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Spilling the tea on Condesa's safety scare

Mariah Markus, Trump 2.0 & Art Week

Author

Rocio Lucero
January 31, 2025

We are baaack! 🙌🏽

And just like that, two months flew by. A dizzying number of things have happened since I last wrote to you, but on a personal level? I’ve been rewatching Sex and the City with adult eyes and wow, what a toxic pair Carrie & Big were. I’ve also been working a lot since my job promotion in November.

Above is mostly what I’ve been up to instead of writing this newsletter. Lately, I can’t help but wonder—am I girlbossing too close to the sun?

Oh. Sorry about that. I have Carrie’s column voice stuck in my head. It might take a couple of newsletters to recalibrate. But enough about me.

Today’s topic? A young American woman whose mental health struggles and violent outbursts sent shockwaves through Condesa, igniting debates over deportation, gentrification, and xenophobia.

If you would like to support CDMX iykyk, you can always fuel my caffeine habit with a US $5 coffee.

Let’s get to it. 

TOP STORY

The Curious Case of Mariah: Mental Illness, Violence & Gentrification in Condesa

Last year, a young American woman suffering from apparent mental illness became infamous in Mexico City's Condesa and Roma neighborhoods for her violent behavior. Reports described her spitting on pedestrians, stabbing a dog, and throwing rocks at strangers. Despite multiple arrests, she remained on the streets until she was ultimately deported in late December. But who was she, and how did she end up in Mexico?

Tell me more.

Mariah Markus, 33, was originally from Colorado and had a background in graphic design, computer science, and military service. Her LinkedIn profile painted an impressive picture—she had her own portfolio website, had studied computer science, and even served four years in the Colorado Air National Guard. Her page boasted over thirty honors and awards, including professional fighting titles.

But beyond her professional accomplishments, Mariah’s social media posts hinted at a much darker reality. Articles she wrote on LinkedIn and posts on Facebook detailed an abusive childhood and multiple suicide attempts. Then, in the fall of 2020, she stopped posting altogether.

What happened between then and her arrival in Mexico remains a mystery.

Let’s unpack this.

Mariah’s downward spiral became evident throughout last year. I first heard of her through a WhatsApp group I’m in, after she spat on a girl from the group. Soon, I learned she was considered dangerous—and had even stabbed a dog.

By October, concern over Mariah’s presence in the community reached a new level. A woman claiming to be a family friend joined a WhatsApp group called Police Report asking for information on her whereabouts. She urged members not to call the police, insisting that Mariah was ill and needed help. The messages were unsettling—screenshots shared with me revealed that Mariah’s family had been looking for her, but her father wouldn’t be able to come to Mexico to retrieve her for another month.

As more people shared their encounters with Mariah online, her case took on a viral quality. Some discussions framed her presence in Condesa as a gentrification issue, while others saw it as a public safety crisis.

Local politician Alessandra Rojo de la Vega, mayor of Cuauhtémoc, took notice. She used her social media platforms to gather firsthand accounts from affected residents, emphasizing the need for concrete evidence to support deportation efforts. The main challenge? Mariah had been detained multiple times before, only to be released due to a lack of formal complaints or sufficient evidence.

The pressure and social media mobilization worked. Within two days of the issue gaining widespread attention in community groups and social media, COPACO Hipódromo Condesa—a local civic organization—announced that Mariah had been deported back to the United States.

What does this mean?

At its core, Mariah’s story is about untreated mental illness—the devastating consequences of someone unraveling without support. But the fact that this all played out in Mexico adds another layer.

A recent article about her in an English-language publication took a strikingly sympathetic tone, subtly accusing Mexican residents of xenophobia for calling for her deportation. But would the same article have been written if she had terrorized the streets of Boulder, Colorado, instead of Condesa?

Would U.S. media extend the same compassion to a once-successful Mexican individual suffering a mental health crisis and committing violent acts in Trump’s America?

Judging by the article’s comment section, opinions are sharply divided.

⚔️ Trump 2.0 takes aim at Mexico with “America First” tariffs & policies 

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CULTURE & HAPPENINGS
ROCIO RECOMMENDS

If you love dramatic Mexican soap opera gifs as much as I do, you’ll appreciate this gem. During the pandemic, I stumbled upon a Funny or Die YouTube channel that became my binge-worthy escape. Their hilarious recap of the iconic (and completely bonkers) Teresa is pure gold. 

VIRAL VAULT

A special section of our newsletter for memes, reels and TikToks. Send your fave my way!

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