Daily Routine of Violence in the Peripheries of Rio de Janeiro Increase with Pan American

In order to build the stadiums and the Olympic villages, poor communities were evicted without any kind of compensation or guarantee of dwelling in another place. Besides that the work conditions during the construction were extremely bad which generated the stoping of the work and an indicative of strike in one of the stadium (João Havelange), in Engenho Novo district.

The costs of the event were miscalculated and were ten times more than the initial prediction. In February, with the delayed work, that expense was estimated around 1.5 billion reais. But in order to make things go faster, the cost of the construction increased. Today only in the security area the costs are calculated around 562 million reais.

Sérgio Cabral, State Governer, despite his commitment to put an end to Caveirão - a vehicle used by the police to enter the slums - did not fulfill as announced, but purchased other vehicles and requested the presence of the Army during the Games. Not pleased with this, Cabral traveled to Colombia, a country known for the violation of human rights, to learn how they fight drug traffic in Bogota.

The Military Police operations, far from diminishing the drug and weapons trafficking, have only caused terror and death. Data from the Public Security Institute of Rio de Janeiro show exactly that, while the number of drugs apprehensions and weapons diminished, the number of dead police and police victims increased. Even the number of prisons has diminished. This indicates that the police operations have orders to kill and not to take prisoners.

Social movements such as the Campaign Against the Caveirão and the Network of Communities and Movements Against the Violence are making sure that the extermination politics promoted by the government are not forgotten. In March, an Assembly against the Caveirão took place, involving more movements and groups. The Assembly is already showing positive results, with activities of the communication commission, that are producing a video and vignettes for community and free radios, and the expansion of the Campaign trying to get more people involved.

The Network Against the Violence produced a document about the politics of public security in the Pan American Games. This document was also released in Europe, during the G8 meeting (see pictures). After the protests, two representatives of the social movements remain in Europe, divulging the document and carrying out activities denouncing the extermination police and terror against the poor communities in Rio de Janeiro.

As if the situation wasn't tragic enough, during the Games, Rio de Janeiro will be on State of Exception. That means that no public manifestation will be allowed without the approval of the Brazilian Intelligence Agency (Abin) and of the Senasp (National Office of Home Security). Besides that, secret agents of several countries (including the CIA) will be assisting in this task. Abin itself affirmed that "professional" protest organizers can be monitored during the whole period of the event.

President Lula affirmed that the model applied in Rio de Janeiro can serve as a model to be applied in other cities of Brazil. Social movements are asking civil society not to let this model spreed, and to reverse the setting that is being installed in Rio.