Rio's drug violence: The Olympics and megacities
source: http://blogs.current.com/news/2009/10/21/rios-drug-violence-how-brazils-2016-olympics-presag...
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- afitzgerald
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One of the topics we follow closely here at Current News is the growth of megacities in the developing world. As more and more of the world's citizens leave their farms and take up residence in urban settings, cities like Lagos in Nigeria, Chongqing in China and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil become visions of our possible future.
Rio's winning of the 2016 Olympics was seen by many as a recognition of the growing influence of such cities. This week, however, Rio has been engulfed in violence as its drug gangs have gone toe-to-toe with its police. In this dramatic video you can see that gangs even managed to down a police helicopter.
From the NYTimes:
"For years, the police essentially abandoned the shantytowns, or favelas, that ring the city’s wealthier neighborhoods, following a policy that resembled containment more than enforcement. That allowed drug traffickers to create strongholds where violence is pervasive. And as the downing of the helicopter illustrated, the police have not done enough to slow the flow of weapons into the favelas."
This is the sort of strategy we'll see more and more of in developing megacities as under-resourced municipal services strain under the pressure of rapidly growing populations. The Olympics, as it so often serves to highlight a country, may end up highlighting this escalating drama in Rio.
If you're down in Rio, let us know. We'd love to hear your perspective from down there.
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- Community, Current Tonight, News_Featured, Megacities
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- News, Olympics, Brazil, News_Featured, 4 more
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hunzedog
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this is exactly what happens when you let drug dealers get rich and powerful.......more powerful than the gov,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,. free helicopter ride with purchase of a ton !
- 2 years ago
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hunzedog
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bailey78
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hunzedog:
In that case I will take two of the best green Ya got.
- 2 years ago
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bailey78
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FoosMaster
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I hate to turn this into a legalization issue because the problems there are Far more complicated and involve Major social issues but... Part of the solution, it seems to me, could be the removal of the enormous drug Profits that are fueling the violence. The Only way to remove the profits from the drug gangs is to legalize the drugs and put them under government control and taxation. At least that would help matters a bit, but the social and economic issues still need to be addressed. I don’t have a solution to that.
- 2 years ago
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FoosMaster
