Gangland: Who controls the streets of Rio de janeiro?

by Jon Lee Anderson
Issue: Oct.5, 2009

This article delves into the world of favelas, makeshift Brazilian slums that have sprung up all over the hills of the country. There are now about 1,000 of them, including Cidade de Deus (City of God, where that awesome movie took place).

We focus on one favela, Morro do Dende, where Fernandinho reigns as a mafia-style boss; trafficking drugs, managing his generals, collecting security bribes from local businesses, you know, all the things most senior managers deal with. At his command, entering cars are stopped, raids are conducted, and people are killed or spared.

One interesting note is that despite his limitless power within the favela, he cannot step outside of it since without the protection of his guards, he is a huge target for civil police, military police, rival gangs, and revenge-seekers. He hasn't left his Morro do Dende for 2 years, and "and had been out only twice before that since 2003."

Many of the descriptions of the stacked architecture, open sewers, and "dreadlocked" tangle of stolen electrical wires rang true with my experience visiting a favela in 2003.

The last thing that struck me about the article was that the violence between police and favela lords is relatively recent, and coincides with the shift in perception that the police are just more players in teh same game; taking bribes, offering protection money, and out to make a buck and settle scores.

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