The countryside has been shipping poor to the cities. Most of them end up in shanty towns called "favelas". 35 years ago, the favela was a place to go and hear spontaneous street music, look at and buy simple art and speak to people who had lived in places the tour groups don't go. The population of these adjuncts has been growing much faster than the city infrastructure. Even in the 1970's the police, fire and medical services were stretched thin.
Let's face it, it takes much less time to make a baby than it does to train a service worker. In a Catholic country, big families are the norm, especially when the family is poor. The fact that there is not food enough, or even space enough does not enter into the calculus of making love and babies. So where do the babies go when they are grown and there is no room at home, no school available and food is sparse? Ask any big city in the United States and you'll have the same answer that you get in Brazil.
Into the street they go. When there are more people than resources to support them, the answer for survival is to join a gang. There, at least, you have protection from other, bigger kids, food to share and, if the gang is so inclined, money for luxuries. As it is in the States, many gangs sell drugs to get that money. They get arms to protect their drugs and money from other gangs. The spiral into random violence and armed police actions descends while the majority of the city's people are unaware that there is a problem.
Now, things have become bad enough to be front page news... If you're in Brazil. It won't be long before the violence is sufficient to get headlines in the United States.
Alas, Rio, that delightful city of Samba and fey jouada has become unsafe. Is there an answer?
I don't know it. But happy Thanksgiving all.
