Assault on Precincto 13. (Or whatever Precinct is in Portuguese)

Manic Moran

No commentary on the boards so far about the small little goings-on in Brazil the last couple of days? Or are two Latin American threads enough?

For those not paying attention, Brazil transferred some crime bosses to high security prisons. In response, there were co-ordinated assaults on police stations around Sao Paolo, resulting in some eighty dead the first two days, of whom 54 were police. Sao Paolo's governor declined federal assistance, saying that he felt things would shortly come under control. Day three saw 33 killed, only one of whom was a police officer. The civil disturbance continues, this is a slightly bigger problem than the riots in France which got a lot of coverage.

Is there any country in South America not going to pot? Chile, maybe? Paraguay?

NTM

Jimboo_Jones

I didn't realise that so many of the dead where police offices, I just assumed that most where inmates.

It seems like the gangs in Brazil wield a hell of a lot of power - I remember reading an article in the paper which basically states that some of the prisons are run by gangs.

zuma

Manic Moran wrote:

No commentary on the boards so far about the small little goings-on in Brazil the last couple of days? Or are two Latin American threads enough?

For those not paying attention, Brazil transferred some crime bosses to high security prisons. In response, there were co-ordinated assaults on police stations around Sao Paolo, resulting in some eighty dead the first two days, of whom 54 were police. Sao Paolo's governor declined federal assistance, saying that he felt things would shortly come under control. Day three saw 33 killed, only one of whom was a police officer. The civil disturbance continues, this is a slightly bigger problem than the riots in France which got a lot of coverage.

Is there any country in South America not going to pot? Chile, maybe? Paraguay?

NTM

If the same things were happening in France it would be all over the news simply because there is a far greater chance of people travelling to France for the weekend or Holidays than Brazil.

Parsley

Manic Moran wrote:

Is there any country in South America not going to pot? Chile, maybe? Paraguay?

NTM

Well actually it's pretty much just Brazil that's going to pot. Colombia too but they've been f*cked up for years.

Victor

Jimboo_Jones wrote:

It seems like the gangs in Brazil wield a hell of a lot of power - I remember reading an article in the paper which basically states that some of the prisons are run by gangs.

Most prisons, anywhere in the world are run by gangs.

mike65

'Brazil is a far away country of which we know little' to paraphase.

Its the sort of thing one expects down there - diagos etc.

Mike.

Jimboo_Jones

I dont know if they are run to the same extent as Brazil though, at least I hope not.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4770097.stm

460 gaurds taken hostage this year so far...

johnthesavage

Manic Moran wrote:

No commentary on the boards so far about the small little goings-on in Brazil the last couple of days? Or are two Latin American threads enough?

The other threads are about attempts by powerful American and European corporations, and their servants in government and media, to destabilise and remove democratically elected governments. This thread is about organised crime gangs/mafia; apart from the continent I don't see the connection.

True, the trouble in Brazil is far worse than anything that happened in France, but France is closer to here and that's why it received more coverage. I expect the riots in France received less coverage in South America.

mike65 wrote:

Its the sort of thing one expects down there - diagos etc.

Mike.

What's a diago?

dahamsta

Guinness without the head I'd imagine.

lostexpectation

your right manic, but France was unprecedented and unexpected, and it suited the media to cry, the moslems or coming the moslem are coming!!!

but thats a hell of alot of people to die, who is more crooked the cops or the convicts?

Manic Moran

lostexpectation wrote:

but thats a hell of alot of people to die, who is more crooked the cops or the convicts?

You know, I'm not sure the police are all that crooked down there. I think it's just crime has spiralled out of control as a combination of the economic situation and cultural factors.

NTM

Sand

You know, I'm not sure the police are all that crooked down there. I think it's just crime has spiralled out of control as a combination of the economic situation and cultural factors.

NTM

There was a documentary as part of the DVD of City of God (good film too) that was about the street gangs and the paramilitary police units fighting them in Rio - two points that stuck with me are that the Chief of Police bluntly admitted that many officers within his force were corrupt, and that the establishment preferred a corrupt police force, and secondly the lieutenant with the paramilitaries was bitterly complaining that one of the biggest suppliers of weaponry to the street gangs was corrupt cops selling weapons en masse from the impound and police armouries. With the result that some street gangs are better equipped and armed than the paramilitaries fighting them.

The veangence attacks between the criminals and the police arent surprising - generally when police do arrest gang members theyre followed by large groups of women who refuse to go away so to prevent the possibility of a prisoner being "shot whilst trying to escape". The gangs dont take prisoners in the first place...

This doesnt mean the gangs are some underdog heros - theyre vicious scum who terrorise their own neighbourhoods, but the cops are definitly corrupt. To boot, I dont think many in the Brazillian establishment will give a damn if the cops ignore due process - as far as the Chief of Police understood from his experience with the government, his job was to keep the slums under control, not to enforce the law.

Dirk Gently

Sand wrote:

There was a documentary as part of the DVD of City of God (good film too) that was about the street gangs and the paramilitary police units fighting them in Rio - two points that stuck with me are that the Chief of Police bluntly admitted that many officers within his force were corrupt, and that the establishment preferred a corrupt police force, and secondly the lieutenant with the paramilitaries was bitterly complaining that one of the biggest suppliers of weaponry to the street gangs was corrupt cops selling weapons en masse from the impound and police armouries. With the result that some street gangs are better equipped and armed than the paramilitaries fighting them.

The veangence attacks between the criminals and the police arent surprising - generally when police do arrest gang members theyre followed by large groups of women who refuse to go away so to prevent the possibility of a prisoner being "shot whilst trying to escape". The gangs dont take prisoners in the first place...

This doesnt mean the gangs are some underdog heros - theyre vicious scum who terrorise their own neighbourhoods, but the cops are definitly corrupt. To boot, I dont think many in the Brazillian establishment will give a damn if the cops ignore due process - as far as the Chief of Police understood from his experience with the government, his job was to keep the slums under control, not to enforce the law.

For the history records on boards, please note that clown bag agrees with sand on this occasion. excellent Documentary by the way.
From the reports on BBC news 24 it looks like the situation is well out of control. Looks like a massive gang war, with the police being one of the gangs involved.

Feel free to save this post as a reference to me agreeing with sand might be worth some money in the future.

oscarBravo

Dude, I've already printed it off and framed it.

Agreed, btw - great film and documentary.

Dirk Gently

After the mention of City of God I searched my DVDs for another film I have here on the subject of Brazil- police and gangs.

It’s called Bus 174 and well worth a viewing for some perspective on the problems in Brazil. I rate it up there alongside city of God.

Sand

For the history records on boards, please note that clown bag agrees with sand on this occasion......Feel free to save this post as a reference to me agreeing with sand might be worth some money in the future

In fairness Clownbag, a fair few posters of opposing viewpoints have posted similar to the above over time - though I dont recall who tbh. It only concerns me in that I have to re-check my post to ensure its the other poster being right for once and not myself being mistaken.

lostexpectation

Manic Moran wrote:

You know, I'm not sure the police are all that crooked down there. I think it's just crime has spiralled out of control as a combination of the economic situation and cultural factors.

NTM

you go on believing that, you've been trained to meanwhile in the real world.

Dirk Gently

Sand wrote:

In fairness Clownbag, a fair few posters of opposing viewpoints have posted similar to the above over time - though I dont recall who tbh. It only concerns me in that I have to re-check my post to ensure its the other poster being right for once and not myself being mistaken.

Stop lying, no one ever agrees with you, ever! (Its not often I get that horrendous green smiley out)

Ahh seriously though, good post, it's classic sand and I wouldn't expect any less from you.