On Patrol With Favela Security

to be helping the people. But whilst it's true that CV generally didn't tax people back in the day, it's not like it used to be. There are now reports of the gang charge in Favela residents for everything from parking spaces to internet access, just like a conventional government. In fact, CV has the resources of the Favela lockdown so well that in some cases they've literally made their

own internet service providers. In this article from twenty twenty two, journalist Graham Slattery details how armed gangs even chased out repair men who've been sent to a terminal to fix what showed as a disruption in service that it definitely was quote as real. Dejenira residents sheltered at home last year, during the deadliest phase of Brazil's COVID nineteen outbreak, Police detective Gabriel Ferrando said he got a tip that something

suspicious was upending local internet service. Access had vanished across broad swaths of Moral for Meiga or the Anhill, a tough neighborhood on the city's north side. When Ferrando quized the technician from a broadband provider tasked with fixing the outage, the worker, who he declined to name, said armed men had chased him away with a warning not to return.

Turns out a new internet provider had claimed this turf, a company whose investors at one time included an accused drug and arms trafficker with ties to Brazil's notorious Red Command crime syndicate. Using stolen property, some of it pilford from the internet provider tim The newcomers soon had their own internet service up and running. Residents could sign up with the new firm or do without end quote until

wasn't the only place affected either. The journalist interviewed almost two dozen telecoms executives, law enforcement officials, and Internet users in Brazil. They also reviewed thousands of pages court documents submitted by the police. What they found was quote an audacious takeover of internet service in dozens of neighborhoods in Brazil's major cities by companies associated with alleged criminals, unafraid

to use force and intimidation to push out rivals. The result is that tens of thousands of Brazilians now depend on unreliable second rate broadband networks, estimated by industry and law enforcement officials to be generating millions of dollars annually for purported crooks. End quote. So all the webbing of telegraph wires above our heads in the favela is part

of CV's telecoms empire. The many different sized antennas and satellite dishes I've seen jerry rigged onto the top of roofs and the sides of Foravella housing provides residents internet and television. Let's call it CV and T. It's the most popular provider in the whole of the favela. Because CV and T is the only provider in the whole of the favela. If you want to serve the Web, you'll be doing it with gang made internet technology, real Favela innovation. In this case, it's a way to make

more money from the citizens of the favela. You could argue, so what why should the local gang not make some extra money from an internet provider. Well, I think the issue is that the residents have no other choice. You CV and T or don't have internet. Tadly a free market if the other competitors are chased away with literal machine guns. In plot Foggatto, we seem to have gained some kind of trust. The gang members are surprised we keep coming back each day, and are definitely more comfortable

with us around than they were at the start. A few have even waived or nodded at us as we moved past them at various checkpoints. We move further up the hills into the shakier heights of the favelas. See As you move higher into the hills of a Brazilian favela, the physical, social, and infrastructural landscape changes dramatically. Favelas are often built on steep land that the formal city avoids. The glass and metal sky rises of the city are

certainly not built on hillsides, ravines, and floodplains. The lower levels of the favela tend to be more accessible and as a result have better access to what limited public infrastructure there is. Over time, these services might extend upwards, but not always. Housing near the base of the favela is usually denser and more established, built from brick, concrete, or, as we've seen, brittle breeze blocks. These homes are often two or more stories, sometimes with small shops or makeshift

businesses on the ground level. As I travel further up into the favela, it's clear that construction becomes a lot more improvised. Buildings on the upper slopes are usually smaller, built from cheaper materials like wood or sheet metal, and many lack proper foundations. The angles of some of these dwellings look as if they're filmed on a fish Eyelans. Outer walls are sometimes bowing with weight, and there are huge water butts hanging off the edges of many homes here,

probably their only chance to get decent water. The jungle landscape becomes more dense also, and so the area is susceptible to landslides, particularly during rainy season. These upper zones are at greater environmental risk and often house the poorest families. One of the main issues here believe it or not is global warming. Amongst all of the guns and the drugs and the violence, even pollution is getting the people here. The community reporting platform rio on watch has covered this

problem extensively. In an article by Karla Regina, she wrote, quote, these phenomena leave some displaced and homeless, forced to live in public shelters or with relatives. Local governments in Brazil generally register them for social rent if they are unable to access public housing programs such as Minhat Casamina Vida, but not everyone affected is covered by these programs, and even when they are, many report the payments received are

lower than the rents charged in the favelas. Thus, many favela residents choose to return to their former addresses to rebuild their homes. Others join the homeless movement, occupying vacant lots or abandoned public and private buildings that are not fulfilling the social function of property as outlined in the Brazilian Constitution. The complete absence of public services in higher perwer of the favelas is alarming. Ravines are giving way,

gradually eroding with each bolt of rain. With a few more storms, which are common in Rio, it's likely these will collapse, wiping away everything and everyone in their way. Tall trees grow on unstable soil and without proper care from the authorities. There are also a cause of concern amongst residents the close to falling onto their houses. It's a tragedy waiting to happen. One of the Favella houses I visited in twenty nineteen used to be occupied by

a woman and her pregnant daughter. Back then, it was already in precarious conditions and did not have electricity. The woman and her daughter cooked outside in their backyard on a makeshift brick stove using charcoal and a refrigerator grill. When I spoke to the pregnant daughter in twenty nineteen, she said she felt no danger living there. She was already used to it, and while almost everything got wet when it rained, she could sleep wherever the rain hadn't fallen.

Today the house is even more run down end quote. In the time we've been here in the Favella, it rained heavily several times. Each roof drips water constantly, and the stream of the brill and uncollected rubbish pushes filth and probably diseased down Some parts of the open hills. One of the few benefits of living higher up in the Favella's dough are the views, if you can call

that a benefit in such poverty. We turn a corner after five minutes, stomping up an almost vertical hill, and agreeted with the natural beauty of the jungle in front of us, lush leaves, thick branches, and green for miles just around the corner. Though on the other side of this strip, the view is the opposite. You can see all the main roads into the Flavella from here, and the normality of the city out in the distance. Suddenly

I hear the crackle of a radio. Behind us, there's a young lad, dressed and a black t shirt with a black cat and blue denim shorts, sat with a few guns at a higher vantage point. He's a lookout, watching here all day and informing his higher ups of any suspicious activity. His plastic chair is placed within a few feet of the front door of a makeshift house. It's decorated out front with a mix of different brightly colored flowers. There's even a little tor toys moving slowly

through the garden. A marvel at the tortoise as the lookout moves around, putting his pistol into the band of his trousers and nodding at us vaguely. He doesn't want to talk, as he's busy working, beats friendly, and he seems chilled out with us around. I reckon he's about sixteen years old. In this area, despite the young gunman keeping watch of everything, there is a lot less going

on and it does feel more peaceful socially. There's also a subtle status hierarchy in some favelas, depending on how high up you are. While in most city ties the higher ground means wealth, in favelas the opposite is often true. As I've said, residents at the bottom tend to have better economic opportunities given their proximity to transport, employment, and services. Those living at the top are usually more isolated and

have to navigate these long, steep hills. It's not uncommon for people to have to carry water, fuel, or even construction materials by hand up the hillside. Community investment and urban upgrading projects typically begin in lower or mid level zones, where access is easier and the property is more stable. Higher up areas tend to be last in line for improvements like lighting, pavements and public spaces. Ultimately, the higher you go in a favela, the more precarious life can

be structurally, environmentally, and economically. I want to go even further up to see what life is like there. Carlos isn't sure. He makes a few calls. After a few minutes, he gets a message. Basically, we have permission, but at our own risk. The motorbike taxis will come to take us further, but one of the gang members has to radio each checkpoint first to let the gang members know not to shoot us as we go past. It's taking him a while to radio each checkpoint on the route

we're headed up. I'm happy about that, as he seems to be doing a thorough job. I absolutely do not want to get shot today or tomorrow or ever. Eventually the bikes turn up. I catch a ride up to the higher parts of Palat Fogato. After a few minutes I arrived first. Not ideal. They've got to go back down to get Carlos. They're pulled up to a wreck area with a load of concrete benches, a children's playground,

and a mesh fence football court. There's around a dozen well armed gang members set around the benches, both young and older. As a unit, they're better around than the shooters we saw further down. These lads have a variety of different long barreled guns and side arms. At their hips. They have AK pattern rifles, AR fifteen platform rifles, fil para and G three A three. With all these guns around just meters away in the courts, kids are playing

football and little children are watching. Gang members all look at each other and certainly then at me and starting to worry they didn't get the message don't shoot the gringo. I put on my friendliest smile wave and I say hi the kind of nod. Then look to an older guy wearing all red with long hair down his back. He's also the first person we've seen in the Favela with a beard. He has a Saga twelve semi auto shotgun slung over his shoulder and a whole belt of

red shotgun shells fastened around his waist. He's like Favella Rambo. He nods to me and smiles white. Everyone relaxes a bit, and Carlos arrives on the back of the bike.

maybe a CV boss lives in this area. The guy with the combat shotgun who will call Red, and a younger member of the local gang are about to head off on a patrol of the area. They ask if we can join them, and they shrug okay, and they lead the way. The patrol is a pretty informal affair. Two gang bangers wander around the area with their guns drawn, but not like they're about to storm the front line.

It's more just in case. The purpose of these patrols is to inspect the various CV checkpoints, to make sure the gang members are all doing their job that and to make sure there's no trouble in the neighborhood. It occurs to me that in a strange way, this is sort of what police back home do in the UK, or at least what they used to do a bobby

on the beat. We call it as in police officers who are assigned to a local area to walk about, make sure things are okay, familiarize the people with the police. Now though generally police in the UK chase after insignificant nonsense and largely shy away from serious crime. I can't even remember the last time I saw a police officer get out of their car for anything other than an arrest,

but the concept still sits in my head. As we walk around the upper levels of this Foravila neighborhood, CV has really taken on the role of the authorities in more ways than one, whether they realize it or not. As we head down some uneven concrete steps out of the more colorful neighborhoods, it becomes clear that actually this area is more impoverished than the lower levels. The stench of shits and sewages in the air. A few people around look addicted to drugs. We move through a checkpoint

and the CV members on it look very high. They giggle and laugh and say hello to us. It's not ideal when they're all armed to the teeth. Red's nods at them, says a few words checks the radio, and we move off down a long set of stairs in a narrow side street halfway. I want to know what would happen if we encounter the police right now, if the police come through here, what happens? Well, if the lads there just said, without hesitation, we shoot a police

straight away, we can't let them into the favela. We can't let them up here. This is not wann to be tough guys shit either. These lads are totally serious. They've probably already done it, almost without a doubt. It's a matter of fact. It happens here regularly. The cops kill them, they kill cops, the cops kill them, they kill cops. It goes on and on. Like players said, this is a war that will probably last till the

end of time. Just as we're about to keep moving, an elderly man, maybe in its seventies, walks down the steps behind us with two huge bags of rubbish. He's trying to clean up the area or dump out his own home waist. I don't know. The two gang members part to let him through. The younger, I notice, immediately puts his back to the wall and looks straight down at the floor it's like a young kid put in a dunce corner. I could be wrong by a sense

he feels some kind of shame. He's wearing a mask over his head, so it's not that he wants to hide his face, and yet still he hangs his head so his chin is almost touching his chest. The old fellow strides through the middle of us and doesn't look up at the gang members or me for a single second. He doesn't acknowledge any of us whatsoever. In my opinion, his body language like this suggests he is absolutely not a fan of these guys. It's a brief moment, but

I see it almost as a silent protest. Maybe I'm looking into it too much. I don't know. These two gunmen are basically the security of his neighborhood, impoverished young men with guns who are untrained and unscrupulous. In every neighborhood there's a batch of these CV foot soldiers armed with black market guns. They're ready to fight at any time. In fact, last year there were over two thousand, five hundred shootings in this area of Real, Over one third

of them were during police operations. Hundreds of civilians have been caught in the crossfire, and many don't even go to the hospital for fears they'll be accused of gang activity. Needless to say, the actual statistics are probably a lot higher. Believe it or not, the life expectancy in a favela like this is just forty eight years old. If you're not killed in a gang shootout or by deprivation or assassinated for something, you might just get shot to death

by the police. It is not at all uncommon. As I've mentioned several times in this series, police brutality in Brazil is a long standing issue, but in recent years it's become even more severe, especially in the favelas and poorer urban areas. Brazil has one of the highest rates of police killings in the world. A lot of the violence is tied to the so called war on drugs, which is given the police a kind of unofficial license to go in hard and ask questions later, if at all.

Here in Rio and in sal Paolo, operations often involve armored vehicles rolling into densely populated areas where shootouts erupt in broad daylight. Civilians frequently get caught in the crossfire, and accountability for that is almost non existent. What I find most shocking is the number of kids being killed. Twenty twenty three, for example, police in Rio killed hundreds

of people during operations, many of them just teenagers. These deaths are often justified as the result of confrontations with gangbangers, but investigations are very rare, So who even knows. Would you trust the word of a police force that is known to form a legal militias and deal drugs themselves. I wouldn't. Even if cases do get investigated, they rarely lead to prosecution. Video evidence and witness testimony is routinely ignored, and the cops involved in such killings are usually back

out on the streets in just days. People living here in the favelas often describe feeling under sieged by the police rather than protected. It's no wonder It's not just a few bad apple cops either. All the evidence suggests that this is a deeply embedded problem within the system here in Brazil, and many of these units are part of the elite forces like BOPE who are spoken about in a previous episode. They operate with heavy firepower and

little oversight. Politicians often praise these aggressive tactics as being quote unquote tough on crime, especially during election cycles. We are surprise the sickly former president Bolsonaro put this mentality on steroids when he openly encouraged police to kill suspected criminals and promised legal protection for those who did. Obviously, that emboldened any local forces that were out for blood.

Due to the nature of the combat in the favelas, there were no end of cops looking to take scalps. Community activists and human rights groups have been pushing back, but they face serious risks too. Some have been targeted or even killed for speaking out. In the end, it's the people living in the favelas who pay the ultimate price. The cycle of violence keeps turning, and the gap between the state and its citizens keeps growing. Nothing gets resolved.

The next day I arrived early in the favela and it turns out we've been invited into the home of a local who lives under CV rule but is a civilian by choice. He has no intentions to join the gang and hopes to make it as a successful rapper. He goes by the name Flows, and he is completely uninvolved in gang activity. Let me be clear, he wants to keep it that way. This lab wasn't brought to us by CV either. This is not some fake press tour. It's a friend of a very trusted friend of mine

that put us in touch. For me, this is a perfect opportunity to speak to a civilian in his own home. Here in the favela. We head up an extremely steep hill to meet floats. You almost have to put your hands out as you walk up it. As soon as we arrive, Flows is out. He's ready. A spot him at the back door of an alleyway that leads to his small favela rented dwelling.

flows into his house. It's small, airy, and honestly pretty cozy. The walls are all bare concrete as are the floors, but Flows has made it his own. There are world maps on the walls, an old worn out punch bag hanging from the ceiling, and a desk with a laptop and various different music equipments spilling over it. Seeing as me and my team are from the UK, Flows tells us he has a drill beat ready and wants to show us his rapping ability. Now, if you don't speak Portuguese,

his verses what makes sense to you? But I'm gonna let it play in full anyway, as I don't think it matters if you don't understand Flows is a hidden for talent. Trust me on this.

Zone Media. Reporting, producing, writing, editing and research by me Jake Hanrahan, co producing by Sophie Lichtermint music by Sam Black and in this episode, Diamondstein sound mixed by Splicing Block. Photography by Johnny Pickup and Louis Hollis. Graphic design by Laura Adamson and Casey Highfield.