If we couldn't laugh we just would go insane - São Paulo

Photo credit: http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/09-Dec-2008/2921-cheetah-eye-close.jpg

There's a Jimmy Buffet song that goes "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes, nothing remains quite the same." My favorite line from it says "if we didn't laugh, we'd all go insane" and this for the most part describes my motto for living in Brazil. From bureaucatic conundrums to daily issues of traffic and pollution, the way I have come to love a country so different from my own is to laugh. As much as possible. 

This would have been handy if I could have laughed about our fourth flat tire in three weeks yesterday, but unfortunately I was just about laughed out about that one. Maybe later after I pay $XX,XXX to buy two new tires for the monster truck.

On the facebook page for this blog, I posted on Thursday about an assault at my small club in São Paulo. I decided to let it ride a few days before posting here. But coming up to the World Cup, I have decided to return a bit to my security posts (Born Again Brazilian and I did a Monday series a few months ago). Why am I doing this? Because this assault scared me, impressed me, and made me realize that visitors to this city need to be prepared. The victim of this assault was 100% prepared and it may have saved his life.

Watch the video in this link. It's a little more than a minute long. This is the road in front of my club where all of the members park to walk into the reception area. Where the victim in the white car parks is about 15 feet from the entrance to the club, and it is not very parked up at 6:40 am. And clearly the security guards are sparse at this time--we had two other assaults last year in front of the club and they have put in more security. But they weren't there.

The white car is a Land Rover Freelander. The car that pulls up with a guy holding a high-powered rifle (in the next day's story it claims a machine gun; I am happy to say it makes no difference to me) is a Honda CRV with at least three guys in it. The victim immediately raises his hands and walks to the sidewalk. He stands, hopefully not looking right into the assailant's faces (you do not want to seem to be trying to identify them and these shameless guys were not wearing masks).

And then the part that would make you laugh if it weren't so insane. He is asked to go back to the car and start the ignition for the criminals. In fact, they do not know how to turn on the car they are stealing. He calmly gets into the car, starts it, puts his hands up and goes back to the sidewalk. If there is ever a poster child for how to handle an assault--calmly, hands up, this is the guy. 56 years old, a public relations executive. Maybe he needs to start a blog on safety.

I went to the club the afternoon after this video was published by the news media. As I dropped off my parents and kids at the reception, I noticed there was no security guard across the street as was normal, but instead 2 guys videotaping. They were not wearing network TV shirts and were not identified as being official in any way. So I parked, walked to the front desk and asked "who are those people videotaping the front of the club?" And the receptionist didn't know. I went back and asked at the club administration desk and they also did not know. Another security breach if you ask me. While that is a public spot where they were standing, they are videotaping a private club and we should know why. Finally the club sent a security guard to figure it out.

Without any humor at all, I say to anyone living in any big city:

1. Be aware of your surroundings. Roads that are easy access to escape routes (e.g., Marginal) are more likely to have this kind of crime. My club is one street from the Marginal.
2. Watch who may pull up next to you.
3. React calmly to any assault.
4. If you have children with you, speak to the assailant and tell them you are going to get your kids out of the car, slowly. Tell them they can have the car and everything else in it.

The Land Rover was recovered two days after the assault. I doubt the victim has recovered yet, but I certainly would like to congratulate him on his reaction.

With these changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes
Nothing remains quite the same
With all of my running and all of my cunning
If I couldn't laugh I just would go insane
If we couldn't laugh we just would go insane
If we weren't all crazy we would go insane
-Jimmy Buffet


Past safety blogs from Brazil in My Eyes:

Part 1: Introduction

http://brazilinmyeyes.blogspot.com.br/2013/08/security-in-sao-paulo-partnership-with.html

Part 2: Street Secruity

http://brazilinmyeyes.blogspot.com.br/2013/08/security-in-sao-paulo-part-ii-street.html

Part 3: Car Safety

http://brazilinmyeyes.blogspot.com.br/2013/08/security-in-sao-paulo-part-iii-car.html

Part 4: Taxi and Public Transportation Security

http://brazilinmyeyes.blogspot.com.br/2013/09/safe-in-sao-paulo-part-iv-taxi-and.html

Part 5: School Security

http://brazilinmyeyes.blogspot.com.br/2013/09/aspart-of-our-continuing-monday-series.html

Part 6: Security at Home

http://brazilinmyeyes.blogspot.com.br/2013/09/safe-in-sao-paulo-post-6-security-at.html

Part 7:  Stats and Tatts

http://brazilinmyeyes.blogspot.com.br/2013/09/safe-in-sao-paulo-stats-and-tatts-last.html

Safe in São Paulo - Post 6 - Security at Home

In our continuing Monday series about security and safety in São Paulo, Brazil in My Eyes and Born Again Brazilian take a look at safety in your home.

Safety in your home is something that you’ve probably been aware of for a long time. Some of us grew up in small towns where we never locked the front door and left the car keys in the car parked in front of the house. Some of us grew up in bigger towns and cities that require more precautions. Most of what we are talking about here is no different than the precautions you would take in any big town or city in the world. As we should emphasize, São Paulo is the second least violent state capital in Brazil. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. 

House vs. Apartment

Probably the most common question we get about living in Brazil is whether it is safer to live in an apartment or in a house. Although this answer will make the more precise among us a bit upset, we’re going to answer this with “it depends.” It depends on many things: the neighborhood security in general, your safety precautions, and the precautions of your neighbors.

An apartment building provides 24-hour security. A guard or two at the gate and garage, a security process to get into or out of the building as a visitor, a feeling that as one of only one apartment of many, why would you be targeted?  And that is all true. Some buildings are stricter on security than others: making cars entering roll down tinted windows so they can make sure it is you in the car, having garage remotes that are harder to clone, checking IDs of all who enter and leave. When finding a place to live, make sure you ask about security procedures.

A house does not have 24–hour third party security. That security person is actually you. On the other hand, you do not have to worry about who your neighbor has just buzzed into the building, or who they’ve rented their apartment to, or if they’ve handed over their garage remote to a friend. The security system is yours. There are many options for protecting your home: electric fences, barbed wire rolls, video cameras, etc. Do what you feel is appropriate in your neighborhood—you don’t want to stand out as Fort Knox so the bad guys might wonder what is so worth protecting in your house, nor do you want to be the easiest to break into. 

The best security in house or apartment is to know your neighbor. It is not very common in Brazil to have Neighborhood Watch associations as in the US, but take the time to know who has the apartment next to you or the house across the street. They may end up being your savior one day if they notice someone different coming out of your house or apartment carrying two laptops, an ipad and a large TV. Go introduce yourself to your neighbor. 

In a house, your biggest vulnerability is at the moment of entering and leaving. Your house or garage door is open, you may be backing out; it is very easy for a bad guy to take advantage of that moment. If you have an option for a street security guard, you will want to take it. The only downside of this is that the more people who know your routine, the more likely that someone will tell a bad guy. 

In our leafy neighborhood we pay a company (Aster in this case) for the “ronda” service. As we are approaching home, or leaving, we call the number, and they send a car to follow us to the garage, or to watch as we leave the garage. It is not foolproof—these guards are not armed. But in a case of an impulse robbery, they are one more deterrent.

If you are in a house, try to park your cars so you do not have to back out. If you leave facing out to the street, you have a better visibility for what is going on outside. 

Also, if you are near a construction site (someone building a new house), be aware that the site may not have great security. Someone may be able to get into the site, and jump a wall to your property. Secure the perimeter, as a friend jokingly says.

Security procedures inside your home

Training household employees:

You must go through security procedures with your staff. At least once a year, but more often is better. Such as: calling the security company when entering or leaving the house. If someone calls asking for you, do not answer “she is not home” but rather “she cannot take the call at this time.”  Work out passwords with them as well.

All workers in your house should provide their document (RG) and you should make a copy of it. You should also know where your staff lives. All empregadas and babas (long-term employees) should have their "antecedencias" checked--basically their criminal records. You need to report anything that happens with your help so it does not happen to someone else.

Be careful in handing out keys to staff. If it is possible to buzz them in and out on arrival that may be the best. This is not to suggest that the individual may be a criminal, but in the case that the keys are stolen from them. My maid was held up at a bus stop two years ago and she had our keys in her purse. We changed all locks by the end of the day as a “just in case.”

Things you may want to know as you are hiring

The very best way to get household help in Brazil is to get a referral from someone who has hired that individual in the past. While some friend-of-friend referrals (like your empregada says that her friend’s sister is available) may work out, they are not recommended. If even your maid does not know the person very well, you are taking a risk.
Be aware that any and all workers in your home (including the water or electric readers, pedreiros, maids, etc) will have a chance to look around and see what you have of value. Make sure every worker in your home has the credential of the company (Eletropaulo, NET, etc) and then don’t let them alone. My in-laws were robbed by the TVA cable guys when they left them alone in the living room (yes, my father-in-law had left his wallet there which was not the best idea). 

Other optional security systems

Some security system companies can provide you with panic buttons or remotes that could help in some situations. The truth of it is that if you are followed into your house by a bad guy, you do not want to risk trying to get to a panic button. You should hand over whatever they want. If you are followed by the bad guy, and he or they seem to know where the valuables are, you will want to mentally keep a note of this. They may have been tipped off by one of the workers in your house.

If you want to get all Panic Room (we don’t think this is necessary), a military police man recommended to us that one room be lockable. So that if the bad guys decide to lock you in one room so they can toss the apartment, you have a hidden cell phone in that room so you can call the police. We think this is overdoing it, but we are mentioning it anyway.

Summary

These are some basic ideas to improving your home or apartment security pretty much wherever you are going to live in the world.  Next week we’ll share some of the statistics we have about safety in São Paulo, how the emergency number 190 works, and even tell you about how a tattoo can tell you a lot about a person.

Safe in São Paulo Part IV: Taxi and Public Transportation

Entrance to metro station, São Paulo: in reality, it's usually a lot more crowded!

Last week Born Again Brazilian and I discussed avoid crime while driving, parking or using a car. But what if you decide not to drive (because we scared you so much…)? Like any city, you have options for getting across town other than hoofing it.

Taxi

In the central neighborhoods of the city, you’ll notice that on nearly every corner there is a ponto de taxi. These taxi stands are owned and operated by the taxi drivers you will see stopped there. Each taxi driver bought into the ponto, some more than 20 years ago; they maintain it and only they can park there. That’s why you might find that some stands have a television, a comfortable bench and some even host a small garden. The drivers put in those luxuries.

Using your local taxi stand is our best advice for taking taxis. You can even call them from your house or apartment and they will pick you up at your door. You can also often set a time for a trip to the airport, or to get kids to school. The main reason for our recommendation is safety. You will get to know these drivers and they will get to know you.  Many will give you their personal cards with their own cell phone numbers.

Once I forgot my passport at home while flying out of the national airport—they would not accept my US driver’s license as ID (obviously!! Blonde moment). I called the local taxi stand near my house, and the taxi driver there, a Japanese-Brazilian man who had an old black and white photo of his daughter stuck in the rear view mirror (this was in 1998 and I still remember the guy) passed by my house, picked up the passport from the house sitter and brought it to me at Congonhas airport.

Remember, though, if you use taxis on a regular basis that you want to vary routine, as in anything you do here. Use a different stand once in a while, change up the time of day that you go.  If you have flagged a taxi from the street and you are not completely comfortable with the driver, ask to be let off early near another taxi stand. Or have the taxi stop in front of the next building or house down from where you are actually going.

Flagging a taxi off the street can be hazardous. More than 20% of taxis in Sao Paulo are non-registered. As in not legal. You won’t necessarily be able to tell:  the cars are white with taxi symbols on them. Not all of the non-registered ones are bad guys. But how would you know? 

In reality, there is not much to fear from taxi drivers, other than possibly being taken for a ride (which is why you should always print out a map of where you are going if you are unfamiliar with the route). They also have reason for security concerns; they obviously have a stash of cash on their persons.  Talking with my taxi driver this morning, he told me that he has been robbed three times by someone getting into his taxi, asking to be taken to a “community” (favela or one step up) and then being robbed there. He will not anymore take people to a community called São Remo, or to the neighborhood of Grajaú. So they have their own worries.

For an added level of security, you can use one of the phone applications out now to order a car. Not only is this convenient, but you have record of who your driver is with all his work details. You can also track their route on their way to you, which means you are not waiting on some dark street corner. The one that is most popular with the taxi drivers is 99Taxis because they do not have to pay a fixed fee per trip, but there are many others including EasyTaxi and Taxijá. If you are going to use these apps, please make sure not to stand out on the street corner staring at your iPhone. You will be a target.

And to make the obvious point, don’t take out your laptop or iPad or iPhone and be playing around with it in the back seat of the taxi. It is not bulletproof. Those motoboys passing by will be looking into the taxis as well and they will hold you up at the next traffic light or convenient spot. Put your purse under your legs, and be aware of who is passing by the car, and put away the cell phone.  Smash and grab is as easy in a taxi as it is in a car. The taxi driver this morning also said to me that he is unhappy to take anyone carrying a laptop case in his car—people watching the pontos in front of large commercial buildings can see who is getting into which taxi with what. Then they can just call ahead to their buddy on the motorbike. Laptop cases should not exist  in São Paulo. I’m assuming we don’t have to review the need NOT to wear flashy jewelry or watches in the backseat of your taxi.

A final note on airport taxis. Guarucoop is the taxi cooperative at the international airport in São Paulo. While the taxi company itself is highly reliable, they use cars that are distinctive—white with blue stripes and the name Guarucoop on the side. While the crime is less common now than in last years, these taxis can be followed by bad guys all the way from the airport.  The probability of netting expensive electronics is higher when they rob an airport taxi. Think about it. Be alert.

Public transportation

Metro

You also have the option of using public transportation in São Paulo. My experience thus far with the subway system has been pretty positive. Most stations are large, well lit, well organized and clean. While the system is limited compared to other large cities, it can get you to most of the central neighborhoods of São Paulo, as well as a few of the outlying areas. And as the fare is R$3 (roughly US$1.50), it is an economical alternative to the taxi.

Some other advice would be to avoid carrying any laptop, or if you must, secure it in a backpack rather than a laptop case. We would also suggest getting a “bilhete unico” or stored value card that you can use to get on all public transportation in São Paulo. These are available at all metro and train stations, bus stations (the big ones, not the bus stops) and even the lotéricas (the lottery stores that sell stamps, bingo cards, etc). The best part of registering your bilhete unico is that if you lose it or it is stolen, you can cancel it (it is registered to your cpf number). For visitors, this benefit is not for you: you do not have a cpf.

If you do have to carry cash, and buy your ticket at the metro station, make sure you keep an eye on who is keeping an eye on you. There are folks watching where you put your wallet or change for a R$50 bill. Carry the minimum cash you can.

Bus

The city bus is the wave of the future here in São Paulo, and the future is now. The mayor of São Paulo, Haddad, has followed through on promises to make it bus “ueber alles.” In the last few weeks, he has put in dedicated bus lanes that have made commute times easily an hour faster for those who take the bus over those who do the same route in a car. Haddad particularly likes bus over metro and train because it is easy to change bus lanes and stops according to population growth in certain areas or commercial areas moving from south to north. You can’t move a train track and they cost a lot of money to build.

Our experience with bus travel is fairly limited. They are complicated in routing and there are no signs or maps on the bus stops. It is impossible to “work out” where you are going while you are on the trip. We highly recommend discovering your routing before you leave home by looking here. I have also arrived at a bus stop and asked people waiting there how to get somewhere and had excellent help. I speak fluent Portuguese though, so you might not want to attempt that if you won’t be able to understand the response.

One of the best and funniest write-ups on how to take a bus in São Paulo is available from a fellow blogger The Book is On the Table.  We are going to concentrate on how to take a bus from the perspective of safety.

So let’s just look at some of the precautions you should take when you are on a bus.

1. Know where you are going.
2. Leave valuables including cash, jewelry and watches at home. Try to carry exact  change or the bilhete unico (stored value card).
3. If you must carry a purse or backpack, keep it in front of you and a hand on it. See my post on distract-and-grab tactics here.
4. Try not to travel at rush hour times. Know the Police song about being packed like lemmings into shiny metal boxes? Yes.
5. While waiting at the bus stop, stay alert. If someone is approaching you with purpose, move into a group of people. Do not be looking at your iphone at the bus stop. Do we need to say that again?  No.
6. While on the bus, stay alert.

As of now, we know of no good apps to find appropriate buses and routing. But it’s a matter of time. We will update as we go.

Public transportation should not be something you fear in São Paulo. In general, it is taken by hard-working, working class folks and at the end of the day, they just want to get home. Public transportation is not dangerous in a hold-up kind of way most of the time, but in pick-pocketing.  This is no different from any city in the world.

Private buses

Just a quick final word about the private bus system that is available in Brazil. There are many intercity buses which are extremely comfortable (some boasting sleeper seats) to get to cities from 2-10 hours away. Or more, if you really enjoy being showerless for 24 hours. There is no such thing as Amtrak, but the buses are impressively clean, on-time and efficient.  Things to remember if you take intercity buses:

1.  The rodoviarias or bus terminals are criminal dens. The ones at Barra Funda and Tiete. Seriously. My Brazilian husband was distracted by one person asking directions while the guy’s accomplice was stealing his laptop case from on top of his roll-aboard suitcase. Be more than alert at the bus station. I would recommend talking to no one, and being helpful to no one. Suppress your need to help even if it seems to be a nice person asking for assistance.

2.  Remember if traveling with children they will need to be carrying an ID that shows you are the parents. If you are traveling as a single parent, you will need to have a notarized letter authorizing travel by the stay-home parent. It is a law, and it is there to stop the vibrant market in child trafficking.  This is true of inter-city buses only—on a city bus, feel free to ride around with your kids.

Next week we will be talking about school security.