Several LGBTQ+ Chicagoans were among those caught up in violence in Puerto Vallarta following the assassination of Jalisco New Generation Cartel Leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes by the Mexican military on Feb. 22.
Violent incidents erupted throughout Mexico after the killing, which took place in Tapalpa, Jalisco.
Lake View residents Yoni Pizer and his husband Brad Lippitz, who own a condo in Puerto Vallarta, were going with two visiting friends for a whale watching excursion that morning, when their rental car was stopped by a man with a gun.
Pizer, who is U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley’s LGBTQ+ community liaison, and Lippitz, a real estate professional based in Lake View, have owned the condo for five years and were hosting six visitors that weekend. Puerto Vallarta is a popular destination for many LGBTQ+ Americans.
Pizer told Windy City Times that the group knew nothing about Oseguera Cervante’s killing prior to leaving the condo for their day trip.
“The young man came up to the driver’s side window where I was seated, banged on my window while pointing his gun at me and shouted in Spanish for all of us to get out of the car,” said Pizer. “They also forced people out of a nearby truck and used both vehicles to block the road. Then they threw something inside both vehicles which immediately exploded and caught on fire.”
Gunfire broke out. The group began running and Pizer was separated from Lippitz and one of their friends.
“I also saw the people with guns pull more people out of their cars and set [the vehicles] on fire as I was running,” Pizer added. “They also got onto a bus and begin shooting inside, not to hurt [the riders], but to get the riders off the bus. They put the bus in the middle of the road and set it on fire.”
A man driving nearby called for Pizer and his friend to get into his car, which they did. The driver took them to the center of town.
“My friend and I thanked the driver profusely and gave him some money,” Pizer said. “Then we ran to the beach and saw the columns of smoke not only where we were but also other neighborhoods. It was then when we realized this wasn’t a one off, but a terrorist attack.”
Pizer and his friend returned to Pizer’s condo, where they learned where Lippitz and the other friend had gone in the aftermath of the violence they experienced.
Lippitz and the friend were sheltering in an orphanage adjacent to a Catholic church about 2.5 miles away. The two friends stayed there for eight hours, when they deemed the situation safe enough to travel. The group reunited that evening and continued to shelter in place at the condo.
The next challenge was returning to Chicago after widespread disruptions to travel between Mexico and the U.S. following the violence. Pizer said he planned returning on a scheduled flight February 26. Two of the friends who were staying with them were already enroute to Chicago as of Feb. 23. The rest of their party will return to Chicago as flights became available.
On Feb. 22, Quigley called Pizer to check on him, Lippitz and the other Chicagoans who were in Puerto Vallarta. Pizer said Quigley “is very concerned about their safety and is doing everything he can to help people who want to return to the United States in the coming days.”
