2 December
Five years after the massive police raid in Alemão, the image that was seen around the world of drug dealers escaping on a dirt road at the top of the hill is still common on TV. Today, TV Globo announced they will be showing a new mini-series about the authorities’ invasion. The plot revolves around five undercover police who have their identities revealed and find themselves surrounded by drug dealers, while security forces are about to enter the community. The news of the dramatisation stirred up a debate on social media, with residents from all corners of Alemão commenting on the series. Some said it was wrong to transform a violent conflict into a sellable spectacle. Others were delighted that their homes would get attention from the most popular TV station in the region. One commentator wrote that even if the narrative was violent, it would be nice to see Alemão on TV. I’d like to understand why the media hardly ever reports on the good things that happen in favelas – but when the topic is violence, it’s on the front page.
12 December
Today is the 10th annual Circulando, a street event organised by Instituto Raízes em Movimento (Roots in Movement Institution) at a local square. This year, we put on an exhibition with photographs of the oldest residents of Alemão and there was a small stage where local and guest artists put on a show. Each year, this huge party unites all of the organisations of the Complexo do Alemão, which is very difficult due to ideological differences and the shortage of free time among human rights activists here. Everyone works together for free. The payment comes from joy, the good reception and the smiles of people that we reach. We have put in a year’s hard work. I hope that dialogue and communication thrive in Alemão in 2016.
2 January
17:40 I hear shots quite nearby. Over time, your ears grow accustomed to this sound. The volume and crack tell you how far you are from the gunfire and whether it is from a powerful weapon. I would rather not learn such a thing, but it is not a matter of choice: it is a question of survival. The year is new, but the soundtrack is very old. My ears are used to this, but my heart is not. The closer the shots, the stronger it beats. Each time, the symptoms are the same: pounding heart, cold trembling hands, eyes wide open and all the senses on alert.
20 January
Nighttime. I am sitting by my front door updating posts on my social networks when I overhear a phone conversation between a man across the street and his son. He speaks so loudly it is impossible not to hear. They talk of a fight between the son and his girlfriend. The young man used a piece of wood to batter the face of his girlfriend in front of her parents. He was jealous because he had found a suspicious message that led him to think he was being cheated on. The father congratulated his son for doing what he felt was right, but said he should be wary about “teaching the girl a lesson” in front of her parents. He accepted it was a crime, but said the woman deserved it. The only fault he could find was that there were witnesses.
21 January
A while ago, I was in Santa Teresa, a neighbourhood in the central district of Rio de Janeiro, during a blackout that was caused by the collapse of a tree and a cable after a night of heavy rains. In less than two hours, workers from the electricity company and the urban sanitation corporation had restored the lighting, removed the tree and cleaned up the street. The operation made the TV news that same day.
In the Complexo do Alemão, the story is very different. The Matinha area, which is high up the hill, has now gone four days without power. The cause is the same – a downpour that damaged the electricity grid – but the response is completely different. Renata Trajano, a community activist and Matinha resident, appealed for help on Facebook after her calls to the utility went unanswered. News of the blackout was not broadcast on a single television channel. There was no mention in the newspapers. Energy shortages are a constant problem in favelas. The vast majority of residents pay for electricity but the utility company is reluctant to come when there is a problem because its staff say they are afraid of violence.
2 February
The Police Pacifying Unit, known as the UPP, moved their headquarters within Alemão today. This ought to be good news. Residents had long protested against the old base, which had been inside one of the few schools in Alemão. The students there served as human shields in the frequent conflicts between the police and local gangs. Not surprisingly many left. After the UPP base was set up in the school, the number of pupils there fell from 1,400 to 700. But the new headquarters is hardly any better. The police are now based at Reservatório do Mourão Filho, one of the few cultural centres in Alemão. It is a place where hundreds of children used to practise sport, martial arts, boxing and other activities – all provided free by local residents and teachers. Now, they need to find another place. The military police look down on locals with contempt. They consider them all bandits. Residents have staged a demonstration. The police took cellphone pictures of those who took part. I think they may have clicked on me.
4 February
Police have refused permission for a carnival in Itararé, one of the main streets in Alemão. Every year, hundreds of people participate in the carnival here. The stage was already being built, but the police said no. The Complexo do Alemão will not have carnival in 2016.
9 February
Because the festivities are cancelled in Itararé, many residents are going to the nearby Inhaúma district to party instead. I went by Kombi, a mini-van that is an unauthorised means of transport. Not only is it cheaper, it also offers greater comfort and quality – there is even-air conditioning and TV. But it’s bad for the Kombi drivers when the police confiscate their unlicensed vehicles.
I went on the final day with some friends. It started well but ended in chaos. At the scheduled end of the party at 2am, police tried to drive through the crowd to turn off the sound. The people weren’t happy with the actions of the police and some threw beer bottles in their direction. Police responded with gun shots and stun bombs. The presence of many children on the street didn’t seem to stop them using this method of “re-establishing order”.
The relationship between the favela and the police isn’t easy. For more than 30 years the state has not been present in the Rio favelas, and now the state is mostly represented by the military police. The police can’t be the solution for conflicts where they themselves are one of the protagonists. The people don’t understand or accept this way of imposing order because the police lacks legitimacy.
18 February
Positive news about Alemão in the local media for a change. Nataniel Souza, a journalism student who lives in the Alvorada neighbourhood, has created a news portal exclusively for Paralympians. Initially, the sports enthusiast had wanted to create a website about Olympic athletes but he saw that the market was saturated. Then he looked at the Paralympic scene and saw the opposite was true – there was nothing. So he decided to make an online news website that brought together stories about these amazing athletes, who not only win competitions, but also share some lessons about how to win in life.