San Javier

I wrote about the crime in the barrio, San Javier, and on the street Alhondiga. Gringos, or at least more and more of them, are choosing to stay in this area's hotels. They walk downtown and back from these establishments. They have to traverse an area of the street heading downtown called "Dos Rios" which is the stomping ground of a gang call "Pollos Negros" or "Black Chickens."

Well, the Pollos Negros are up to their old tricks again of not only gang violence but this time with gun fire.

Check it out:

A young man fired shots out of bar

By: Ruth Elizarraraz / GUANAJUATO, Tuesday, July 13, 2010

The boy of 20 years, an alleged member of the band "The Black Chicken", was shot in the alley Atarjea. When leaving a bar in the Corn Exchange Street, a member of the band "The Black Chicken" was wounded with a firearm, a vehicle was damaged in the fighting, locals said they were tired of the assaults and fights increased from six months ago.

This location is just minutes from where we live.

In 2003, when we came to language school and moved here, this area was safe enough where we walked to our host family's home after a concert or movie and had no problems.

The amazing thing to me is that the major police station is just down the block from where this gang activity takes place and is worsening.

I reported just a few blogs ago that crime has gotten bad enough in GTO that even its own experts are calling the city, "no longer safe...", and I tend to agree with them.