More than 6,200 people were killed in the state of Rio de Janeiro in 2016. It means over 17 murders per day, almost one per hour. In 2017, the number of homicides was even higher: 6,731 in the year, 18,4 people killed every day. Although the rates are incredibly high, Rio de Janeiro is not the most violent place in Brazil. There are nine other states with higher homicide rates. So, my question is: why a military operation is trying to “heroically” save the Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain land?
I know that (unfortunately) a project in Rio de Janeiro is more appealing, in the matter of public relations, than one in Sergipe, Rio Grande do Norte and Alagoas, the three most violent states in Brazil. After all, Rio is the place of the “marvelous city”, the Brazilian postcard, right? And it needs to be clean, charming and perfect at any, but ANY, cost. So, on the 16th of February the president Michel Temer decided to place the army on the streets in order to end the “civil chaos”. And he did that moved by an authentic intention of saving people and stopping the violence, do you believe? I do not.
Considering scandals and corruption cases surrounding the military institutions in Brazil, it does not feel right. If we add that the police was responsible for 25% of the murders in Rio in 2017, it feels even worse. I believe that soldiers are trained to protect the national borders, to fight and destroy threats, not to solve a problem caused by the negligence from the government in providing the basic needs to people. The violence in Brazil is directly connected to social inequality, to the failed education and healthcare system.
The killing of innocent people during military interventions in favelas and poor suburbs in Rio de Janeiro has been happening for decades. However, now, police officers and soldiers have the free pass “to do” that with the “fighting the crime” flag. The problem here is that when there is a child and a mother dead during an assumed criminal pursuit, there is no gain, there is no end to the violence. How can the murder of innocents lead to a positive balance? How can guns fix the social gap, give access to schools and hospitals to everyone? When public money is applied to militarization while there is no decent healthcare or education system, there is no way out of the “chaos”.
Although it is hard for me to understand the reasons, 83% of the Rio de Janeiro residents supported the military intervention, according research. Possibly they are not aware of what this operation can represent to the future of Brazil. Maybe they do not know that a military coup after army interventions is part of the Latin American history. But they must know, though, what are the real issues to be focused on in order to recover peace and safety. This is probably the last chance to do it right. The coming presidential elections has no space for mistakes.
