{"id":28108,"date":"2016-04-28T08:30:16","date_gmt":"2016-04-28T11:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rioonwatch.org\/?p=28108"},"modified":"2016-05-03T16:25:47","modified_gmt":"2016-05-03T19:25:47","slug":"funding-shortage-and-increased-violence-amounts-to-upp-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=28108","title":{"rendered":"Funding Shortage and Increased Violence Amounts to UPP Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas\"\"<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

With less than\u00a0100 days to the 2016 Olympic Games<\/a>, Rio’s Pacifying Police Unit<\/a> (UPP) program and public security in Rio is in crisis. Although the controversial UPP program has faced setbacks<\/a> at increasing frequency over the years, now in the context of\u00a0Brazil’s current economic crisis and the subsequent budget cuts facing Rio de Janeiro\u2019s security programs, many of Rio\u2019s favelas have experienced a noticeable\u00a0increase<\/a> in or return\u00a0of violence<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On March 21\u00a0Rio’s state security secretary\u00a0announced a roughly 35% cut<\/a>\u00a0to the original R$7 billion security budget<\/a> for the year. The budget cut could jeopardize many aspects of Rio\u2019s security infrastructure such as security cameras and police officers\u2019 salaries. Funding for the UPP\u00a0program<\/a>\u00a0is also at risk, with former plans to expand\u00a0UPPs to\u00a0additional communities on hold indefinitely in favor of strengthening existing units in the favelas considered most violent. But even some of the favelas once considered to be models of the pacification program’s success are seeing the return of armed conflict.\u00a0<\/span>In March\u00a0both the United States Consulate and the German Consulate<\/a>\u00a0issued notices advising those visiting Rio not to visit any favelas, even pacified ones, and even blanketing the advice to contemplate all favelas<\/a>, including those with no incidences of violence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Amnesty International<\/a>, “so far in 2016, homicides resulting from police interventions in the city of Rio de Janeiro have risen by 10%. The figures are from January to March, in comparison to the same period in 2015.” At least 11 people were killed in police operations in the first three weeks of April.<\/p>\n

Here we summarize just\u00a0some of the events in select favelas across the city.<\/p>\n

Babil\u00f4nia \/ Chap\u00e9u-Mangueira<\/h3>\n

Babil\u00f4nia<\/a> and Chap\u00e9u-Mangueira<\/a>, adjacent favelas located in Rio’s South Zone<\/a>\u00a0near Leme and Copacabana, have jointly been considered one of the models for successful \u201cpacification\u201d since the UPP installation there in 2009<\/a>. However, on February 18<\/a>\u00a0police reported that shots were fired at their UPP base. Resident Eduardo Henrique Souza Baptista took to Facebook, writing<\/a> that the shooting was not targeted at the police and was actually a result of “other types of conflict occurring in our community.” He added that\u00a0the shooting had resulted in one death\u00a0that, at the time of his post, had gone unreported by the police or Globo<\/em>. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"UPP<\/a><\/p>\n

About a\u00a0month later<\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Paulo Roberto Santos de Oliveira, 21, was found dead by police officers and Thiago Vinicius da Silva, 22, was rushed to the hospital where he later died. Both residents <\/span>were identified\u00a0by other locals as two hard workers who were not involved in\u00a0drug trafficking<\/a>.\u00a0On the morning of March 25\u00a0two additional bodies were found after reported shooting throughout the night. One resident said: \u201cIt\u2019s difficult to live here. There was a lot of shooting. It seemed like I was in Syria. I\u2019ve never seen shooting as violent as this time.\u201d O Dia<\/em><\/a> reported the increased conflict was the result of a\u00a0renewed\u00a0<\/span>war between two\u00a0gangs<\/span>\u00a0over the territory, and residents of the area described the recent violence as\u00a0the worst they had seen since 2009. Commander Carlos Eduardo Sarmento said BOPE<\/a> special forces will be assisting the UPP in dealing with the new cases of violence. <\/span><\/p>\n

In large part due to the perceived success of the UPP,\u00a0Babil\u00f4nia and Chap\u00e9u-Mangueira are among\u00a0the most regularly\u00a0visited favelas by tourists<\/a>, along with Vidigal<\/a>, but business owners are concerned shootouts will\u00a0keep potential visitors away.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rocinha<\/h3>\n

In Rocinha<\/a>, Rio\u2019s largest favela located in the South Zone, local journalist Michel Silva attributes<\/a> much of the increase in violence to the continued absence of promised investment in social programs. As he describes,\u00a0“the government invests heavily in public security<\/a>, but not in education<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

On December 25, 2015, Christmas Day, there was a shootout between the police and locals which resulted in the death<\/a> of a passerby Jorge Arui, a 49-year-old who was walking to buy bread, and injuries to\u00a0six others. Residents stated that the shooting began after police ordered people to turn down their music. Additionally, on the same day, BOPE officers were accused of raping<\/a> a young\u00a0woman. This is another severe blow to trust in\u00a0police in the same neighborhood where the disappearance, torture and murder of bricklayer Amarildo de Souza<\/a>, in 2013, marked a turning point in sentiments towards the pacification program across the city.\u00a0A\u00a0Global Post<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>article in January of this year concluded that gangs still maintain control in Rocinha and that resident trust in police is low.<\/p>\n

City of God<\/h3>\n

Like Rocinha, City of God<\/a> in Rio’s West Zone<\/a> also experienced violence in its community around Christmas 2015. An 11-year-old child and a teenager, 17, were left dead on the morning of December 23, 2015<\/a>\u00a0when, according to residents, a militia group opened fire<\/a> on a busy street. The 11-year-old, Marcos Vinicius dos Santos, was reportedly helping his father sell fruit when he was caught in crossfire and killed. Two others, a boy and a woman, were injured by the shooting.\u00a0Grieving and shocked residents gathered to protest the violence. Local singer\u00a0Tonz\u00e3o Chagas<\/a>\u00a0said 2015 had been the year of “the most murders” in City of God and that residents would continue to struggle because “no one is going to quiet us.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"City<\/a><\/p>\n

Rocinha journalist Michel Silva wrote<\/a> that \u201cc<\/span>ases like this show the <\/span>pacification policy<\/span> is exhausted. We need to demilitarize the paramilitary police and to have the state government take more social responsibility<\/span>.”\u00a0Sociologist Marina Motta argues<\/a> the December 23 incidents in City of God highlight that the UPPs are not able to guarantee favela residents’ safety, which raises the question of whether that’s “because of the incompetence of the Rio State Military Police<\/a>, or because protecting favela residents is simply not their objective.”<\/span><\/p>\n

As of April 4, the Rio Youth Forum reported<\/a> it was receiving daily messages about shootouts in City of God.<\/p>\n

Manguinhos<\/h3>\n

In Manguinhos<\/a>, a favela complex located in Rio\u2019s North Zone<\/a> which has had a\u00a0UPP since 2013<\/a>, there have been\u00a0several recent cases of violence. On the morning of April 4, 2016,\u00a0Jo\u00e3o Batista da Silva<\/a>, a 29-year-old local who had just returned\u00a0from a job interview, was shot and killed by the police while trying to protect others in his home. Just a few weeks earlier, 14-year-old resident\u00a0Caio Daniel Faria\u00a0was shot and killed<\/a> in the crossfire of a shootout between police officers and locals suspected of drug trafficking. Also caught in the crossfire was Erick Cardoso, Caio\u2019s 19-year-old cousin, who was shot in the hand while playing soccer. Residents reported that in the three days before Caio\u2019s death there had been several shootouts involving\u00a0police.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Military<\/a><\/p>\n

On\u00a0March 18<\/a>\u00a0the Military Police installed cement barricades around the base of the UPP, further reflecting the heightened tensions between the UPP and residents<\/span>. The installation of cement barricades also represents the UPP’s movement away from its original purpose of providing not only security but trust and social programs. <\/span><\/p>\n

Complexo do Alem\u00e3o<\/h3>\n

On April 2 residents of Complexo do Alem\u00e3o<\/a>\u00a0in Rio\u2019s North Zone gathered to remember the death<\/a> of Eduardo de Jesus Ferreira, the 10-year-old boy who was shot and killed by Military Police\u00a0a year ago on that date<\/span>. The police officer who fired the fatal shot has yet to be held accountable.<\/span><\/p>\n

Frustration\u00a0with the UPP in Alem\u00e3o is further aggravated by<\/a> the apparent lack of consideration towards important community social spaces. Early this February, the UPP in\u00a0the Nova Bras\u00edlia<\/a> favela\u00a0announced its plans<\/a> to finally move its base out of a school, responding to sustained demands<\/a> from\u00a0residents. However, the new space the UPP has decided to occupy\u00a0is one of limited spaces\u00a0within the favela which served as a recreational, educational, and social center, in which residents gather to attend courses, use the jungle gym, and practice capoeira. This move appears to go\u00a0completely against the purposes of the UPP, which are to promote social programs, not take them away.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, on Tuesday, April 5<\/a>\u00a0a BOPE officer was shot and taken to a nearby hospital after reports of a police operation and shooting that began Monday afternoon and continued through Tuesday morning. Residents reported that several houses were marked with bullet holes\u00a0as a result and at least one school canceled classes. On the weekend of April 15-17, community newspaper\u00a0Voz das Comunidades<\/em><\/a> reported that police operations and shootouts left eight people, including one 7-year-old, injured in about 24 hours in an “undeclared war.”<\/span><\/p>\n

This last weekend, on April 23 it was reported that a moot-taxi driver was shot and killed by police, who proceeded to alter the crime scene, according to local media collective Coletivo Papo Reto<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jacarezinho<\/h3>\n

This past December the UPP program\u00a0in\u00a0Jacarezinho<\/a>\u00a0in the North Zone faced a major setback when\u00a0BOPE special forces entered<\/a>\u00a0as the police from the permanent UPP force retreated.\u00a0This was the first occasion of this kind of retreat in any favela since the implementation of the UPP program. It came about\u00a0in response to the death of three police officers<\/a>, Rodrigo Ribeiro Pinto, 34, Marcos Santana Martins, 26, and Inaldo Pereira Lion, 33, earlier that month. The return to violence after a period of relative peace led one writer to say<\/a> there must have been an expiration date on\u00a0the calm brought by the UPP.<\/p>\n

Shortly after the deaths of the officers, an unidentified police officer in an\u00a0audio recording expressed<\/a> that he was happy to be out on medical leave rather than have to continue to risk his life in Jacarezinho, stating: \u201cTwo more of my friends have gone and\u00a0how much longer are we going to stay here? When\u00a050, 100 police officers die?\u201d Other\u00a0UPP officers have complained that they lack adequate equipment, vests, funding or weaponry.\u00a0The wife of one of the deceased police officers echoed this sentiment<\/a><\/span>: “The deaths will continue if nothing is done.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Also in December,\u00a0Wesley Daniel Santos Oliveira, age 17, was shot and killed<\/a> in a shootout between suspected criminals and police officers when leaving his evangelical church.<\/p>\n

\"Jacarezinho<\/a><\/p>\n

This year, the Facebook page of\u00a0N\u00f3s Por N\u00f3s<\/a>, a newly launched application created to disseminate news and collect data about police violence, reported that<\/a> police officers in Jacarezinho were\u00a0terrorizing residents\u00a0by holding\u00a0shooting training at 6am, as well as during the night\u2014timing which the N\u00f3s Por N\u00f3s team\u00a0argues suggests a deliberate\u00a0scare tactic rather than actual training. In February N\u00f3s Por N\u00f3s detailed regular confrontations<\/a> involving police with at least\u00a0one youth killed on February 11.<\/span><\/p>\n

On April 7, 2016<\/a>, a shootout between traffickers and UPP police officers stopped car traffic and\u00a0a local train, left two dead<\/a>, and prevented\u00a01,200 children from attending school that day. Further shooting saw a resident shot in the head<\/a> on April 19. Across social media, residents have been critical of the mainstream media’s failure to give due coverage to sustained violence involving police in the area.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Saturday April 23, a local pastor was shot and killed<\/a> as he left church in an intense weekend of shootouts. The\u00a0ongoing violence has caused the\u00a0train service through the community to be suspended<\/a>\u00a0for the sixth time in three weeks.<\/p>\n

Complexo da Mar\u00e9<\/h3>\n

After\u00a0Complexo da Mar\u00e9<\/a> was occupied by the army<\/a>\u00a0in 2014, the timeframe for installing four planned UPPs shifted from undefined to July 2015<\/a>, to March 2016<\/a>, and now to no earlier than 2017<\/a>, if ever. Since the army left in April and May of 2015, Mar\u00e9 has had a Military Police presence to varying\u00a0degrees, but residents report the police primarily patrol the area’s borders and venture inside just for operations, a return to the pre-pacification norms. These operations often close schools, daycare centers, hospitals and businesses for the day. In January Globo\u00a0<\/em>reported the government was considering<\/span>\u00a0placing even more Military Police in Mar\u00e9 in preparation for the 2016 Olympics<\/a>, with BOPE as well as\u00a0aerial and maritime forces based in the surrounding area, which is close to Rio’s main highways and the international airport. On Monday, February 22 of this year, conflicts between Military Police and residents resulted in the killing of 19-year old Igor Silva<\/a> by the police<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Igor<\/a><\/p>\n

It’s not only “pacified” communities or even favelas that are struggling. In recent weeks residents of Morro da Concei\u00e7\u00e3o and\u00a0Pedra do Sal<\/a>, in the Port region<\/a>, have reported an influx of traffickers and police operations and shootouts have followed<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On April 4 a police operation\u00a0in Acari<\/a>, in the North Zone, killed five people<\/a>. Amnesty International in Brazil immediately demanded<\/a> a thorough\u00a0investigation into the deaths, particularly in light of Acari’s history of extrajudicial executions by police.<\/p>\n

The human rights organization also\u00a0highlighted the significant\u00a0increase<\/a> in deaths during police operations in these first four months of 2016, comparing it to the spike that occurred around the 2014 World Cup<\/a>. As the director of the Brazil’s Amnesty\u00a0International summed up<\/a>: “With few months to the Olympic Games, Rio de Janeiro shows a continuation of an extremely lethal public security policy, especially in favela\u00a0and peripheral territories.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas With less than\u00a0100 days to the 2016 Olympic Games, Rio’s Pacifying Police Unit (UPP) program and public security in Rio is in crisis. Although the controversial UPP program has faced setbacks […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":108,"featured_media":28253,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1277,1288,335,336,1329],"tags":[1295,555,1913,356,525,231,280,32,499,637,918,197,2035,37,5,15,2036,17,148,809,12,443,156,268,30,1385,21,167],"writer":[1999],"translator":[],"illustrator":[],"photographer":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-28108","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-uppwatch","8":"category-highlight","9":"category-policies","10":"category-violations","11":"category-by-international-observers","12":"tag-securityupdate","13":"tag-acari","14":"tag-amnesty-international","15":"tag-bope","16":"tag-chapeu-mangueira","17":"tag-city-of-god","18":"tag-complexo-da-mare","19":"tag-complexo-do-alemao","20":"tag-jacarezinho","21":"tag-manguinhos","22":"tag-military-police","23":"tag-morro-da-babilonia","24":"tag-morro-da-conceicao","25":"tag-north-zone","26":"tag-olympics","27":"tag-pacifying-police-unit","28":"tag-pedra-do-sal","29":"tag-police-brutality","30":"tag-port-region","31":"tag-public-security","32":"tag-rocinha","33":"tag-security","34":"tag-south-zone","35":"tag-state-violence","36":"tag-urban-violence","37":"tag-violence","38":"tag-west-zone","39":"tag-world-cup","40":"writer-mariah-barber"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28108\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28108"},{"taxonomy":"writer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwriter&post=28108"},{"taxonomy":"translator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftranslator&post=28108"},{"taxonomy":"illustrator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fillustrator&post=28108"},{"taxonomy":"photographer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fphotographer&post=28108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}