Paris warning

[dmanthree]

<p>OK, this may be my last post, but when comparing crime stats, using Chicago is a really bad example. Gun ownership is illegal in Chicago. And yet, for some reason, they have a high murder rate. Go figure. Disarm the honest people, and what happened? However, no arguments as to the violent crime problem in the US; it's serious. But I still feel US cities are relatively safe as I walked the streets of NYC, Boston, and a few others over the past two years many, many times at night with no issues.</p>

<p>As for petty crime, I have yet to see any US city that's as bad as Paris when it comes to pickpockets and street crime. This isn't a US vs the world issue, just an observation that's fully supported by news stories from a wide variety of sources. I don't recall any museums or tourist attractions that have closed due to the problem, much less posted large warning signs about them. Also, my son spent a week in London and there was NO such problem. Quite the opposite. When one of their group accidentally dropped a wallet a total stranger picked it up, read the name on the license inside, and shouted the name to make sure the owner got the wallet back. His experience, and that of the others in the group of 30 was excellent in London. Paris, well, the school that conducted the tour has given up and taken Paris off their list. After the trouble this year, they've had it.</p>

[dan_south]

<p>Sidebar: Violent crime in the Americas is a complex problem. Much of it is caused by battles between gangs involved in the illegal drug trade. </p>

<p>The Second Amendment has no impact on the laws of Mexico or Honduras (the country with the world's worst murder rate). So on one hand, it's a red herring. On the other hand, many of the firearms used by gangs throughout the Americas were purchased legally at US gun dealers and then resold. </p>

<p>Resolution would require changes to both drug laws and gun laws as well as economic reform and widespread modification of attitudes toward violence. Such change tends to encounter significant political resistance in the USA. Only a massive grass roots movement will be able to unlock the current political stalemate in Washington. </p>

 

[dmanthree]

<p>Dan, although we're very off topic here, I couldn't agree more. Violent crime is a huge and very complex, and simply shouting "outlaw guns" solves nothing.</p>

<p>As far as DC goes, well, it's embarrassing, regardless of which side of the aisle you're on. Better to end this thread in agreement, no?</p>

[steve_mareno1]

<p>I agree, using one of the most violent cities in the US isn't really valid. How many people were murdered in Oxford, Mississippi? Or Vero Beach, Florida? Big cities everywhere have big problems. Guns are not the problem in the US. Uneducated, violent desperate people are the problem. Broken homes, a broken economy (lots of outsourcing and incompetent, dishonest politicians), a media that is violent and dumbed down, a capitalistic system that essentially uses people up, age discrimination, racism, drug addiction, etc. There are a lot of things to point a finger at. My gun just sits here. It kills no one. But if someone breaks into my home and threatens my family, then that's what it's for. All I need is a rock or a kitchen knife really, but by that time it's probably too late.</p>

<p>This is a real heads up reading this, as I always assumed that the US was where the real danger existed. Except for Mexico. I wouldn't go there on a bet. Totally out of control. Or Haiti. Or a lot of other places actually, when I think about it. If you live in a small American town it may be boring, but it isn't particularly unsafe.</p>

<p>I've been a victim of crime several times, and a lot of it happened in Washington, D.C. The people that did it were black, the people in Paris apparently are Gypsies. Desperate people do desperate things, and as long as they are discriminated against and marginalized, you get cause and effect.</p>

[James G. Dainis]

This is a travel forum so I imagine that people here are concerned with dangers or problems involved when going to different countries. If people go to Paris they want to visit the Louvre, Eiffel tower and other tourist spots to take photos and enjoy a different culture. It is a pity that crime at those locations is bad. Those warnings are valid. I have my doubts that many people here want to go to Chicago to sell drugs on the street, wear their gang colors onto another gangs turf and go around in poor and dangerous neighborhoods dissing angry young gangstas or stirring up domestic violence.

[neal_addy]

<p>We just returned from Paris a week ago and had no trouble at all. Perhaps going the week after the Louvre shut down for a day in protest was a good thing. Pickpocket activity may have consequently been low. <br>

<br />In preparation I did carry cash, cards, and our passports in a money belt. Cameras, iPad, etc were carried in a Maxpedition sling (Remora) that would have been very difficult to snatch from me without a physical struggle. The walking stick I carried may have discouraged that. Despite embedding myself in the crowd in front of the Mona Lisa I was somewhat disappointed that the empty wallet I carried in my back pocket came home with me. </p>

[andrew_gardiner]

<blockquote>

<p>Just a warning, if you're going to Paris, be aware of the rampant pickpockets and thieves</p>

</blockquote>

<p>On reflection I can see and perfectly understand that you are worrying about your son thousands of miles away in a foreign country David, but to be painfully blunt I think you're being a bit of a big girl's blouse about the situation. Paris has always had it's rough sides, you only have to walk a few metres from the Gare Du Nord to see it but honestly, pull yourself together man- it's Paris! It's also charming and beautiful too, he'll have had a great time...really.</p>

[starshooter]

<p>Yeah but in Chicago murder is considered a sport. Everybody it seems is tryin' to beat Big Al Capone's record on Valentine's Day no less.</p>

[dmanthree]

<p>Sorry, Andrew, no "girl's blouse" here. See here for another opinion from the girl's blouses who shut down the Louvre. I guess they did this for no good reason, right?</p>

<p><a href="http://theweek.com/article/index/242633/how-a-gang-of-pickpockets-shut-down-the-louvre">http://theweek.com/article/index/242633/how-a-gang-of-pickpockets-shut-down-the-louvre</a></p>

<p>Seriously, whether or not you admit it, it's a real problem in Paris.</p>

[dan_south]

<p>It would be interesting to correlate these widely disparate opinions about Paris with the amount of time people have actually spent there. </p>

<p>I have a hard time believing that a group of thirty young tourists actually witnessed two armed robberies within a week. Those must have been some brazen robbers (or incredibly stupid) to pull out weapons in front of such a large audience. Were the kids questioned by police officers? Do they have a date to return to France to testify in court? It all sounds a little fishy.</p>

<p>I have lived in and/or worked in New York City for nearly two decades, and I have NEVER witnessed an armed robbery. I have been to Paris eight or ten times over the year, and I have never witnessed a violent crime, and none of my travel companions ever had a pocket picked or a purse snatched. I think these kids might be exaggerating a tad.</p>

[andrew_gardiner]

<p>David, I wouldn't be at all surprised if there weren't a few big girl's blouses at the Louvre, just as there are endless media organisations that like to get their knickers in a twist reporting hysteria. My advice to you is to stop spending hours trawling the internet for scurrilous stories to substantiate your fears and go there yourself and have a great time. Bon Voyage!</p>

[dmanthree]

<p>Andrew, you are sadly mistaken. I didn't troll the internet looking for stories until I heard from my son and the rest of the people in his group. I had no idea this problem existed. And as far as being overly concerned, well, I'm not and wasn't. My son is very capable of taking care of himself. You can deny all you want. It's a real problem over there. </p>

<p>When was your last trip to Paris?</p>