{"id":82154,"date":"2025-11-15T16:22:51","date_gmt":"2025-11-15T19:22:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=82154"},"modified":"2025-12-03T14:31:25","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T17:31:25","slug":"theres-no-such-thing-as-normal-after-a-massacre-one-week-after-police-mega-operation-kills-121-people-residents-from-complexos-do-alemao-and-penha-speak-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=82154","title":{"rendered":"\u2018There\u2019s No Such Thing as Normal After a Massacre\u2019: One Week After Police Mega-Operation Kills 121 People, Residents From Complexos do Alem\u00e3o and Penha Speak Out"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/a>
The barbarity of the police mega-operation on October 28 sent shockwaves throughout Brazil and around the world, sparking demonstrations against State terrorism in cities including S\u00e3o Paulo and Bras\u00edlia. Photo: Valter Campanato\/Ag\u00eancia Brasil<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

In the early morning of October 28, 2025, 2,500 Civil Police and Military Police officers entered the Penha<\/a> and Alem\u00e3o<\/a> favela complexes for a mega-operation that became the deadliest in the history of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil<\/a>. The next day, when State agents exited these favelas, they left behind at least 121 people dead<\/a>. Here we share some of the feelings experienced by those who remain. Walking through the streets of the two favelas, tension remains in the air.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mood [here] is one of profound grief and heavy silence. There is sadness, there is anger and there is a very clear sense of injustice. The favela is experiencing collective mourning, but it\u2019s also experiencing what it always experiences: the need to move on, even while wounded, because daily life doesn\u2019t wait. Deep down, the feeling is that life here is never truly treated as life and that hurts more than anything.\u201d \u2014 Raull Santiago<\/a> from the Straight Talk Institute<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

According to residents like Fabr\u00edcio Motta, who lives and works in Complexo do Alem\u00e3o, once the noise from the helicopters and armored vehicles stopped, the State\u2019s silence<\/a> echoed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe haven\u2019t seen any public services<\/a> come in since last week. Once again, it\u2019s the favela rebuilding<\/a> what the State destroyed.\u201d \u2014 Fabr\u00edcio Motta, Complexo do Alem\u00e3o resident<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Businesses, schools, health centers and transportation<\/a> are operating again in both favela complexes. However, no one speaks of a return to \u201c<\/span>normal life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no such thing as normal after a massacre. The streets function, but the hearts of the people remain heavy. The city returns, but the favela goes on with its body and soul scarred.\u201d \u2014 Raull Santiago<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Similarly, Beatriz Costa, a resident of Complexo da Penha, says nothing can feel right after 121 people were murdered in the streets and wooded areas of her neighborhood.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe go back to doing [things], to working, to taking the kids to school, because there\u2019s no other way. But things are not fine at all!\u201d \u2014 Beatriz Costa<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Amid this grief, fear, outrage and helplessness, support comes from the favela itself<\/a>, from social organizations and social movements<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe State comes in to kill, but it doesn\u2019t come in to care, investigate, repair, or support. This needs to be said: those who experience State violence have to beg for attention afterwards\u2026 [but] I believe [in change] because I work towards it. Because the favela never gave up on Brazil, even when Brazil gives up on the favela. But change won\u2019t come on its own. It comes with pressure, with real public policy, with respect for life, with education, with technology, with jobs, with opportunity, with listening to the favela and with the courage to break with this war-driven model. Public security isn\u2019t an armored vehicle, it\u2019s the future. And the favela has a future to offer, if they would just let us live.\u201d \u2014 Raull Santiago<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

About the author: Felipe Lucena<\/a> is a journalist, columnist and screenwriter. The son of migrants from Brazil\u2019s Northeastern region and raised in Curicica, in Rio’s West Zone, he is currently a special reporter for online newspaper Di\u00e1rio do Rio and also contributes to other news outlets.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Support\u00a0<\/b>RioOnWatch<\/i><\/b>\u2019s tireless, critical and cutting-edge hyperlocal journalism, online community organizing meetings, and direct support to favelas\u00a0<\/b>by clicking here.<\/a><\/b><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas In the early morning of October 28, 2025, 2,500 Civil Police and Military Police officers entered the Penha and Alem\u00e3o favela complexes for a mega-operation that became the deadliest in the […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":245,"featured_media":82155,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1277,1288,335,336],"tags":[3149,32,182,25,37,1990,2910,2481,423,809,268,1385],"writer":[3783],"translator":[3485],"illustrator":[],"photographer":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-82154","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":"tag-complexo-da-penha","12":"tag-complexo-do-alemao","13":"tag-government-neglect","14":"tag-human-rights","15":"tag-north-zone","16":"tag-nos-por-nos","17":"tag-police-massacre","18":"tag-police-violence","19":"tag-psychological-terror","20":"tag-public-security","21":"tag-state-violence","22":"tag-violence","23":"writer-felipe-lucena","24":"translator-ujwala-murthy"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82154","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\/245"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=82154"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82154\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82183,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82154\/revisions\/82183"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/82155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=82154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=82154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=82154"},{"taxonomy":"writer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwriter&post=82154"},{"taxonomy":"translator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftranslator&post=82154"},{"taxonomy":"illustrator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fillustrator&post=82154"},{"taxonomy":"photographer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fphotographer&post=82154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}