BBC NEWS: World's barriers: Rio de Janeiro

[SealLion]

Check it out:

Since the beginning of the year, Rio de Janeiro has been building walls around some of its favelas, the shanty towns that crowd the hills around the city.......

Now there's differences of opinion as to why these walls are constructed.

Here's a sample:

....Some critics think Rio's walls are an attempt to separate the poor areas from the richer ones situated between the favelas and the sea

Drugs come into the picture too....

.....Others say they are intended to limit drug trafficking, as part of a planned regional government clamp down.

there's also environmental reasons made as to why thier erected:

...The aim is to prevent the precariously-constructed communities spilling over into the forest and destroying the surrounding vegetation...

Maybe it's all of these reasons.

Or maybe the reason is dependant on the neighboring city that is having these walls erected next to them. One city erects them to seperate the poor from the rich, another erects to protect the forest, while another erects to prevent drug smuggling.

I don't know how much of drug smuggling is going on in areas like Rio, but my guess it's probably not much different than in some other parts of the world.

In the news article, it talks about walls going up and some walls having gone down...like the old Berlin wall.

This article is an expose on walls that separate people of one from another.

It's a short article. So it won't take up too much of your time in reading.

Here's the link:

BBC NEWS | Americas | World's barriers: Rio de Janeiro

[slikrapid]

Or maybe the reason is dependant on the neighboring city that is having these walls erected next to them. One city erects them to seperate the poor from the rich, another erects to protect the forest, while another erects to prevent drug smuggling.

I don't know how much of drug smuggling is going on in areas like Rio, but my guess it's probably not much different than in some other parts of the world.

afaik they have some major problems considering drugs, violence (gangs, police brutality included) & corruption

of those reasons i'd say forest protection wouldn't be it, since they aren't too kind towards the amazon forests

as for drugs its hard to say what percentage of it use the poor & how much use those outside the favelas or whether the drug lords need to take routes through the town to smuggle the drugs

separation from the poor might be the most probable reason (hurts tourism, the city image in the world, eyes of the rich, etc.)

lets see if our friend alpacino has some more insight on the situation

[SealLion]

I think you've got a good and valid point there re: tourism and the idea that it would hurt tourism. That's something that I hadn't thought of.
I think that, that is true.

What tourist is going to want to see the favellas with thier shanty buildings, poor if next to unavailable sewage systems, the stink of bowel remains left in some corner, etc...etc...

Most likely, it is an issue related to the Olympic Games that are coming up in Rio.

Officials there most likely are getting started on 'preventative' measures related to that event.
They want to 'box' things in or contain them. Much like Beijing did when it had the Olympic Games hosted in it's city by walling up structures that were unsightly.

Most other cities do the same thing.
Vancouver is/will be doing the same thing when it's turn to host the Olympic Games occurs. For example: Getting the homeless off, of the streets and shoving them in some corner where nobody see's them, getting rid of the prostitutes by having sting operations, having a very heavy police presence before, during, and after the Games in areas that the city does not want to have it's image tarnised.


Most likely your point on the forest protection issue is also correct. It's widely known that the Amazon and it's tribal groups are vanishing and becoming an issue related to extinction.

As more and more encroachment into the forests occur, more and more of the Amazon and it's tribal groups vanish or are integrated into the general population of Brazil. Leaving even less of what's left there as 'heritage' and natural beauty.

[alpacino]

Hey slik, I was a little shy to comment on this, but as you asked let's go:

of those reasons i'd say forest protection wouldn't be it, since they aren't too kind towards the amazon forests

Exactly right, forest protection is not the subject here, though amazon forest has nothing to do with Rio's green area, but I see your point. Rio's green area is more to Atlantic forest. As I told before, Brazil is a very large country, with lack of uniformity in various aspects, be it physical or social, etc. I'm afraid what they are trying to pull with these walls are something worse and ugly to see, keep reading.

Most likely, it is an issue related to the Olympic Games that are coming up in Rio.

Officials there most likely are getting started on 'preventative' measures related to that event.
They want to 'box' things in or contain them. Much like Beijing did when it had the Olympic Games hosted in it's city by walling up structures that were unsightly.

You know SealLion? Sadly and unfortunately this is more like it, I share this thought with you and I can say you took the words from my mouth, for so to speak. In previous Rio articles I was gonna mention that, but I wasn't sure it was right or the right moment to say that. I just didn't want to sound too critic. But as we touched the subject, I will try to say something. And I can say, this is bullshit. It's the government trying to show the outsiders that they care, whereas in reality they don't.

Some weeks ago, there was a hostage operation in Rio where a kidnapper was holding a victim with a handgrenade, and for the first time ever in brazil's history, they did something 'different' about it, they called in a sniper who headshot the guy, when usually they would call a negotiator and get stalled for hours, hoping for the worst. People were surprised, I think people could even doubt if they were really living in this country.

Now last year in Sao Paulo there were another critical hostage situation where a guy, held two girls (one his ex-girlfriend) in an apartment with a handgun. The situation got stalled, with negotiator in an out and no solution, then after more than 100 hours the worst happened, one girl got shot and died and the other was injured. Now one can ask himself why no similar action like above was carried out. I think you got the idea.

So I'm pretty sure, this killing was another bs propaganda for the incoming olympic games, to show how "safe" the country "is", and now I read your article about the wall barriers and can only think the answer is exactly what you said. Ever heard that saying, "the last one to leave the room, turns out the light..." or something like this. That's what will happen, they are and they will be putting up a show to outsiders see with the walls building and some other bs to come. Then when the olympic games endswe sadly go back to "normal".

Here there's even a popular saying about this, which I can't find an adequate translation, but it goes for something like this: "this a show to americans (meaning outsiders)" usually told when you are trying to impress someone with an interest on silly benefits. I hope you got the idea.

[SealLion]

......
.... I just didn't want to sound too critic. .....

You can say and critic what-ever's on your mind at any time.
That's kind of what I'm doing here.
If this wasn't a discussion forum (other than a cheater's den), then I don't know what we're supposed to be.

There's over 6 billion people on the planet. I think taht we all have our own opinions, yes??

Now last year in Sao Paulo there were another critical hostage situation where a guy, held two girls (one his ex-girlfriend) in an apartment with a handgun. The situation got stalled, with negotiator in an out and no solution, then after more than 100 hours the worst happened, one girl got shot and died and the other was injured. Now one can ask himself why no similar action like above was carried out. I think you got the idea.

Most likely b/c they didn't want a repeat of what happened last year in SaoPaulo, then, yes??

I think that's what you meant, yes??

I can see the logic of that. To prevent another needless hostage death as well as long hours trying to negotiate with a hostage taker all with the possibility of no-win situation occuring again.

I'd be curious to know if having a police sniper would be a trend to follow in future occurances.

To show the bad-guys some muscle.
Muscle on steroids with a full show of guns, police tanks, 100 cops in baklava's, snipers on 20 different roof tops, and so forth.
Overkill is what I'd call it.

So I'm pretty sure, this killing was another bs propaganda for the incoming olympic games, to show how "safe" the country "is", and now I read your article about the wall barriers and can only think the answer is exactly what you said........

.

I think I understand your point.
I think it would also demonstrate how Brazilian authorities want outsiders looking in, to see how Brazilian police would deal with potential trouble-makers.
that is to impress outsiders.

Just like you say below in the quote.....

Here there's even a popular saying about this, which I can't find an adequate translation, but it goes for something like this: "this a show to americans (meaning outsiders)" usually told when you are trying to impress someone with an interest on silly benefits. I hope you got the idea.

I think that what you say here is pretty much in line with what I said above.


Overall, it's not the people in the favelas that are of any concern.

It's the idea and impression that they want to give to the world when people come to Brazil during the Olympics.

They don't want the visitors to see anything unsightly.

They don't want anyone to see the favelas, the conditions that people there live in, the poverty, the big mess that's there, the lack of sewage systems, the next to no heating that must exist in some of the shanty housing there, the next to no-lighting in some areas as well, the scenes of people from the favelas digging in the garbage dumps to find things that they themselves can use for thier own livelyhood such as thrown out pots and pans, maybe even leftover food for those that are even less fortunate than others already in the favelas, and so on and so on.......