Travelling to Rio

Someone posted his experience in this NG, about parking a rental car
in Rio with unneeded assistance from a local guy. When he did not
give the guy enough money, his rental car was later gouged from head
to tail...

I did not have a car in Rio so I did not experience this Brazilian
parking "system." I know it exists in other MAFIA-controlled cities
such as Venice, Pisa ... in Italy, where parkings are at premium. The
tour guides all said they have to pay up every time. If not, their
vehicles will suffer expensive damages, broken lights, gouged paints,
flat tires etc...If they keep resisting, they may be liable for
personal beatings! They said the parking collectors there actually
work for the MAFIA, collecting fees from cars, vans, tour buses
etc...They keep track of people who park regularly. The MAFIA actually
"owns" the parking rights on those busy streets, and puts people there
to collect.

After visiting Rio, I went to Sao Paolo, visiting a friend who is a
high-ranking government official. He took me around in Sao Paolo in
his car. When we stopped and parked his car near the park with the
large cement monument (people exiting a boat...), guess what? A
young, scruffy guy immediately showed up, directing the parking with
an air of unmistaken authority! My friend immediately forked over a
bill for this guy. I think it was a 2-reais note. There were hundreds
of other cars parked around that monument and the park, so this is a
big business, not a pittance, compared to the per capita GDP of
US$3800 for Brazil!

I innocently (!) asked my friend why he had to pay someone to park on
public streets. He said he just wanted to give the guy some money,
then avoided discussing the issue further!

He also steafastly refused to hand my camera to other people near that
monument to take pictures for us, probably because he's a nice guy,
and not because he's afraid that these people may run away with my
camera...hahaha!
He's a Brazilian government official for Christ sake, and by the way
he acted, I truly believe the Brazilian govermnent has tacitly ceded
the controls of their cities to organized criminals and the common
thugs on the streets. Brazilian politicians are too busy improving
their popularity with the population by bashing the US and
photographing/finger printing US citizens...

Now I think the Rio hotel staffs, who refused to assist tourists in
distress, are probably fearful of reprisals by thugs with
organized-crime connections. They acted like they never saw or hear
anything! No wonder a few of the self-declared residents of Brazil in
this thread also acted fearful of the criminals, conveniently blaming
the crimes on the victims! They did not spell out the obvious
requirements for safety: Stay in your hotels and order room services;
only tour the cities in armored cars with bonded and armed body
guards...

Along with average guys in Rio who would p*ss in front of everyone on
the sidwalks and on someone else's cars in broad day light, and the
people in this thread who conveniently blame the crimes on the
victims....Some Brazilians and residents of Brazil do appear to have
probably the worst, the most uncivil attitudes among the peoples I
visited!



(JB) wrote in message . com...
Peterpan,

you've seen a lot of crosstalk showing you the fact from basically two
different points of view, both were im my first post. Don't let some
harsh posts from some scb participants upset you. For some of them the
points I summarize below are so obvious that they are upset to find
somenone that ignores them.

First, don't walk after dark in any big city, unless you're looking
for trouble. It may be a valid advice even in your home town. Big
cities are, and have always been, a hideout for criminals because it's
the best place to be anonymous. Nighttime, again, is favourable to
such people. It seems you're kind of romantic and like to walk alone
at night, when everything looks different. But be realistic: it's not
wise to do it in big cities, dark and empty streets. That's what Kurko
meant whith "Actually these "thugs" should've removed you from the
genepool". The thugs were a lot wiser than you. They were exploring
"their" area as the spider inspects its net, and they are never alone.
You're very lucky. When I saw the list of cities where you walked by
at night I was astonished. For your information, I avoid Barata
Ribeiro (and many other places) at night, even by car.

Second, don't generalize, mainly when you're extending to a whole
country the impressions you've got from a big city at night. It's not
wise, again.

Brazil (and other countries as well) have thousands of fine places to
go and have big fun. Why do people insist in big cities, that look
almost the same all over the world. But if you really want to go,
don't forget the first paragraph.

Little Pete's ego got really hurt, didn't it?

Well, let's face some facts. I've been travelling all over the world and
what I have learned so far.

1. In every major city, DO NOT TRUST ANYONE. What is this, in which city
you can give your
camera to unknown person to take pics for you? Well MAYBE in Helsinki,
Finland but on the otherhand Helsinki is not a major city.

2. If you are stupid and roam around the streets during the night,
especially dark ones,
you have a tendency of getting mugged. Lil Pete was extremely lucky to get
out alive,
which he doesn't understand.

3. In 3rd world countries there are JOBS like parking attendants. These
guys have
actually licence to operate as such (atleast in Rio they do). There is no
MAFIA involved here, just some people trying to get their livelihood with
honest way (read
not robbing the tourists).

I suggest that Pete should stop whining now, go home, to land of "brave"
and home
of "free" and stay there. You simply can not blame others for your own
mistake.

And in the end: Yes I do know about all problems in Brasil, but it is none
of our business.
Let brasilians solve/live with their problems. We simply can't go to
another country
and start telling them what they should do. When visiting different
countries you have to accept the problems as they exist, follow the goddamn
instructions.

Kurko

On 11 Mar 2004 12:18:00 -0800, P E T E R P A N
wrote:

Someone posted his experience in this NG, about parking a rental car
in Rio with unneeded assistance from a local guy. When he did not
give the guy enough money, his rental car was later gouged from head
to tail...

I did not have a car in Rio so I did not experience this Brazilian
parking "system." I know it exists in other MAFIA-controlled cities
such as Venice, Pisa ... in Italy, where parkings are at premium. The
tour guides all said they have to pay up every time. If not, their
vehicles will suffer expensive damages, broken lights, gouged paints,
flat tires etc...If they keep resisting, they may be liable for
personal beatings! They said the parking collectors there actually
work for the MAFIA, collecting fees from cars, vans, tour buses
etc...They keep track of people who park regularly. The MAFIA actually
"owns" the parking rights on those busy streets, and puts people there
to collect.

After visiting Rio, I went to Sao Paolo, visiting a friend who is a
high-ranking government official. He took me around in Sao Paolo in
his car. When we stopped and parked his car near the park with the
large cement monument (people exiting a boat...), guess what? A
young, scruffy guy immediately showed up, directing the parking with
an air of unmistaken authority! My friend immediately forked over a
bill for this guy. I think it was a 2-reais note. There were hundreds
of other cars parked around that monument and the park, so this is a
big business, not a pittance, compared to the per capita GDP of
US$3800 for Brazil!

I innocently (!) asked my friend why he had to pay someone to park on
public streets. He said he just wanted to give the guy some money,
then avoided discussing the issue further!

He also steafastly refused to hand my camera to other people near that
monument to take pictures for us, probably because he's a nice guy,
and not because he's afraid that these people may run away with my
camera...hahaha!
He's a Brazilian government official for Christ sake, and by the way
he acted, I truly believe the Brazilian govermnent has tacitly ceded
the controls of their cities to organized criminals and the common
thugs on the streets. Brazilian politicians are too busy improving
their popularity with the population by bashing the US and
photographing/finger printing US citizens...

Now I think the Rio hotel staffs, who refused to assist tourists in
distress, are probably fearful of reprisals by thugs with
organized-crime connections. They acted like they never saw or hear
anything! No wonder a few of the self-declared residents of Brazil in
this thread also acted fearful of the criminals, conveniently blaming
the crimes on the victims! They did not spell out the obvious
requirements for safety: Stay in your hotels and order room services;
only tour the cities in armored cars with bonded and armed body
guards...

Along with average guys in Rio who would p*ss in front of everyone on
the sidwalks and on someone else's cars in broad day light, and the
people in this thread who conveniently blame the crimes on the
victims....Some Brazilians and residents of Brazil do appear to have
probably the worst, the most uncivil attitudes among the peoples I
visited!



(JB) wrote in message
. com...
Peterpan,

you've seen a lot of crosstalk showing you the fact from basically two
different points of view, both were im my first post. Don't let some
harsh posts from some scb participants upset you. For some of them the
points I summarize below are so obvious that they are upset to find
somenone that ignores them.

First, don't walk after dark in any big city, unless you're looking
for trouble. It may be a valid advice even in your home town. Big
cities are, and have always been, a hideout for criminals because it's
the best place to be anonymous. Nighttime, again, is favourable to
such people. It seems you're kind of romantic and like to walk alone
at night, when everything looks different. But be realistic: it's not
wise to do it in big cities, dark and empty streets. That's what Kurko
meant whith "Actually these "thugs" should've removed you from the
genepool". The thugs were a lot wiser than you. They were exploring
"their" area as the spider inspects its net, and they are never alone.
You're very lucky. When I saw the list of cities where you walked by
at night I was astonished. For your information, I avoid Barata
Ribeiro (and many other places) at night, even by car.

Second, don't generalize, mainly when you're extending to a whole
country the impressions you've got from a big city at night. It's not
wise, again.

Brazil (and other countries as well) have thousands of fine places to
go and have big fun. Why do people insist in big cities, that look
almost the same all over the world. But if you really want to go,
don't forget the first paragraph.





--
Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/

Petey.

You're simply wrong. Don't you see that. American's are not the "superior"
race
on earth. You simply can't go around the world and tell other people how to
run their life. Try to get a grip of reality here!

Kurko

On 11 Mar 2004 11:28:16 -0800, P E T E R P A N
wrote:

Yeah right!

Lock your stupid, cowardly loser's self inside your little apartment.
Tour the streets of Rio only in armored vehicles with armed
bodyguards.... Then you will solve the crime problems in Rio...

Welcome to the country of dumb, unprincipled losers!


Kurko wrote in message
...
Thank you for your kind words.

Now lets correct one assumption you have made. I'm not brasilian, though
I lived there
for a while.

If this PETER PAN were an intelligent being he would already know my
nationality.

I rest my case.

Kurko




--
Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/

I think PETER PAN refers to my posting about crime/pickpocket aviodance
guide in a thread
further down here (rec.travel.latin-america).
I was the one who experienced the problem with the self-appointed parking
attendant.
I think there are at least two kinds of parking attendants. Official ones (I
think I have heard
that they have som kind of cloth or id to be sure they are official) and
self-appointed ones.
The one I met certainly looked highly unofficial to say the least. But from
there to say that
he is into some organised crime and mafia is taking it a bit far (but of
course I do not know that).
Can anyone shed some light on the facts here? Are there official and
self-appointed parking
attendants, or just official ones in Rio? I think I know the answer, but
would like a more
qualified statement than my own here.

Borge

"Kurko" wrote in message
news
3. In 3rd world countries there are JOBS like parking attendants. These
guys have
actually licence to operate as such (atleast in Rio they do). There is no
MAFIA involved here, just some people trying to get their livelihood with
honest way (read
not robbing the tourists).

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/americ...carnival.reut/

Three policemen killed, ten wounded in ambush in Rio de Janeiro
Monday, February 16, 2004 Posted: 10:31 AM EST (1531 GMT)

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) -- Three policemen were killed and 10
wounded in Rio de Janeiro when gunmen ambushed the bus in which they
were traveling in a new outburst of violence days before the annual
Carnival, police said Monday.

The policemen were returning from a security shift at the Maracana
stadium Sunday evening after an important soccer game between rival
Rio teams Vasco and Flamengo.

The bus was passing by a shanty town along the busy Avenida Brasil
thoroughfare on the city outskirts when it ran into a hail of bullets
from assault rifles and a machine gun.

The bus was completely destroyed. Police said they were investigating
the attack and did not comment further. Drug gangs control many of
Rio's slums.

Last year, the federal government deployed army units to safeguard
Carnival jamborees in the tourist mecca of Rio following a wave of
gang-related violence that included attacks on police posts, city
buses and even tourism spots.

Rio authorities have since toughened their fight against organized
crime and such incidents have become more rare recently. They say the
attacks are normally retaliation by drug gangs for tough police action
against them.

The oceanside city, where murder rates are among the highest in the
world, is swarming with tourists for five days of Carnival parades and
all-night reveling. The pre-Lenten festival officially kicks off
Friday, but loud samba processions have already taken to the streets.



"B H" wrote in message ...
I think PETER PAN refers to my posting about crime/pickpocket aviodance
guide in a thread
further down here (rec.travel.latin-america).
I was the one who experienced the problem with the self-appointed parking
attendant.
I think there are at least two kinds of parking attendants. Official ones (I
think I have heard
that they have som kind of cloth or id to be sure they are official) and
self-appointed ones.
The one I met certainly looked highly unofficial to say the least. But from
there to say that
he is into some organised crime and mafia is taking it a bit far (but of
course I do not know that).
Can anyone shed some light on the facts here? Are there official and
self-appointed parking
attendants, or just official ones in Rio? I think I know the answer, but
would like a more
qualified statement than my own here.

Borge

"Kurko" wrote in message
news
3. In 3rd world countries there are JOBS like parking attendants. These
guys have
actually licence to operate as such (atleast in Rio they do). There is no
MAFIA involved here, just some people trying to get their livelihood with
honest way (read
not robbing the tourists).

http://www.namibian.com.na/2002/june...2682E9E71.html

Thursday, June 13, 2002 - Web posted at 10:20:39 am GMT

Dead reporter unmasked Rio's macabre underworld

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, June 13 (Reuters) - The murder of a leading
Brazilian reporter who worked on a story about sex abuse and drugs in
a Rio de Janeiro slum shone a spotlight on the thin line dividing the
city's normal life from macabre underworld where drug gangs reign.


Answering accusations by reporter Tim Lopes' relatives that his
employer Globo television had failed to protect him, Globo editors
said Lopes was reporting in a public place, in a popular neighborhood,
and not on a clandestine event.

Indeed, hillside shantytowns that sprawl above the city's picturesque
skyline are home to hundreds of thousands of people who live in misery
but earn their bread honestly working as cleaning maids, waiters and
elevator boys in the city.

But dozens of gangs of gun-toting hoodlums who run the lucrative drug
and arms trade also operate in the slums.

Lopes, winner of the prestigious Esso prize for television journalists
last year for a report on an open-air drugs market, was this time
investigating a tip-off from residents of a slum about drugs and sex
abuse during wild dance parties.

Lopes, 51, had entered the Cruzeiro slum four times, twice reporting
with a hidden camera.

On June 9, a week after Lopes went missing, Rio police said a drug
lord known as Elias "the Mad" had tortured him and then shot him to
death.

Police arrested four suspects on Sunday and received the evidence from
them. Elias, who received his nickname for his extremely violent
methods, is at large.

Charred fragments and traces of blood were found in a cave near the
slum last week.

RISKY ASSIGNMENTS

Lopes' brother-in-law Andre Martins accused Globo of sending Lopes to
risky assignments and failing to protect him.

"He risked a lot, but he always acted on Globo's consent, fulfilling
its orders. It's the channel that has to evaluate risks, not the
reporter," Martins, in tears, told Reuters.

Workers Party parliamentary deputy Carlos Minc said some 700,000
people among Rio's 8 million live in slums run by drug gangs "in a
land without a state."

"They have the law of silence, curfew and have to produce foot
soldiers for gang wars," he said. "It's a return to barbarian times."

Drug gangs often outnumber and outgun the police force, and police are
accused of being on the bandits' payroll.

"The important thing is that residents were looking for help in the
media and not public authorities ... and it seems that we now cannot
do our work anymore," said Francisco Otavio, a colleague of Lopes who
also reports on crime.

"There used to be certain respect for journalists up the hill (in the
slums) that allowed peaceful coexistence, but now we run the risk of
turning into a Medellin," Otavio said, referring to the crime-ridden
Colombian city notorious for being the base of a drug cartel.

Lopes' murder was the first killing of a journalist from a nationwide
media outlet by drug gangs in Brazil, and prompted expressions of
indignation and concern by local and international media
organizations.

KILLINGS AND DANCE PARTIES

DNA tests of the remains and blood will be ready this week, police
said, but evidence points that it was Lopes' body been burnt in the
cave after he was shot, police said.

Detective Sergio Falante said the cave served as the venue for
killings in which victims' bodies are squeezed into several car tires
filled with gasoline and set on fire.

"Bandits call it a microwave and use it quite a lot with their
enemies," he said. "It was hard to tell whether we were dealing with
human remains before we found teeth in the mess."

Congressman Minc likened the method to those in Nazi death camps.
"Those who stand up against crime are being burnt in the oven, like in
Auschwitz," he said.

At the same time, police said on Wednesday they had found another body
in a clandestine slum cemetery and they were checking if that could be
Lopes.

Globo said Lopes was investigating a tip-off from slum residents that
drug gangs were hosting wild dance parties, known as "bailes funk," at
which drugs and sex flowed freely to lure new clients from the city
below.

"It seems they organized some kind of an erotic show in which they
offered young girls from the favela," Otavio said.

Bailes features loud music similar to rap, sometimes with songs that
call for killing informants or police, and youths staging mano-a-mano
fights to its beat.

WORKING ON THE EDGE

Lopes' colleagues and police said the journalist must have had an
agreement with the drug lords in order to simply enter the slum.
Strangers are not allowed in, and it is not uncommon for trespassers
to never return from a slum.

"You have to protect yourself by a treaty with the slum lords, but I
imagine filming with a microcamera wasn't part of any treaty," Otavio
said. "Tim always worked on the edge."

Just as in the case of the drugs market, Lopes, who was married and
had a son from a previous marriage, took a spy camera that can be
hidden in clothes on his latest assignment, his colleagues said.

"I'm sure bandits marked him to die since his program about the drug
market, which brought serious damage to them," said Falante, adding
that the slum where the first story was filmed and Cruzeiro were run
by allied gangs.

The Association of Brazilian Newspapers said Lopes' death would not
stop investigative reporters from doing their jobs.

"We declare that this tragedy will not stop us. As a tribute to our
slain colleague and to all Brazilian journalists, we reiterate the
commitment to truth that is our very reason for being," it said in a
statement. Nampa-Reuters





"B H" wrote in message ...
I think PETER PAN refers to my posting about crime/pickpocket aviodance
guide in a thread
further down here (rec.travel.latin-america).
I was the one who experienced the problem with the self-appointed parking
attendant.
I think there are at least two kinds of parking attendants. Official ones (I
think I have heard
that they have som kind of cloth or id to be sure they are official) and
self-appointed ones.
The one I met certainly looked highly unofficial to say the least. But from
there to say that
he is into some organised crime and mafia is taking it a bit far (but of
course I do not know that).
Can anyone shed some light on the facts here? Are there official and
self-appointed parking
attendants, or just official ones in Rio? I think I know the answer, but
would like a more
qualified statement than my own here.

Borge

"Kurko" wrote in message
news
3. In 3rd world countries there are JOBS like parking attendants. These
guys have
actually licence to operate as such (atleast in Rio they do). There is no
MAFIA involved here, just some people trying to get their livelihood with
honest way (read
not robbing the tourists).

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/americ...carnival.reut/

Three policemen killed, ten wounded in ambush in Rio de Janeiro
Monday, February 16, 2004 Posted: 10:31 AM EST (1531 GMT)

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) -- Three policemen were killed and 10
wounded in Rio de Janeiro when gunmen ambushed the bus in which they
were traveling in a new outburst of violence days before the annual
Carnival, police said Monday.

The policemen were returning from a security shift at the Maracana
stadium Sunday evening after an important soccer game between rival
Rio teams Vasco and Flamengo.

The bus was passing by a shanty town along the busy Avenida Brasil
thoroughfare on the city outskirts when it ran into a hail of bullets
from assault rifles and a machine gun.

The bus was completely destroyed. Police said they were investigating
the attack and did not comment further. Drug gangs control many of
Rio's slums.

Last year, the federal government deployed army units to safeguard
Carnival jamborees in the tourist mecca of Rio following a wave of
gang-related violence that included attacks on police posts, city
buses and even tourism spots.

Rio authorities have since toughened their fight against organized
crime and such incidents have become more rare recently. They say the
attacks are normally retaliation by drug gangs for tough police action
against them.

The oceanside city, where murder rates are among the highest in the
world, is swarming with tourists for five days of Carnival parades and
all-night reveling. The pre-Lenten festival officially kicks off
Friday, but loud samba processions have already taken to the streets.




"B H" wrote in message ...
I think PETER PAN refers to my posting about crime/pickpocket aviodance
guide in a thread
further down here (rec.travel.latin-america).
I was the one who experienced the problem with the self-appointed parking
attendant.
I think there are at least two kinds of parking attendants. Official ones (I
think I have heard
that they have som kind of cloth or id to be sure they are official) and
self-appointed ones.
The one I met certainly looked highly unofficial to say the least. But from
there to say that
he is into some organised crime and mafia is taking it a bit far (but of
course I do not know that).
Can anyone shed some light on the facts here? Are there official and
self-appointed parking
attendants, or just official ones in Rio? I think I know the answer, but
would like a more
qualified statement than my own here.

Borge

"Kurko" wrote in message
news
3. In 3rd world countries there are JOBS like parking attendants. These
guys have
actually licence to operate as such (atleast in Rio they do). There is no
MAFIA involved here, just some people trying to get their livelihood with
honest way (read
not robbing the tourists).

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2806981.stm

Friday, 28 February, 2003, 22:46 GMT

Violence mars Rio carnival dawn

Rio's famous carnival celebrations have officially kicked off, after
Friday morning was marred by more street violence between security
forces and drug gangs.

Click here for more pictures
One armed gang of about 30 men initiated a three-hour shoot-out with
police on one of Rio's biggest thoroughfares, Brazilian media
reported.

A motorist died after being shot at point-blank range by one of the
group when he refused to give up his car.

Tens of thousands of armed police - and, for the first time, troops -
have been sent onto the streets to help guard Rio de Janeiro's
carnival following the wave of violence.

'Inferno'

In another incident, 28 terrified passengers on a bus bound for Sao
Paulo threw themselves to the floor when their bus was hit by a hail
of bullets and a Molotov cocktail.

The Brazilian newspaper O Dia said the Avenida Brasil, a dual
carriageway, was "transformed into an inferno: cars screaming off in
the wrong direction, a bus on fire and many bullets".

In addition to the man who died, other motorists were attacked and
ordered to abandon their vehicles in the incident, which occurred
during the early hours of Friday morning local time.

It was the latest in a string of attacks in which over 50 buses have
been torched.

On Monday shopkeepers were forced to close their businesses after
receiving threats.


More than 50 buses have been torched
The violence prompted the Brazilian Government - headed by Workers'
Party President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva - to deploy military police.

He said the population was threatened by "insecurity, unrest and
fear".

Revellers vowed not to let the violence spoil the four days of
carnival, a pre-Lent festival of drinking and dancing.

Alex de Oliveira, who - at 135 kilograms (300 pounds) - was elected
carnival's Rei Momo (Fat King), received the symbolic key to the city
and festivities began.

No soldiers could reportedly be seen as evening approached.

Seaside Freddy

The authorities are blaming the violence on a drugs cartel, the Red
Command, which has thousands of heavily armed followers and controls
many of Rio's shanty towns.


Notorious gang leader "Seaside Freddy" was moved away
They say they intercepted the gang's leader giving orders on a mobile
phone from inside the maximum-security jail where he is a prisoner.

Fernandinho Beira Mar, or Seaside Freddy, as the gang leader is known,
has now been transferred to another prison in the neighbouring state
of Sao Paulo.

With 400,000 visitors expected for the celebrations over the coming
days, the city authorities say they are worried the violence could
affect Rio's tourist industry.

'No worries'

Rio state governor Rosinha Matheus said 36,000 police officers and
3,000 soldiers would keep the peace under an operation dubbed "Safe
Rio".

CARNIVAL
Associated with Christian period of Lent
Brazil samba schools introduced in the 1920s
Nudity officially forbidden in the Rio carnival
Rival carnivals include Trinidad and New Orleans
But our correspondent in Rio, Tom Gibb, says most visitors seem to
have taken little heed of the stories of violence.

Major Gilberto Tenreiro of Rio's tourist police said he thought the
worst was over.

"The violence was a phase that has already passed," he told news
agency Associated Press.

"We are doing everything to make sure tourists can enjoy carnival
without any worries."



"B H" wrote in message ...
I think PETER PAN refers to my posting about crime/pickpocket aviodance
guide in a thread
further down here (rec.travel.latin-america).
I was the one who experienced the problem with the self-appointed parking
attendant.
I think there are at least two kinds of parking attendants. Official ones (I
think I have heard
that they have som kind of cloth or id to be sure they are official) and
self-appointed ones.
The one I met certainly looked highly unofficial to say the least. But from
there to say that
he is into some organised crime and mafia is taking it a bit far (but of
course I do not know that).
Can anyone shed some light on the facts here? Are there official and
self-appointed parking
attendants, or just official ones in Rio? I think I know the answer, but
would like a more
qualified statement than my own here.

Borge

"Kurko" wrote in message
news
3. In 3rd world countries there are JOBS like parking attendants. These
guys have
actually licence to operate as such (atleast in Rio they do). There is no
MAFIA involved here, just some people trying to get their livelihood with
honest way (read
not robbing the tourists).

http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/opin/slogan2.html

A Thin Veil of Beauty
Shrouds Reality in Rio de Janeiro

by Sam Logan
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil


I live in Rio de Janeiro. It is the friendliest town in the world and
arguably the most violent. You always see written in guide books and
on signs in tourist-trap bars here that the locals call this place the
"marvelous city." I never hear anyone say it though. True, Rio de
Janeiro is a beautiful place to live. But daily crime and violence may
soon overshadow the beauty. Many claim it already has.
Marginalized for decades by the Brazilian State, impoverished masses
live in the many slums or favelas that occupy the steep hillsides of
Rio. They live in another world, a Hobbesian world. There is little
other recourse but to live in a modern day fiefdom, where drug lords
impose social order in exchange for silence and soldiers - a form of
forced reciprocity according to Children in Organized Armed Violence
Director, Luke Dowdney.

Drug lords use their money and influence to improve favela life, and
many who live there are content with the help, even if justice for
slight infractions is lethal and swift. Yet many who live in the
favelas admit they rather live under the drug lords. In their eyes,
honesty works in the favela, where as outside, politicians breed lies
and corruption, and policemen shoot first, asking questions, if at
all, later.

Daily favela "blitz" occupations, whereby civil police enter and take
command of a favela, are executed like a military operation in this
city. And the ensuing gun fights between the police and drug soldiers
increase the odds of violent death, whether or not your corpse is
found holding a gun or your child.

Why the favelas are both slums and battlefields is directly related to
a well documented historical trend. Forty years ago purchasing a
pistol, Uzi, AK-47, or grenade was not convenient or necessary for the
masses here. Some people had weapons, but most did not. Over time, the
drug trade and gang institutionalization produced a need for arms.
Brazil is now a leading small arms importer in the world.

Simple economics then explains why drug dealers, thieves, and many
working-class Brazilians, including taxi drivers, now carry a pistol.
Automatic weapons are ubiquitous among gang members. Police retaliate
in kind.

Hand guns, especially revolvers, are more available and cheaper than
ever. According to a clandestine arms dealer, who lives in a favela
here, 50 Brazilian reales (some $18 dollars) buys you a .38 caliber
revolver. Such a low price mixed with a common mistrust of police
results in a serious problem with small arms proliferation. Add
extreme poverty, police corruption, a thriving arms trade and
institutionalized criminal gangs, and you've got the core reason why
Rio de Janeiro is such a dangerous place to live, especially if you
live in a favela or work for the police.

Meanwhile, Brazil's current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has
finally won the coveted post this past year. After eight months as
Brazil's commander in chief, Lula has managed to form a political
coalition in Congress, practice prudent economics and meet some
campaign promises. But crime in Brazil, especially in her cities, is a
problem much more pressing upon the consciousness of all Brazilians,
if not the Executive office. But more pressing is a lack of political
will to generate a genuine social policy to improve life for those who
live in the favela. But they gave up on the Brazilian government long
ago and have chosen what is now known as the "parallel power" to
maintain a social contract.

It seems Lula can do little to implement the social programs that
might begin to change life in the favelas because he is too embroiled
in political disputes over pension and land reform, and international
trade. So until he and the rest of Brazil's privileged politicians
take a sincere approach to educate and employ Brazilians who live on
the margins of society, the shadow of crime in this city will continue
to block out the beautiful light that illuminates the beaches, and the
eyes, of those who live here.

Also see:

Over Four Thousand Small Arms Destroyed on Eve of UN Conference
by Sam Logan
About the author: Sam Logan is a freelance journalist living and
working in Rio de Janeiro. As an American with over five years of life
and experience in Latin America, Sam covers human security and social
development stories in South America. He speaks English, Spanish and
Portuguese and has lived in Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, Chile, and
Brazil since 1998. Sam is from New Orleans, and is currently
completing a Masters in International Policy Studies with the Monterey
Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California.

Published in In Motion Magazine September 28, 2003




"B H" wrote in message ...
I think PETER PAN refers to my posting about crime/pickpocket aviodance
guide in a thread
further down here (rec.travel.latin-america).
I was the one who experienced the problem with the self-appointed parking
attendant.
I think there are at least two kinds of parking attendants. Official ones (I
think I have heard
that they have som kind of cloth or id to be sure they are official) and
self-appointed ones.
The one I met certainly looked highly unofficial to say the least. But from
there to say that
he is into some organised crime and mafia is taking it a bit far (but of
course I do not know that).
Can anyone shed some light on the facts here? Are there official and
self-appointed parking
attendants, or just official ones in Rio? I think I know the answer, but
would like a more
qualified statement than my own here.

Borge

"Kurko" wrote in message
news
3. In 3rd world countries there are JOBS like parking attendants. These
guys have
actually licence to operate as such (atleast in Rio they do). There is no
MAFIA involved here, just some people trying to get their livelihood with
honest way (read
not robbing the tourists).

http://www.namibian.com.na/2002/Octo...289DED645.html

Tuesday, October 1, 2002 - Web posted at 10:33:55 GMT

Drug lords shut Rio de Janeiro; police move in

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Thousands of businesses in
crime-plagued Rio de Janeiro shut down on Monday fearing that drug
lords had ordered a lockdown just days before general elections in
Brazil.



Police commanders sent all units into the streets to try to
re-establish order after many stores and schools failed to open,
including some in the busy city center and the posh South Zone, with
its famous Copacabana and Ipanema beaches.

It was the first time the South Zone had received the alleged orders
from drug lords for businesses to close shop.

"This is unheard of and completely absurd, especially in election
week. All our battalions are in the streets to guarantee safety, all
administrative work has been stopped," police spokesman Maj. Frederico
Caldas told Reuters.

A manager at the Copacabana Palace, one of Rio's most famous luxury
hotels, said the concierge was telling guests it was not safe to go
for a walk and that shops were closed. A worldwide express delivery
service and several banks were shut in the center.

Residents of the Ipanema neighborhood awoke to the sound of machinegun
fire and complained that they could not buy food.

Authorities were unsure whether the order was authentic or a rumor run
amok, but suspected it may be linked to next Sunday's vote.

"We don't want to politicize this act but such interpretations are
unavoidable," Caldas said.

Drug traffickers have long turned Rio's favela slums into "no-go"
areas for police, who only invade them in military-style operations.
Gangs, equipped with machine guns and grenade launchers, often
outnumber and outgun police, and use humble favela residents as human
shields.

No big drug lords had died recently, which is normally the reason for
shop closures, Caldas said. The gangs operate from shantytowns but
have rarely extended the closures beyond a few poor northern
neighborhoods.

SHANTYTOWNS SEIZED

Caldas said police units were seizing control of hillside favelas, or
shantytowns, near districts where businesses were shut, especially
those run by the ruthless Red Command drug gang. Nine people were
arrested for delivering the messages.

President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, on the campaign trail for his
handpicked presidential candidate Jose Serra, tried to soothe worries,
saying the situation was under control.

Police also tried to persuade frightened proprietors to open their
doors. Officers patrolled some neighborhoods, talking to shop owners
who stood behind closed shutters.

But those who reopened doubted police could protect them.

"We are open but are ready to close at any moment. That policing
doesn't help because they stick around and then leave, but what comes
next?" said drug store employee Marcos Ribeiro.

"I feel under siege in this city," said hairdresser Carlos Cabral, who
had closed his shop. He complained gas stations were all closed so he
could not fill up his car and go home.

Rio de Janeiro state Gov. Benedita da Silva, who has tried to clamp
down on crime, is running for the post again in the election, when
Brazilians also elect a new president.

"One of the reasons could be the organized crime's reaction. There
have been 1,700 arrests recently," she said at a news conference. "To
me, it is an orchestrated act with a political connotation."

She said police would reach out to businesses to create a better line
of communication if the orders, or rumors of them, began to spread
anew.

Caldas later said he expected shops to reopen on Tuesday and that
police were ready to act again to contain the worries should another
"order" spread across the city.

(NAMPA/REUTERS)



"B H" wrote in message ...
I think PETER PAN refers to my posting about crime/pickpocket aviodance
guide in a thread
further down here (rec.travel.latin-america).
I was the one who experienced the problem with the self-appointed parking
attendant.
I think there are at least two kinds of parking attendants. Official ones (I
think I have heard
that they have som kind of cloth or id to be sure they are official) and
self-appointed ones.
The one I met certainly looked highly unofficial to say the least. But from
there to say that
he is into some organised crime and mafia is taking it a bit far (but of
course I do not know that).
Can anyone shed some light on the facts here? Are there official and
self-appointed parking
attendants, or just official ones in Rio? I think I know the answer, but
would like a more
qualified statement than my own here.

Borge

"Kurko" wrote in message
news
3. In 3rd world countries there are JOBS like parking attendants. These
guys have
actually licence to operate as such (atleast in Rio they do). There is no
MAFIA involved here, just some people trying to get their livelihood with
honest way (read
not robbing the tourists).