Rio de Janeiro state plans to wall off slums

Financial Times ^ | 4/14/04 | Raymond Colitt

[playball0]

The government of Rio de Janeiro state yesterday proposed to build a wall around its sprawling favelas in an effort to help control rampant crime in the picture postcard city.

"The wall won't put an end to violence [in the slums] but if we don't contain it, it will destroy the [surrounding] forest, the economy of Rio de Janeiro and the lives of the city's residents," Luiz Paulo Conde, deputy governor, said on Monday.

The proposal comes after yet another wave of violence rocked parts of the city during the Easter holidays, shutting down commerce, and killing 10 people, including civilians, police and gang members.

More than 1,200 police officials on Monday occupied Rocinha and Vidigal, two slums in southern Rio de Janeiro, only a stone's throw from the city's famous beaches. Their patrols will seek to re-establish public order.

The unrest broke out when a rival gang on Friday sought to invade and occupy Rocinha, Latin America's largest shantytown, in an attempt to control the drug trade and steal cars.

The episode illustrates not only the power of drug traffickers in Rio but also the ineffectiveness of the police. Hidden TV cameras have repeatedly filmed police officials and prison guards turning a blind eye on drug traffickers and even taking bribes from them. Parts of Rocinha at the weekend resembled a battlefield.

Drug gangs armed with grenades and machine guns, fired relentlessly and local residents were caught in the crossfire.

One woman was killed late on Friday as she tried to break through a roadblock set up by gang members and one man was killed on his porch early on Monday by a stray bullet.

Several inhabitants abandoned the neighbourhood with their belongings.

"I can't stay here any more, the police are not in control," said one resident.

The military police, subordinate to the state governor, defended its performance, saying violence would have been much worse had it not intervened.

Cesar Maia, the city's mayor, on Monday harshly criticised Rosinha Matheus, the governor, and Anthony Garotinho, her husband and secretary for public security.

Mr Maia urged the federal government to help re-establish order and said state security forces had proved "entirely incompetent".

The state government proposes to build three-metre tall concrete walls around at least four slums. "We can no longer watch passively, it needs to be built urgently," said Mr Conde.

He rejected criticism that the project would in effect segregate residents and insisted the government would finance infrastructure projects, including water and sewage services.

[MrBambaLaMamba]

Note to Rio drug lords - Buy shovels.

End terrorism, kill terrorists.

[Jimmy Valentine]

Poor Brazil. I loved the country and ther people, but as my uncle says who lived there for over fifty years, "Brazil will always be the country of great future opportunity."

They never seem to be quite able to get their "stuff" together.

regards,

[catonsville]

The robberies are incredibly brazen. Out in the open, with little fear of the cops.

The situation is so bad, that vigilante groups are murdering slum children, rationalizing that the kids would not then grow up to be criminals.

[observer5]

Note to Rio drug lords - Buy shovels.

End terrorism, kill terrorists.

...kill terrorist supporters!

[Guillermo]

The world would be in an uproar if the US did anything like this.

But, of course, everyone else gets a pass...(Since Lula is a Socialist).

[neutrino]

Sounds like a future illegal immigration problem to me...

[Maringa]

My parents lived there for 25 years, myself for 13 years...Wonderful country. The slums of Rio and Sao Paulo are a sight to see (there are even tour groups that now go to the slums for people see what they are like!) It is sad to see generation upon generation becoming despondent to the situation and continuing the cycle...1 out of a 100 ever break the cycle and leave the slums. Outside of Rio and Sao Paulo, other major cities have slums as well, but are a little more under control. The municipal, state and federal governments build public housing to help improve the living conditions. The problem with Rio and Sao Paulo, there is just no room or resources, and a lack of desire by the dwellers to get out of the situation.

For those who have never lived in Brazil, it is dificult to explain how those who have lived or worked in Brazil love the people, culture, etc. If something were ever to happen in the US were it was unliveable as a result of a war, etc. Brazil would be near the top of the list of places to emigrate to...

Abracos e saudades!!!!

[Maringa]

My parents lived there for 25 years, myself for 13 years...Wonderful country. The slums of Rio and Sao Paulo are a sight to see (there are even tour groups that now go to the slums for people see what they are like!) It is sad to see generation upon generation becoming despondent to the situation and continuing the cycle...1 out of a 100 ever break the cycle and leave the slums. Outside of Rio and Sao Paulo, other major cities have slums as well, but are a little more under control. The municipal, state and federal governments build public housing to help improve the living conditions. The problem with Rio and Sao Paulo, there is just no room or resources, and a lack of desire by the dwellers to get out of the situation.

For those who have never lived in Brazil, it is dificult to explain how those who have lived or worked in Brazil love the people, culture, etc. If something were ever to happen in the US were it was unliveable as a result of a war, etc. Brazil would be near the top of the list of places to emigrate to...

Abracos e saudades!!!!

[The Louiswu]

"Incarcerate the users long enough to detoxify them, then release them on lifelong probation with monthly testing. If they ever test positive again for the drugs, give them 5 years, and weekly testing after release. Next time they test positive, death penalty. I may be wrong..."

Your kidding right?

[greasepaint]

Concentration camps for people who have the
misfortune of not being born into a family
with connections to the gov't. Wonderful.
Can the 'Walled Ones' vote?

[fourdeuce82d]

Do I get the death penalty, or can you just beat me until I promise to quit?

Check with Jeremiah. I was merely suggesting a logical extension of his original proposal. Seems to me if that's how we want to treat purveyors/consumers of one type of intoxicant, shouldn't we treat them all that way? Or perhaps that's not how we want to treat any purveyors/consumers of any intoxicant...

I'm not suggesting outright legalization, merely trying to make the point that the original suggestion was a little steep.

[AD from SpringBay]

I think the international community needs to step in and protest and vote against any wall building. Can't they see this for what it is? Nothing more than an oppressive Zionist government trying to overregulate a peacful people's right to land.

Rio doesn't even have suicide murderers to deal with.

[FreedomFlynnie]

Oops...guess I should have detected the sarcasm there. Mea culpa.

Also pinging Jeremiah since you mentioned him in your post.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

No 2nd amendment?

[BossLady]

A friend of mine just returned from Brazil and said he was treated so poorly by the Braziliam govt he will never return. (He had been 4 years ago and everything went smoothly) The passport authority had so many people on strike that the cocky bosses were in charge. So Americans waited for hours to get stamped missing planes, boats etc. because they didn't like the USA. He also suspected that because of the horrible economy and the socialist political atmosphere, Brazilian citizens were fleeing to other nearby countries to avoid starvation and/or jail!