Posts tagged drug traffic
Does Citizenship have a Post Code? Collective Warrants and Illegal Searches in Pre-UPP Maré
May 6th
For the original in Portuguese by Cecília Oliveira on Arma Branca click here.
Does citizenship have a post code? This question may seem absurd for some, yet spot-on for others, and it is what favela residents are repeatedly asking about state powers.
Maré, a group of favelas situated between the Avenida Brasil and Linha Vermelha, two main highways in Rio’s North Zone, has been the target of six police operations in the past month. Residents are experiencing what they call “Pre-UPP Syndrome”, or TPP (Portuguese acronym).
Last Thursday May 2nd, residents of the favelas Parque União and Nova Holanda faced yet another operation, More >
Fearful, Rio’s Neighboring Municipalities Want UPPs
Mar 20th
For the original report in O Dia in Portuguese click here.
The migration of criminals from the pacified favelas to the suburbs of the Baixada Fluminense (Rio’s Greater Metropolitan Region) has caused local authorities to be on their guard.
The mayor of Duque de Caxias, Alexandre Cardoso, announced that he will propose a plan to the state government for them to help bear some of the police expenses. This would be done in order to accelerate the installation of a Pacifying Police Unit (UPP) for the first district, which is made up of 40 neighborhoods.
“Caxias is prepared to bear part of the cost More >
What Is Missing for a Quality UPP Police Presence
Feb 18th
Before I begin, let me make clear that the information below is personal opinion, without generalizations.
Since the police entered and the militarization of the Jacarezinho favela on October 14, 2012, a policy the government baptized Pacifying Police Units – better known as UPP – little has changed in the favela where I was born and raised.
I am an activist, a photographer for the Agência Imagens do Povo, and a photography instructor. As I turn 25, I see part of the city of Rio de Janeiro entering a process of elitization and, as Representative Marcelo Freixo puts it, becoming a real corporate-city. The map of More >
North Zone Carnival: Parading with Favo de Acari Samba School
Feb 17th
It was 1 am and after hours of parading from other schools, it was finally our turn. The music began and we started dancing and singing. “If you don’t know the words, just move your mouth and act excited,” we were told. Our costumes had angel wings to symbolize peace activism, our section in the song that told the story of Acari’s history, composed for carnival this year alone. Previous verses of the song told of a tumultuous history of drug trafficking and police relations. Our costumes’ resemblance to something David Bowie might wear was undeniable, and I can only hope More >
The Favela Today is the Soul of Business
Jan 18th
Pacifying Police Units (UPPs) guarantee free access to capital in Rio’s impoverished communities. For original article in Portuguese in Brasil de Fato click here.
Governor of Rio de Janeiro, Sérgio Cabral, at the launch of the UPP in Morro dos Macacos - Photo by: Marcello Casal Jr./ABr
The current politics of military intervention implemented through the UPPs (Pacifying Police Units) in Rio’s favelas has brought about a new scenario in the city’s impoverished communities. The enforcement of these police forces and the entry of commercial capital in such spaces have generated tensions in the favelas, of which real estate speculation is one of the More >
