Santa Teresa "occupation" scheduled for Monday

I read on Twitter, via Jornal do Brasil, that the Bope is going to go into Santa Teresa favelas on Monday as part of the plan to take Rio back.  

What's with the warning?  

While people would like to think that drug traffickers aren't sophisticated enough to be following the Jornal do Brasil on Twitter, much less knowing how to use a computer in the first place, it's just not the case. Hell, we all know about the famous trafficker who had a deep respect for the artist known as Justin Bieber.  This only proves that traffickers are crazy people with their fingers in the randomest of pies. 

So why in the hell is the mayor sharing his upcoming plans? Would it not make far more sense for them to keep their mouths shut and, I don't know, sneak in and surprise people?

I think there's one of two options going on here.  First, the Government and traffickers are tired. They just feel it's better to play ball with each other. Government gives them a warning, traffickers run away, government "takes over" the favela, and everyone is happy.  No harm, no shooting. 

The other option is that the Bope is going black ops on our asses and will be sneaking in earlier or later. They will pop in at 1145pm on Sunday night and catch the traffickers unexpectedly. I mean, it would totally work. No one in Brazil shows up early for a party. It would be completely unexpected.  

Honestly though, the real business between the government, police, and traffickers is one we are not privy to. 

Personally, I think they all get together after the fact, drink fresh made Brazilian coffee, do lines of cocaine, and rock out to a little Bieber. 

But what do I know? I'm just one of the little sheep.  

Amnesty International can Kiss this Rio de Janeiro Resident's...

Check out this quote from Amnesty International:


“This violence is totally unacceptable but the police response has put communities at risk. The authorities must ensure that the security and well-being of the broader population comes first and foremost in any operation carried out in residential areas,” said Patrick Wilcken, Amnesty International’s Brazil researcher.

According to the Municipal Education Secretary, 17 schools and 12 creches have been closed in Rio this week, leaving more than 12,000 children without education. Thousands across the north zone of the city have been unable to go to work and large numbers of residents have been left without water or electricity.

“The current wave of criminal violence is symptomatic of wider failures throughout the criminal justice system,” said Patrick Wilcken. 

My favorite was the leaving children without education. Oh my goodness, how dare they! A 3 year old's need to learn numbers comes before the fact that crazy drug traffickers are running around with potentially crazier police men after them.  Well, Maracana should have been turned into an impromptu school so no one missed out on their education during all this. 


HELLO! Which country are you talking about again?!  Is it just me or if crime in a city gets this bad, don't you think a couple of days of missed school is beside the point. If you want to talk about school, talk about the amount of children who just don't go in the first place and the fact that they are not forced to.  We're struggling with public safety people, don't even get us started on the faltering public education system. 

And please try not to shoot residences. Thank goodness Amnesty international came out and gave that statement. I'm sure the police and drug traffickers haven't realized that they are putting other people in danger. I bet if they hadn't said anything, the people themselves wouldn't even realize they are in danger.  My question is, why aren't they there, in the favela, handing out yellow jumpsuits to the drug traffickers and red ones to the policemen? Easier targets make gunfights safer for everyone.  Don't forget your protective goggles.

I know that you, Amnesty International, are just trying to take care of the world. And Patrick, I bet your research is top notch. But sometimes, just on special occasions such as these, maybe you should keep your mouth shut and watch with the rest of the world. That is, unless you are physically in there, you know, trying to make sure kids are getting their education.

Maybe I'm being a little defensive. Ok, quite possibly I'm being very defensive.  But to make a statement stating the obvious while managing to sound condescending, well no one talks about my city like that except for me, thank you very much!