Xico Vargas, a writer for the web site no minimo, suggests (in Portuguese) that the recent police raid and shootout with drug dealers in Rocinha was a charade. Citing the plethora of equipment, including armored cars, motorcycles, helicopters, not to mention 1,000 police on foot, he claims that if the authorities were serious about capturing the drug lord known as Bem-Te-Vi they would have. Indeed, he says, Bem-Te-Vi and his partner Soul were drinking whiskey and beer in the Valao (a neighborhood of Rocinha) while the police made sure to have their shootout "a secure distance away." He calls the police action "a grand choreography" staged for the newspapers and TV cameras.
(Thanks to Gabriel Ponce de Leon, who is always hip to all interpretations, for sending me this clip.)
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3 comments:
this is certainly an idea to consider. things here have remained fairly tense, even after the publicized pull-out of the military police on monday morning. there have been units on foot and in cars in the valão this afternoon. it seems that some of the bocas have reopened, but it's been at least five days since i've seen an armed trafficker lingering in the valão. those that are around are either not openly armed, or pass through quickly. while i agree that the police action seems to be much more bark than bite, the gang presence has definitely been effected by this past weekend.
Matt, what are residents saying? The rumor mill usually lends some insight, though beware of canard...
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