There’s an ambitious government programme underway in one of Rio de Janeiro’s biggest slums, or favelas. The aim is to clear Rocinha – home to over 100,000 people – of the drugs gangs that have dominated there for decades. The strategy, known as ‘pacification’, begins with a raid by Brazilian elite forces to drive out…
On February 7th eleven residents of Laboriaux participated in an important meeting/reading with Dr. Francisco Horta Filho to study the Municipal DECREE (DECRETO) N°34522, published on the 3rd of OCTOBER of 2011. Francisco Horta Filho is the new coordenador of the Núcleo de Terras e Habitação (Nuth), or the Nucleus for Land and Housing, of the Defensoria Pública do Estado do Rio…
On Friday December 2, 2011 a pivotal event occurred in Rocinha — a well known ‘community leader/politician’ was arrested for associating with drug traffickers. Anyone who watches the news in Brazil and especially Rio de Janeiro knows who we are referring to. The point of this posting is not to go into details about this…
From November 28th to the 30th there was a series of presentations and meetings held at headquarters of CREA-RJ in the center of Rio de Janeiro. The three day event was organized by The City of Rio de Janeiro, the Secretary for Housing of Rio de Janeiro and the NGO Fundação Bento Rubião (henceforth FBR). The point…
On Saturday the 26th of November the community-based organization, Rocinha sem Fronteiras (Rocinha without Borders) held their monthly meeting which always fall on the third Saturday of every month. There were roughly 20 people present. The theme of the gathering was Rocinha’s PEU or Projeto de Estruturação Urbana (Urban Structuring project). The guest speaker was Rogerio,…
– Rocinha – On Saturday November 26th there was a conference hosted by the Community Board of Rocinha, São Conrado and Gávea. The event was held at the Ayrton Senna public school, located on the São Conrado side of the new pedestrian bridge at the foot of Rocinha. The Community Board (Câmara Comuitaria) of Rocinha, São…
On Sunday November 20th one of Brazil’s largest media corporations, Rede Record, was in Laboriaux filming for their hugely popular TV show Balanço Geral. They followed one of Laboriaux’s best known residents, Carlão, as he describe what the issues and what the major problems are. Balanço Geral came to Laboriaux at the request of persistent…
On Thursday, November 17th there was an important meeting in Rocinha’s Sports Complex (Complexo Esportivo da Rocinha) at 6:30PM. The meeting was organized by the Community Board for Rocinha, São Conrado and Gávea (Câmara Comunitária da Rocinha, São Conrado e Gávea). The Community Board is a social movement that was formed in early 2011 with…
It has been a week since the state government’s ‘pacification’ process began in Rocinha – on the 13th of November. The constant coverage and sensationalism are quickly becoming repetitive and they are distracting from more important issues here in Rocinha and elsewhere in Rio. It is important to keep in mind that the incursion and…
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