By Chesney Hearst, Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A German tourist was shot and seriously wounded on Friday, May 30th in Rocinha, Rio’s largest favela and increasingly popular destination for visitors to the city. As of Sunday morning, a 16-year-old had confessed to shooting the tourist, but investigations are ongoing as local authorities [...]
By Maria Lopez Conde, Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Residents of Vila dos Pinheiros and Vila do João, favela communities in the massive Zona Norte (North Zone) Complexo da Maré neighborhood, are preparing for the establishment of a Police Pacifying Unit (UPP), following last month’s entry of armed forces into the area. In [...]
By Ben Tavener, Senior Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – With the FIFA Confederations Cup and World Youth Day (WYD 2013) set to arrive in Rio, the city has seen pacification operations in favelas at the base of Corcovado Mountain. Rio’s 33rd Police Pacification Unit (UPP) will establish a permanent presence in the area and [...]
By Leo Byrne, Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – An attack on two UPP (Police Pacification Unit) officers last Friday in the Morro São João favela of Engenho Novo is the latest in a recent spate of violence directed at Rio’s pacification forces. The attack took place at around midnight on March 27th in [...]
Editorial RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The attack on the foreign tourist couple that were riding in a passenger van in Rio over the weekend is a horrendous, terrible story that has shocked the world and outraged locals who use the vans to navigate the city. There are two elements that add context to the [...]
By Ben Tavener, Senior Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Violence is no longer among the major concerns experienced by Rio residents, a survey by O Globo newspaper has revealed. The report attributed the findings to the local government’s successful policy of introducing UPPs (Police Pacification Units) and a reduction in the number of [...]
By Chesney Hearst, Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Recently released data from the Institute of Public Security (ISP) shows the number of homicides are down in the city of Rio de Janeiro while the number of homicides and other crimes, including reports of rape, have increased elsewhere in the state. The government’s installation [...]
By Chesney Hearst, Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – State and federal security forces occupied the communities of Complexo do Caju and Barreira do Vasco during the early hours of Sunday, March 3rd. Over 1,300 armed forces including Special Operations Battalions (BOPE) and Shock Battalions (BPChoque), 200 civil police officers and 200 Naval officers [...]
By Andrew Willis, Senior Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The new cable car, or ‘Teleférico’, which is planned for Rio’s Morro da Providência favela community, is now set to open this May according to authorities. The second of its kind in Rio, the large infrastructure project has divided local residents, with transportation improvements [...]
By Andrew Willis, Senior Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A number of celebrities visiting Brazil for the country’s famous Carnival celebrations have taken time out from the festivities to visit a favela, one of the informal housing developments that are common in cities like Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Actor Will Smith [...]
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