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HomePublic Security

Public Security

*Highlight

Vigilante Militias Spread Across Rio de Janeiro: Homicides in the West Zone Increase by 44% Highlighting a New Criminal Landscape Where Drug Traffickers and Militias Collide

By Joaquim da Silva • Translation by Aaron Scott • April 29, 2024

Clique aqui para Português The phenomenon of police officers operating outside the law and organizing armed groups in Rio de Janeiro is not a recent one, with records dating back to at least the 1950s. […]

*Highlight

The Historical Public Security Debate in Rio de Janeiro: Hunted Humans Vs. Security of Rights [OPINION]

By Guilherme Pimentel • Translation by Staff • April 24, 2024

Clique aqui para Português For the original opinion piece written by Guilherme Pimentel and published in Brasil de Fato on April 18, 2024, click here. On the day I write this article, there are police […]

#UPPWatch

Militia Control Over Internet in the Divided City: The Tragic Situation of Workers Who Depend on the Internet in Rio de Janeiro’s Peripheries

By Joaquim da Silva • Translation by Aaron Scott • April 20, 2024

Clique aqui para Português At 3:27pm on January 17, 2023, Maria* lost her Internet connection at home in Piedade, situated between the neighborhoods of Méier and Madureira in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro. […]

Policies

Rio de Janeiro’s Militias and State Power, Part 2: Specialists Describe Their History and Expansion Over Time

By Tatiana Lima • Translation by Ethan Kaimana, Ikrom Alajoulin • April 18, 2024

Clique aqui para Português Originally published in Portuguese in 2020, this is part two of a two-part article that describes the expansion of the state-sanctioned power of vigilante police militias in the Rio de Janeiro […]

*Highlight

Rio de Janeiro’s Militias and State Power, Part 1: The Alarming and Little Reported Underbelly of Rio’s Elections

By Tatiana Lima • Translation by Adrian Hooper • April 17, 2024

Clique aqui para Português Originally published in Portuguese in 2020, this is part one of a two-part article that discusses the expansion of the state-sanctioned power of vigilante police militias in the Rio de Janeiro […]

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In May 2010, Catalytic Communities launched what was originally Rio Olympics Neighborhood Watch (hence RioOnWatch), a program to bring visibility to favela community voices in the lead-up to the 2016 Rio Olympics. This news site, RioOnWatch.org, grew into a much-needed and unique reference featuring favela perspectives on the urban transformation of Rio. With diverse and deeply interlinked articles by a mix of community reporters, resident opinions, solidarity reporters, international observers, and academic researchers, we work to engender a more accurate picture of favelas, their contributions to the city, and the potential of favela-led community development in Rio and around the world.

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Special Thanks

Fundação Heinrich Böll Brasil
World Habitat
Fideicomiso de la Tierra Caño Martín Peña
Pastoral de Favelas
Center for CLT Innovation
Global Land Alliance
Ecocity Builders
Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation
SDSU Behner Stiefel Center
The Rio Times
Forum Grita Baixada
Beto Paixão Graphic Design
Architecture Museum of Vienna
Yale School of Architecture

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    • Police Violence
    • Government Neglect
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  • Content Map
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