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HomePacifying Police Unit (UPP)

Pacifying Police Unit (UPP)

#UPPWatch

Investment Funds in the UPPs: The Financial Speculation of Misery

By Lívia de Cássia Godoi Moraes • Translation by Margó Hufstetler • December 15, 2013

For the original by Lívia de Cássia Godoi Moraes in Portuguese in Brasil de Fato click here.  On the Rio de Janeiro state’s official website of the Pacifying Police Units (UPPs),the justification for their creation is “for […]

#UPPWatch

Protest in Manguinhos Denounces Serious Violations on International Human Rights Day

By Fernando Soares • Translation by Charlotte Livingstone • December 14, 2013

“On International Human Rights Day we demand justice and rights for the people of Manguinhos and all favelas,” stated Fatima dos Santos Pinho de Menezes, mother of 18-year old Paulo Roberto, killed by officers from the […]

#GentrificationWatch

OsteRio Debates Gentrification and Regulation of Property Markets in Rio’s Favelas

By Anabela Paiva • Translation by Jake Cummings • December 13, 2013

Clique aqui para Português For the original in Portuguese on the Institute for the Study of Labor and Society (IETS) website click here. New investments, growth in the local economy, the policy of pacification, and […]

#UPPWatch

Study Finds: Militias Dominate 45% of Rio’s Favelas

By Gustavo Goulart • Translation by Emma Platais • December 7, 2013

For the original in by Gustavo Goulart in Portuguese in O Globo click here. Militias dominate 454 of the 1,001 favelas located in the Rio de Janeiro municipality. This is one of the findings of research carried […]

#UPPWatch

Confusion Over Future of the UPP Program

By Jornal do Brasil, Marco Antônio Martins • Translation by Kayla Boisvert • November 13, 2013

Rio’s favela pacification policy–whereby specially trained Military Police occupy and then establish Pacifying Police Units (UPPs) to take territorial control over communities previously controlled by drug trafficking gangs or militia–has come under increasing scrutiny in […]

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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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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

  • Home
    • Highlighted Stories
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  • Policies
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  • Violations
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    • Police Violence
    • Government Neglect
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    • Participation
    • Protest
    • Culture
    • Responsible Tourism
  • Content Map
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    • by Int’l Observers
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      • Energy Justice Series
    • Event Reports
    • Video Stories
    • Photo-Essays
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