Deadly Rio police raid brings crowds into streets of quarantined favela

[rooster59]

Deadly Rio police raid brings crowds into streets of quarantined favela

By Ricardo Morães

 

Residents wearing protective masks transport dead bodies after a police operation against drug gangs at the Alemao slums complex in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil May 15, 2020. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes

 

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - A deadly police raid in Rio de Janeiro on suspected drug traffickers on Friday morning drew crowds into the streets of a neighborhood under quarantine, provoking criticism from residents and activists.

 

According to a Reuters witness and media reports, heavily armed police entered Rio's "favela" shantytown known as Complexo do Alemao and killed at least 10 people. Police said they came under grenade and gunfire attack, a common occurrence in areas controlled by drug gangs.

 

When a Reuters photographer arrived shortly afterward, residents had carried five bodies to the entrance of the favela.

Dozens of people, most of whom had no masks or any other protective equipment, were gathered in a tight intersection under a drizzle. Acquaintances and family members of the dead embraced and consoled one another.

 

"Social distancing? For who?" asked Fábio Felix, a left-wing lawmaker, on Twitter. "It's incredible that the lives of the poor aren't worth anything, even during a pandemic!"

 

Police said in a statement the incident would be reviewed by homicide detectives, following standard practice. The police said they came under heavy grenade and gunfire attack several times while in Complexo do Alemao, and recovered dozens of high-powered weapons. One police officer was injured.

 

Several residents complained that the government was offering little aid to contain the novel coronavirus, but was still engaging in violent police operations that risked spreading the virus through low-income communities.

 

The city of Rio had registered 1,509 deaths from the coronavirus and 11,264 confirmed cases by Thursday evening, according to municipal authorities, who say those figures are likely undercounting the outbreak due to a lack of testing.

 

Police violence has been rising rapidly in Brazil, where authorities including President Jair Bolsonaro have encouraged police to kill more. In violent Rio, police killed 1,810 people in 2019, the highest number since record keeping began in 1998.

 

"Within and outside the context of a pandemic, we demand that public security authorities respect human rights while policing," the Brazilian office of Amnesty International said on Twitter.

 

(Reporting by Ricardo Morães; Writing and additional reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Grant McCool)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-05-16

 

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[hotchilli]

On 5/16/2020 at 7:29 AM, rooster59 said:

Several residents complained that the government was offering little aid to contain the novel coronavirus, but was still engaging in violent police operations that risked spreading the virus through low-income communities

Yet they can afford guns, ammunition and grenades?

[BritManToo]

On 5/16/2020 at 7:29 AM, rooster59 said:

The city of Rio had registered 1,509 deaths from the coronavirus .............

 ............. In violent Rio, police killed 1,810 people in 2019, the highest number since record keeping began in 1998.

So the police in Rio are more dangerous than COVID!

Edited May 17, 2020 by BritManToo

[spiekerjozef]

On 5/16/2020 at 7:29 AM, rooster59 said:

In violent Rio, police killed 1,810 people in 2019, the highest number since record keeping began in 1998.

Self defense?

[VocalNeal]

Lockdown movie buffs, if you haven't seen it, Elite Squad (2007) 

 

 

[AgMech Cowboy]

2 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

Lockdown movie buffs, if you haven't seen it, Elite Squad (2007) 

Thanks, I'll have trouble reading that fast, but I'll rate this up there with Extraction (that's better than average, but not high on my list ????) Cheers, Neal

 

And, darn the socks, it's not offered on Netflix. ????????... ????

Edited May 17, 2020 by AgMech Cowboy

[AgMech Cowboy]

3 hours ago, BritManToo said:

So the police in Rio are more dangerous than COVID!

Life in general is more dangerous than COVID, the press just aren't keeping up with them. It doesn't fit the narrative.

[VocalNeal]

1 hour ago, AgMech Cowboy said:

Thanks, I'll have trouble reading that fast, but I'll rate this up there with Extraction (that's better than average, but not high on my list ????) Cheers, Neal

 

And, darn the socks, it's not offered on Netflix. ????????... ????

Well there is always the sequel Elite Squad (2101) 

 

Both got 8 - 8.1 on Imdb. That is quite good. ????

 

Edited May 17, 2020 by VocalNeal

[BonnieandClyde]

7 hours ago, BritManToo said:

So the police in Rio are more dangerous than COVID!

 

4 hours ago, AgMech Cowboy said:

Life in general is more dangerous than COVID, the press just aren't keeping up with them. It doesn't fit the narrative.

That is a good answer to a simple-minded question.