Rio de Janeiro lived a chaotic week with random attacks from drug dealers in various districts and cities in the metropolitan area. Several buses have been torched and more than 30 people have died. The information of a possible attack to the general public on Saturday left the locals in a panic, not knowing whether or not to leave their home.
Terrorism committed by bandits in Rio is a reflection of decades of mismanagement and neglect by the state, combined with inefficient public safety policies to contain the problem. The system is flawed since the 70's, the professionals at the Public Safety Department working in appalling conditions and without the massive support of the population.
Rio police does not have the popular support, and is seen by the people as the enemy in this urban warfare. Yes, the corrupt police are part of the problem. But we must draw the line between right and wrong, between law and crime, between who the society supports for and who society wants behind bars. That goes for both sides, but most officers live honestly, honorably, risking their lives in a society that don’t recognizes their efforts and receives a wage laughable. The government doesn’t invest in the police, crime is not detained and the problem only increases.
The society every day becomes more hostages to a system of repression bankrupted and criminal gangs, who get more powerful and articulate every day. Measures such as the UPP's (Police Units Pacifier) serve mainly to fool people by passing a false sense that the government has acted bravely against the bandits. The number of units is still insufficient and the method employed to take the shantytowns is also questionable, since the drug dealers are warned about 48 hours in advance of losing the region for the state authorities.
The situation is untenable, and the reality of absolute success of UPP's falls to the ground watching a besieged city and the decent population housebound. Even so, many still stand to defend the bandits, who hold the title of poor and excluded from society full fruits of injustice. Many, in fact, adhere to the crime as the only way to survive, but most are there so willingly, since not all poor people are criminals.
The people deserve to have somebody to defend fairly their family, but the inversion of values in Brazilian society is a dangerous thing. Human rights must be respected and must cover everyone, but in Brazil today is acceptable an villain murdering a policeman, a father, an elder or a child because that is his nature. But if the police performs its function and kills a criminal, the bandit’s defensors says the drug dealer was a worker and condemns the public server.
The tears shed this week will show brazilians that the problem is not solved. The important thing now is to wait for the next events and let's hope that the damage to civilians and to the police be minimal. And that one day the scenes that we are watching live on TV become a distant past.
Image 1: Agência Estado
Image 2: Tasso Marcelo
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