http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1079420289137&p=1012571727085 Inside Rio De Janeiro, there are favelas (slums) where drug dealing, theft and murders are commonplace, as portrayed in "City of God." The police don't go in and every once in a while, the residents of the favelas come out and wreak havoc on tourists and residents. One form of, ahem, "Fundraising" they employ is to set truck tires on fire across the freeway and loot the stuck motorists! Now it seems that they are attempting to simply wall them in and forget them...a la "Escape from NY" Interesting concept or no? Effective? Even though there would be hell to pay for anyone who would even suggest something like that here, would it be a viable solution in any particular urban area (within the US) where crime is out of control? Thoughts. DL
What if Rio Di Janeiro's El Presidente's plane crashes in the area? Is Snake still able and willing to go in there and kick some arse?
He ain't kiddin' "The proposal comes after yet another wave of violence rocked parts of the city during the Easter holidays, shutting down commerce, and killing 10 people, including civilians, police and gang members. More than 1,200 police officials on Monday occupied Rocinha and Vidigal, two slums in southern Rio de Janeiro, only a stone's throw from the city's famous beaches. Their patrols will seek to re-establish public order. The unrest broke out when a rival gang on Friday sought to invade and occupy Rocinha, Latin America's largest shantytown, in an attempt to control the drug trade and steal cars. The episode illustrates not only the power of drug traffickers in Rio but also the ineffectiveness of the police. Hidden TV cameras have repeatedly filmed police officials and prison guards turning a blind eye on drug traffickers and even taking bribes from them. Parts of Rocinha at the weekend resembled a battlefield. Drug gangs armed with grenades and machine guns, fired relentlessly and local residents were caught in the crossfire. One woman was killed late on Friday as she tried to break through a roadblock set up by gang members and one man was killed on his porch early on Monday by a stray bullet. Several inhabitants abandoned the neighbourhood with their belongings."
I also understand in the past the Rio POlice round up beggar children, who are never seen again. Easier and cheaper than trying to create jobs. "Even though there would be hell to pay for anyone who would even suggest something like that here, would it be a viable solution in any particular urban area (within the US) where crime is out of control?" ....South Central LA, Oakland, East Palo Alto, Detroit, most of D.C., parts of Miami, Cabrini Green, Bed/Sty N.Y. and most corporate board rooms would all be good candidates.
