[www-features] [Proposal] Daily routine of violence in the peripheries of Rio de Janeiro will increase with Pan American Games

Mon Jul 2 12:52:57 PDT 2007

Hi everyone, below an feature about the situation of slums and poor
communities of Rio de Janeiro. The text needs to be revised, if anyone
could do it i would appreciated.

Thanks
pina

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[tittle]

Daily routine of violence in the peripheries of Rio de Janeiro will
increase with Pan American Games

[Abstract]

On June 13th Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro will begin. Since
last year a big media show was put together around the event, such as the
election of the mascot's name of the Games and daily segments in every TV
show in Brazil.

But quite on the contrary of what has been promoted, the Pan American
Games had not brought only parties and sport to the city. The problems
regarding the realization of the Pan are countless and they are more
connected to the life of the residents of the slums and poor communities
of the city than to the delay of the infra structure works.

The security has been the most important issue, not only for the
organizers of the event, but mainly for those who has long-suffering with
the billionaire investments: the slum's residents. Since the beginning of
the year, the operations of the Military Police has increased, with the
support of the National Security Force, that came specially for the Games.
An example - not the only one, but the one that has been most publicized
by the media, is the case of the German Complex (see photographs <a
href=http://www.midiaindependente.org/pt/blue/2007/06/385800.shtml>I | <a
href=http://www.midiaindependente.org/pt/blue/2007/06/385962.shtml>II | <a
href=http://www.midiaindependente.org/pt/blue/2007/06/386626.shtml>III</a>),
where classes on local schools of the area were shut down and more than 20
persons already died. On June 27 a police operation executed 19 people in
the area, the police had order not to make any prisioners. But on the
contrary of what the corporate media has been saying, the police blockades
of the area does not intimidate the traffic, and <a
href=http://midiaindependente.org/pt/blue/2007/06/385962.shtml>"without
prisons or apprehensions of weapons or drugs, so far the only thing
achieved were local victms of 'lost bullets'".</a>

<p><strong>Releated Article:</strong> Police executed 19 people in German
Complex and State government approves action - in <a
href=http://www.midiaindependente.org/en/blue/2007/06/387133.shtml>English</a>
and <a
href=http://www.midiaindependente.org/es/blue/2007/06/387130.shtml>Spanish</a></p>

<p><strong>Photos:</strong> <a
href=http://www.midiaindependente.org/pt/blue//2007/06/386274.shtml>G8
Denounces of the Pan American Games</a> | <a
href=http://www.midiaindependente.org/pt/blue/2007/06/385962.shtml>Police
blockades don't intimidate traffic but punishes local comminities</a> | <a
href=http://www.midiaindependente.org/pt/blue/2007/06/385800.shtml>Routine
of Violence in the German Complex</a> | <a
href=http://www.midiaindependente.org/pt/blue/2007/06/386626.shtml>Daily
routine in the German Complex</a></p>

<p>For more information check out <strong><a
href=http://www.midiaindependente.org>Indymedia Brasil</a></strong></p>

[Read More]

In order to build the stadiums and the Olympic villages, poor
communities were evicted without no kind of compensation or guarantee of
dwelling in another place. Besides that the work condition in the
construction were extremelly bad which generated the <a
href=http://www.midiaindependente.org/pt/blue/2007/03/374726.shtml>stoping
of the work and an indicative of strike</a> in on of the stadium (João
Havelange), in Engenho Novo district.

The costs of the event was miscalculated and were ten times more than
the one initially predicted. In February, with the dalyed work, that
expense was estimated around 1,5 billion reais. But in order to make
things go fast, this amount certaingrew. Today only in the security area
the costs are calculated around 562 millions reais.

Sérgio Cabral, State Governer, despite of his committmet to put an end
to Caveirão - a vehicle used by the police to enter the slums - not only
did not fulfill as announced but purchased others vehicles and request the
presence of the Army during the Games. Not pleased with this, Cabral
traveled to Colombia, a country known by violation of human rights, to
learn how they fight drug traffic in Bogota.

The Military Police operations far from beeing diminishing the drug and
weapons trafficking, had only caused terror and deaths. Datas from the
Public Security Institute of Rio de Janeiro shown exctally that, while the
number of drugs apprehensions and weapons diminished, the number of dead
polices and police victms increased. Even the number of prisons
diminished. This can indicate that the police operations have orders to
kill and not to make prisioners.

Social movements as the <a
href=http://www.caveiraonao.org/portal/>Campaign Against the Caveirão</a>
and the <a href=http://www.redecontraviolencia.org/>Network of Communities
and Movements Against the Violence</a> are making sure that the
extermination politics promoted by the government don't be forget. In
March, an Assemlby against the Caveirão took place, involving more
movements and groups. The Assemlby is already showing positives results,
with activities of the communication commission, that is producing a video
and vignettes for community and free radios, and the enlargement of the
Campaign trying to get more people involve.

The Network Against the Violence produce a <a
href=http://www.midiaindependente.org/pt/blue/2007/05/383323.shtml>document</a>
about the politics of public security in the Pan American Games. This
document was also release in Europe, during the G8 meeting (see pictures).
After the protests, two representetives of the social movements remain in
Europe, divulging the document and carrying out activities denouncing the
extermination police and terror against the poor comunities in Rio de
Janeiro.

As if the situation wasn't tragic enough, during the Games, Rio de
Janeiro will be on State of Exception. That means that no public
manifestation will be alowed without the approval of the Brazilian
Intelligence Agency (Abin) and of the Senasp (National Office of Home
Security). Besides that, secret agents of several countries (including the
CIA) will be assistencing in this task. The own Abin affirmed that
"professional" protest organizers can be monitored during the whole period
of the event.

President Lula affirmed that the model applied in Rio de Janeiro can
serve as a model to be applied in other cities of Brazil. Social movements
are asking to the civil sociaty not to let this model spreed, and revert
the scenery that is being installed in Rio.