Appendix 2: The Letters

Ralph Steven Jones
925 Toppino Drive
Key West, FL 33040
EE.UU.

December 11, 2007

President Felipe Calderon
Mexico, D.F.
Republica Mexicana

Dear Mr. President:

I want to share with you an incident that seems to contradict what I have read about you and your public policy to clean up official corruption in Mexico.

On or about 3:30 a.m. on October 14, while driving through Minatitlan in Veracruz State on a trip through Mexico from the United States to Guatemala, I am lost.  I stop to look at the road map.  I walk to the front of the car to use the car’s headlights to read the map.

At this time a municipal police car stops behind me and two young police men come forward.  I walk toward them, thinking they could direct me to the street leading to the highway.  One officer speaks English and begins to ask me questions, standing in the dark so I can’t seem him.  What is your country?  Where did you come from?  Where are you going?  Why are you stopped here?  Etc., etc.

The other officer walks around my car with his flashlight.  He stops at the front and acts as if there is a problem.  “Amigo,” he says.  “Ven.”   We walk to the front of the car, where I had just been reading the map from the light of the headlights.  He is pointing at the right headlight.  Sure enough, it is not working.  “Mucho problema.”  How can this be?  It was working just a minute ago.

These two were good at deception.  The officer with the flashlight keeps walking around my car distracting me, looking inside for more problems.  The officer who speaks English starts telling me how much trouble I am in, how expensive the ticket and repairs will be.

He asks, “How much money do you have?”  I don’t answer this; instead, I ask how much will it cost to repair the light at this hour of the morning?  He insists, “How much money do you have?”

He finds out that I have a debit card and somehow knows that I can withdraw $3000 Mexican Pesos.  He escorts me to a bank ATM that is open all night and demands that I withdraw $3000 pesos.  He has the gun; I don’t.  I withdraw the money and he puts it in his pocket and points me toward the street out of town, toward Villa Hermosa, where I do not want to go.

At military check points throughout Mexico I have been hit upon many times for payoffs—bribes.  I’ve always refused.  This is the first time that I have paid because I felt my life was in danger. 

My hope in writing this letter is that you will be persuaded to demonstrate a more proactive response at eliminating this kind of corruption—extortion by public officials.  Also, it would be nice to get my money back, $300 in American money.

I plan to share this story with my legislative representatives in Washington, D.C. as soon as I get back to the United States.  Also, in January I will post this on my web site www.paul-jones.org/Sailor/index.htm.  Here I hope that thousands of readers will find this story a significant warning about visiting Mexico.

Sincerely,

Ralph Steven Jones
001 305 296-2304 (home)
001 305 294-3525 (work)
siriusii@hotmail.com

Ralph Steven Jones
925 Toppino Drive
Key West, FL 33040
EE.UU.

December 21, 2007

Municipal Presidente de Minatitlan
Palacio de Presidente
Minatitlan, Veracruz.
Republica Mexicana

Dear Mr. President:

I want to share with you an incident that seems to contradict what I have read about the reforms that President Felipe Calderon supports to clean up official corruption in Mexico.

On or about 3:30 a.m. on October 14, while driving through your city on a trip through Mexico from the United States to Guatemala, I am lost.  I stop to look at the road map.  I walk to the front of the car to use the car’s headlights to read the map.

At this time a municipal police car stops behind me and two young police men come forward.  I walk toward them, thinking they could direct me to the street leading to the highway.  One officer speaks English and begins to ask me questions, standing in the dark so I can’t seem him.  What is your country?  Where did you come from?  Where are you going?  Why are you stopped here?  Etc., etc.

The other officer walks around my car with his flashlight.  He stops at the front and acts as if there is a problem.  “Amigo,” he says.  “Ven.”   We walk to the front of the car, where I had just been reading the map from the light of the headlights.  He is pointing at the right headlight.  Sure enough, it is not working.  “Mucho problema.”  How can this be?  It was working just a minute ago.

These two were good at deception.  The officer with the flashlight keeps walking around my car distracting me, looking inside for more problems.  The officer who speaks English starts telling me how much trouble I am in, how expensive the ticket and repairs will be.

He asks, “How much money do you have?”  I don’t answer this question; instead, I ask how much will it cost to repair the light at this hour of the morning?  He insists, “How much money do you have?”

He finds out that I have a debit card and somehow knows that I can withdraw $3000 Mexican Pesos.  He escorts me to a 24-hour bank ATM and demands that I withdraw $3000 pesos.  He has the gun; I don’t.  I withdraw the money and he puts it in his pocket like a common thief.  A thug wearing the uniform of your police department.  He then points me toward the street out of town, toward Villa Hermosa, where I do not want to go.

At military check points throughout Mexico I have been hit upon many times for payoffs—bribes.  I’ve always refused.  This is the first time that I have paid.  Here I felt my life was in danger. 

My hope in writing this letter is that you will be persuaded to demonstrate a more proactive response at eliminating this kind of corruption—extortion by public officials.  Also, it would be nice to get my money back, $300 in American money.

I plan to share this story with President Felipe Calderon.  Also, I will send copies to the United States ambassador to Mexico and to my legislative representatives in Washington, D.C. as soon as I get back to the United States.  In January I will post this on my web site www.paul-jones.org/Sailor/index.htm.  Here I hope that thousands of readers will find this story a significant warning about visiting your city and maybe all of Mexico.

Sincerely,

Ralph Steven Jones
925 Toppino Drive
Key West, FL 33040
EE.UU.

December 21, 2007

Presidente de Estado Vercruz
Palacio de Estado
Veracruz, Veracruz.
Republica Mexicana

Dear Mr. President:

I want to share with you an incident that seems to contradict what I have read about the reforms that President Felipe Calderon supports to clean up official corruption in Mexico.

On or about 3:30 a.m. on October 14, while driving through your state on a trip through Mexico from the United States to Guatemala. In the city of Minatitlan, I am lost.  I stop to look at the road map.  I walk to the front of the car to use the car’s headlights to read the map.

At this time a municipal police car stops behind me and two young police men come forward.  I walk toward them, thinking they could direct me to the street leading to the highway.  One officer speaks English and begins to ask me questions, standing in the dark so I can’t seem him.  What is your country?  Where did you come from?  Where are you going?  Why are you stopped here?  Etc., etc.

The other officer walks around my car with his flashlight.  He stops at the front and acts as if there is a problem.  “Amigo,” he says.  “Ven.”   We walk to the front of the car, where I had just been reading the map from the light of the headlights.  He is pointing at the right headlight.  Sure enough, it is not working.  “Mucho problema.”  How can this be?  It was working just a minute ago.

These two were good at deception.  The officer with the flashlight keeps walking around my car distracting me, looking inside for more “problems.”  The officer who speaks English starts telling me how much trouble I am in, how expensive the ticket and repairs will be.

He asks, “How much money do you have?”  I don’t answer this question; instead, I ask how much will it cost to repair the light at this hour of the morning?  He insists, “How much money do you have?”

He finds out that I have a debit card and somehow knows that I can withdraw $3000 Mexican Pesos.  He escorts me to a 24-hour bank ATM and demands that I withdraw $3000 pesos.  He has the gun; I don’t.  I withdraw the money and he puts it in his pocket. Like a common thief.  A thug wearing the uniform of the police department of Minatitlan.  Gangsters.  He then points me toward the street out of town, toward Villa Hermosa, where I do not want to go.

At military check points throughout Mexico, including at least once in Estado de Veracruz, I have been hit upon many times for payoffs—bribes.  I’ve always refused.  This is the first time that I have paid.  Because I felt my life was in danger. 

My hope in writing this letter is that you will be persuaded to demonstrate a more proactive response at eliminating this kind of corruption—extortion by public officials.  Also, it would be nice to get my money back, $300 in American money.

I plan to share this story with President Felipe Calderon.  Also, I will send copies to the United States ambassador to Mexico and to my legislative representatives in Washington, D.C. as soon as I get back to the United States.  In January I will post this on my web site www.paul-jones.org/Sailor/index.htm.  Here I hope that thousands of readers will find this story a significant warning about visiting your city and maybe all of Mexico.

Sincerely,

Ralph Steven Jones
001 305 296-2304 (home)
001 305 294-3525 (work)
siriusii@hotmail.com