Homelessness And Public Safety In Los Cabos: Recent Incident Raises Questions

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Last Updated 6 months ago

The hot beach resort destination of Los Cabos is the playground of luxury travelers in Baja California Sur.

However, among the sun, sand, and surf that the tourists enjoy is a darker social challenge side of Los Cabos that many tourists in the hotel zone now have to see right up front during their vacation getaway.

Homelessness in Los Cabos

Like most large cities in the United States, there are a percentage of residents in Los Cabos that face housing challenges.

For example, it’s hard to walk around downtown San Francisco these days without encountering the homeless population.

However, most travelers to Los Cabos have been relatively isolated from interacting with the homeless population while walking in the main tourist areas of the city.

Recently, more and more homeless have been making their way to the tourist zone in search of travelers spending $500 per night, and more, to panhandle.

Becoming a Public Safety Concern

According to reports, some of the homeless have become aggressive with visitors in the tourist zone of Los Cabos, especially after dark.

They are verbally assaulting travelers with graphic slurs and acting aggressively in trying to get money from travelers.

It has caused a public safety concern with travelers who have remarked they don’t want to enjoy an evening stroll in the tourist corridor of Los Cabos due to the potential risk of being assaulted by an aggressive homeless person.

This has become a significant issue in the Plaza Marlin area of the Centro of Cabo San Lucas between Lázaro Cárdenas and José María Morelos Avenues.

In this area, a group of homeless have been reported as passing alcohol between them in bottles or jugs and verbally accosting tourists and locals in the area.

Recent Attack Worries Tourists

Late last month, an alleged tourist was attacked by a homeless person in the Centro of Cabo San Lucas in what was seen as an unprovoked attack.

It was later determined that the person struck by the homeless individual was a local, however the fact that it took place in a tourist area of town has put travelers on edge.

The homeless person was finally subdued by several local bystanders who jumped into action to defend the victim.

It was not the first time that this aggressor had attacked a random individual unprovoked. It was also not the first time this type of attack had occurred in the tourist zone of Los Cabos.

Police arrested the homeless person accused of the attack and booked him into the municipal jail. Because there were no significant injuries to the victim, the homeless individual was held for 72 hours and released due to no charges being filed.

Municipal Police Increase Patrols

Concerned about the risk to tourists and locals, along with the perceptions this type of activity could have on tourism, municipal police have stepped up patrols in the area for the safety and security of visitors.

There have been no additional issues or incidents reported since the increase in law enforcement patrols took effect.

What Travelers Need to Know

The increase in the homeless population in Los Cabos is sad and unfortunate.

Travelers giving them money is actually making the problem bigger and more visible in the tourist zone.

This is leading to verbal assaults and aggressive behavior in getting money for visitors.

Los Cabos officials and law enforcement are working together to find a solution to the issue that helps homeless individuals and provides safety and security for travelers.

The issue is many homeless face mental illness challenges more than lack of housing issues, and this need takes time and funds to address.

Until then, travelers should avoid engaging with homeless people in the tourist zone for their own safety and security.