Please come - Rio de Janeiro

Copacabana Palace hotel (no, you're not drunk; it's out of focus)

Yesterday I tried really hard to see Rio as a tourist. Oh, okay, I am a tourist but one who speaks Portuguese and has lived in Brazil for 9 years. I tried to be worried on Copacabana Beach about whether a pickpocket was standing behind me as I watched a Peruvian artist create unbelievable landscapes with his fingers, a brush, a knife and some Kleenex. I kept my camera in my pocket, except for a photo of the Copacabana Palace where I got engaged in 2000. 

I can't do it. I know Rio is filled with dangers like any big city. I know it has recently been written about by a Danish "journalist" who was horrified by the destruction of lives as favelas are moved to make way for the Olympics. I woke this morning to the sounds of someone yelling "socorro" or "help" right outside our window (when BH looked out, it was unclear what was happening and there was a group of people outside). 

My experience these five days has been wonderful. Magical. A city where we continue to be amazed that anyone gets anything done rather than sitting and watching boats head out to sea, or kicking a ball around the beach, or enjoying a sidewalk juice or coffee or beer. A city that is made for walking--the beautiful horseshoe shape of Leme and Copacabana remains my favorite with its undulating waves of black and white tile, but many places are fun. Ipanema's back streets to the Lagoa where men argue over Flamengo or Fluminense (don't ask me: Rio soccer teams). Santa Teresa's winding streets and walls covered with beautiful paintings of the tram that is out of service, seemingly forever under repair.

We have asked for directions from bus drivers, from flower sellers, from parking attendants and security guards. They have all answered us politely and helpfully, one parking attendant even walking me down the street to find someone who had lived in the neighborhood for 20 years and could better answer my question. Kids are waved onto buses where they don't pay. Fisherman hold out small fish so the twins can throw them back into the bay.  Rudeness has been few and far between.

We have walked through Santa Teresa and Copacabana as night is falling. We are not carrying valuables but we look about as gringo as possible, excepting BH who is the only darker-skinned, darker-eyed person in our group. My stepkids are as white as any Canadian, one with blue eyes, and the twins can't stop speaking English no matter what I try. We haven't had a problem.

So, I will tell you potential visitors to Brazil for the World Cup or otherwise: you do yourself a great disfavor if you avoid this city due to security, danger or fear. Yes, it is possible you will be pick-pocketed. That happens everywhere. It is possible the taxi driver will take you for a longer ride than necessary. I promise it will be exciting as they speed on the wrong side of the street, through red lights and then come to an abrupt halt and say: "where were we going anyway?" 

This is the City of God. You cannot avoid the hug from the Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) on top of his hill. You can see him from the beach, from Santa Teresa, from downtown. He welcomes you. Rio welcomes you. Please come.

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.

Misplaced Sympathy? Police Forces- São Paulo

Okay, before getting distracted by a brain-damaged seal yesterday, I was originally going to post about this story "Metade das escolas forma policial em até seis meses" ("Half of schools graduate police officers in under six months"). Basically the story, as written by the highly reliable and objective Folha de São Paulo (sorry, does my sarcasm show?) is that there is an undue hurry to get police officers out on the street. Instead of a comprehensive community-oriented classwork, there seems to be a churning out of grey-uniformed officers ready only for the most obvious situations, and given only outlines of conflict resolution and mediation.

Now if you've seen Cops, that fine American tv program, you would think that conflict resolution was about 80% of a US police officer's job. You know, so-and-so doesn't want to move out of the trailer but his wife has thrown everything out the window including his television and maybe his dog. So, the negotiations begin. I get the feeling here in Brazil that there is not much negotiation: just haul off whoever to the station. If, as a friend points out, the police show up at all.

As many of you know, I have a natural sympathy towards the police. I grew up in towns where police officers were effective, were community members who contributed to the community well-being, and folks who you could always approach if you needed help. We knew many by name. I would also point out that the reverse is not true: not many knew MY name because I was a good girl. Really.

When I moved to São Paulo, big city or not, my natural instinct was to trust the police, unless given a reason otherwise.  And so far, I do not have a reason to do otherwise. After 8 years living here (between two postings), I still can't shake my trust and respect of the police. I have had nothing but neutral to good interactions. Okay, some of them, like the toner incident, are just plain ridiculous. The instinct to trust is not, though, the natural inclination of most Brazilians. And lest we all forget, this country is less than 30 years away from a military dictatorship where many REALLY BAD things happened at the hands of the police. I get it. Well, no, I don't. I don't think you can understand that kind of fear and uncertainty until you have lived it.

This Folha column seems to provide more reason for sympathy for the currently undertrained men and women of the police forces--folks who have nothing to do with Brazil's military past. Studies have proven that six months is just too short a time to get good officers who are focused on the important issues of daily police work. Imagine: in six months time, they are handing these trainees guns, pointing them in the direction of a car,  and putting them on the front lines against experienced criminals. Instead of conflict resolution classes, and how to handle protests, they are learning about the law. Which is good, but one should not replace the other.

The police force in Brazil is one of the most underpaid in the world. A starting-out military policeman in São Paulo makes R$26,000 (US$10,000) per year. A starting police officer in New York City makes US$41,000 per year. In London, US$33,000. And the Brits don't even have to carry guns! Yes, cost of living differences, etc. I know.  

It seems clear that the police force in Brazil is undertrained and underprepared. What this means for the World Cup and the Olympics; well, that's anyone's guess. But my expectation is not a pretty one. I still lean towards sympathy to this underpaid group. One of the moments that my sympathy felt strongest was when a military policeman here explained to me that crimes that result in penalties under four years (theft, for one) mean that the perpetrator is out on the street the very next day. There is simply no room left in the prisons for petty thieves. Imagine that you have chased someone for hours on a Thursday, and he waves hi to you from a bar on Friday. And we wonder why police men are frustrated.

By the way, I also read in a second article in the paper that there are actually eight different police forces in Brazil. Ready for the list? Federal, Guarda Municipal, Civil, Rodoviária, Portuária, Legislativa, Militar and Cientifica. 

Now in English: 
1. Federal (crimes against the government, white collar crime, drug trafficking investigations, also the guys that check every last item I bring into the country. As wikipedia says: "The Federal Police is the Brazilian equivalent of the American FBI, DEA, ATF, TSA, USBP, INS and Secret Service all rolled into one." They are busy.)
2. Municipal Guard (security forces of the cities/towns, protect municipal treasures such as buildings, parks and sculptures),
3. Civil (the state investigation and detectives group)
4. Highway (seems obvious), 
5. Legislative (no clue), 
6. Military (the chase and apprehend guys) 
7. Scientific (no clue--CSI São Paulo? Forensics? Seem to be part of the Civil Police. Maybe.)

And I'm not even going to touch on the really scary dudes like the Tropa de Choque (shock forces). Think SWAT. Think getting out of the way fast. That's a whole lot of weaponry.

Security in São Paulo: Part II Street Smarts

The following is the next installment of our collaboration (with Born Again Brazilian) on staying safe in São Paulo. 

If you think that residing in a number of big cities had made you street smart enough to survive any situation, you may want to take a quick look at this. Manhattan or Chicago living is not the bare-faced reality of São Paulo daily crime.

São Paulo is an exciting place to be, but with such a vast and diverse population, you are bound to have a higher percentage of bad guys than other places. Common crimes include:

• Being robbed by a motoboy who can make a quick getaway.
• Lockdown at a restaurant where the entrance will be blocked by armed men while the other criminals collect the belonging of patrons.
• Carjacking, that could include a “flash” kidnapping during which you are forced to drain your bank account at the nearest ATM.

As mentioned in part I of our security posts, professional criminals pretty much want to get in and out. They don’t want to kill you, or even spend too much time with you. They just want what you have and be on their way. But a new crop of criminals has surfaced, ones that are a bit more dangerous. So your best line of defense is to totally avoid being in a situation that will put you on the other side of a weapon. So, first let’s look at some rules to abide by to avoid being in an incident. At the end these key rules, we will look at how you should react if you do find yourself a victim.

Key rules for incident avoidance:

Rule #1: Avoid drawing large sums of money from an ATM or teller.

It is very possible you are being targeted when you extract cash from your bank. Whether it is someone from the street or an inside job, it happens enough to assume a position of paranoia. If you need to pay someone, do so via bank transfer, a transaction you can do from home online. If you have a household employee who claims they don’t have an account, make them open one. It is better for both parties. If you need to pay a vendor or store, and they don’t take a credit or debit card, they will most likely take a Brazilian check (more commonly than other countries these days).

Rule #1b: Be unpredictable in your habits.

I’m adding this as 1b because as we’ve mentioned, criminals have time to study. This is their full-time job. If you go to the bank every Thursday at 10 am to withdraw money from your US account, someone is going to figure that out. Sooner than you think. If you usually walk to the shops and back by a certain route, vary it once in a while. This will hold true for car driving as well (next post).

Rule #2: Avoid eating out late at night, especially on a side street or more remote location.

It is always best to stay at home or in a secured location, like a friend’s house or a club when 10 p.m. rolls around. But if you need to eat on the street at this hour, go to a place that is well populated. Not just with people, but with other businesses.

Rule #3: Avoid keeping any item of a recognizable luxury brand or sparkly gems on your person while walking the streets.

Your desire to impress shouldn’t outweigh your need to stay safe. Criminals go for brands and jewels they know they can move quickly – Rolex, Louis Vuitton, diamonds… If you just can’t go out without being expensively dressed, at least cover yourself in something so sophisticated a petty criminal wouldn’t recognize it. Yes, we know your Brazilian girlfriends don’t follow this rule. They are Brazilian. You are not.

Rule #4: If you must drive a luxury car, you’re going to want a blindado.

The best way to avoid being carjacked is to not drive a fancy car. But if you are not willing to lower your standards, at least get it bulletproofed. This service is expensive and also means extra spending on gas because it makes the vehicle heavier. Also, there are various types of blindado that range in price and protection, so ask a lot of questions, including what type of gun will the proofing protect from.

Rule #5: Don’t look lost.

There is such a thing as looking like a victim. Don’t wander around an unfamiliar neighborhood staring into your iPhone as you try and determine your location. It is a recipe to be robbed.

Rule #6: Don’t judge a book by its cover.

There were recently a string of crimes involving criminals who were well-dressed and well-spoken. If a well-dressed man knocks on your window and appears to want to ask for directions, don’t roll down the glass. Shake your head and say “desculpe.” Or a woman with a possibly expensive purse approaches your car in the parking lot, jump in quickly and lock the doors if you don’t want to wind up in your own trunk while she shops with your credit cards.

Rule #7: Don’t attract attention by speaking English or other foreign language loudly. The Brazilian currency gets weak. That means that foreigners (rich or no) begin to look better as money sources.

Rule #8: Think carefully about giving expensive electronics to children

We’ll cover this more in School Smarts, but there has been a recent spate in kids being mugged outside of schools. They are getting robbed of iPhones and iPads and other electronics. Think long and hard if your kid might be a target by having the latest technology. Make sure your kids know how to react.

Rule #9: If you think someone looks suspicious, they probably ARE suspicious.

Duck into a shop or busy place until the risk moves on. If it doesn’t, call 190 and ask them to check out the situation.

Rule #10: Beware of the “distract and rob” strategy.

As many know, our husbands are Brazilian. That does not make them immune in any way. In an attempt to be helpful when someone asked for directions, my husband was facing one way towards the person asking for help, while the accomplice stole his laptop from behind. Hold onto your stuff if you are asked for directions or seem to be getting the run-around.

And let me pull out Rule Zero. The overall rule of life in the big city. BE AWARE. Always, everywhere. A criminal may be hanging out on a street looking for potential quick hit victims. If you are “present”, looking around and really looking at people, with electronics and valuables hidden and purse tight to your body, he is going to choose someone else. The someone who is checking her iPhone, paying no attention, checking out her nails. Be less interesting than the next person; be less of a victim than the next person.  That being said, no matter what you do and whose advice you follow, something bad may happen. Be prepared for it: do not fight back.

Don't do this. I mean the phone; the dress seems nice.

What should you do if you find yourself on the business end of a weapon:

Realize, first of all, that your assailant may be on drugs and have his decision-making impaired. Even if not, the assailant really does not want a surprise. Move slowly and cooperate with his requests. If facing the criminal, raise your hands open-faced in front of you at waist level to show you have nothing in your hands. Do not raise hands above head as this attracts attention and the criminal does not want attention.

If you speak no or little Portuguese, say immediately “não falo portugues” (sounds like “no follow por-too-Gaze”). This will alert the criminal that you might not be following instructions because you do not understand, not because you are resisting. If they are asking for a wallet, or cell phone, point slowly to the pocket where it is and tell them you are going to get it slowly. Tell them what you are doing before doing it. Say “Te dou tudo” (“Chee dough too-doo” I am giving you everything). Try and stay calm.

This is the most important point. DO NOT RESIST GIVING UP ANYTHING. If they want your engagement ring, give it to them. If they want your Rolex, give it to them. Your wallet, your purse, your MacAir, your tablet, your car, whatever. Your life is not worth the replacement value of stuff. You have no replacement. Do not resist.  Resistance will make the criminal incredibly unhappy.

I was counseled by a military policeman to always carry at least R$200 (about US$100 or less) on me, in cash, all the time. It is an amount of money that will satisfy the small time criminal that wants an easy hit. If you only have R$2 in your wallet, they might get mad. Do not make them mad.

Do not look the criminal in the eye. They do not want to be identified. If there is a tattoo on an arm or hand, or distinctive clothing, do try to remember that. The police have an impressive file of identifying tattoos for criminals in this city. Do not take a risk in trying to memorize stuff. It may be helpful in the police report but is not worth risking your life.

At a recent security presentation by the military police, the captain gave the following sobering information:

Most of the crimes committed today are to get quick money to buy drugs. Crimes are overwhelmingly committed by 15-23 year olds. This is a group that places low value on life ---yours.  And realize that the street value of your stuff is low, even if you bought your iPhone for $700US or your car for $100,000. Want to see how low?

The street value of various items:

iPhone: $50 reais (US$20)

Car: $500 reais (US$210)

Bulletproofed car: $3000 reais (US$1000)

Laptop: $50 reais (US$20)

This is a volume business. They need to rob many folks to get money.

Do not ever chase an assailant. They could look back. They could get upset. They still have a gun. Call 190 and ask for an English-speaking officer. Or ask someone for the closest “delegacia de policia” to report the crime. Only by reporting crimes can the police put officers on the street in the right areas.

99Taxi

Note on Technology:

Speaking of smartphones, there is a time and place for their use. Technology that can help you stay safe when you are out of your home is springing up daily. Just make sure you are aware of your environment before you become engrossed in your phone.

Taxis: There are a number of smartphone apps that can make travel by taxi safer and easier for those who do not speak Portuguese. While I prefer to use my local taxi stand when I’m near home, when you are around town, you may want to try one of the many apps: 99Taxi, Taxijá and EasyTaxi are three of the ones I have used. I have a slight preference for 99Taxi because the drivers do not have to pay to use it (nor do you). When you press a button to call a taxi electronically, when a taxi is nearby, it will accept the call and you will be provided the name, the cell phone, the license plate and make/model of the taxi, and estimated arrival time of the taxi driver. You then can leave your secure location only when that exact taxi has pulled up.

In addition, we are testing three other safety apps called Agentto (for issuing panic alerts to an established safe circle of friends and family), Cidade Legal, and Aster, which is a private security service. We’ll update this information with our findings.

Next safety post we will cover the topic of staying safe in your car.  And briefly touch on public transportation safety as well.

Security in São Paulo - A Partnership with Born Again Brazilian

Starting this week, Born Again Brazilian and Brazil in My Eyes are going to take a closer look at security and how to protect yourself from "unwanted attention." Follow along!

São Paulo is not for the faint of heart in terms of security issues. If visiting a safe big city is on your list, you might want to skip over to some of the European or American metro areas. On a recent visit, Anthony Bourdain, acid-tongued celebrity chef, said “Try to have a friend in Sao Paulo before you come here. I don’t know how you’re going to do that…You want someone looking after you here. If you’re at the mercy of a concierge, you’re in a bad place.”

Since most of us visitors and residents do not have the luxury of a concierge (although we would really seriously like one now), we can provide much advice about protecting yourself, your family and your stuff. This is not tourism advice—please see Insider Guide: Best of São Paulo for some of the best places to see around town.

Over the past year we have attended a number of security presentations, and befriended a military police captain and attended neighborhood security committee meetings. We have had visitors robbed on buses and experienced the frustration of trying to report the crime at the local police. This information is based on these learnings, and is not comprehensive nor is it going to keep you out of all possible criminal situations. The idea is to make you, the visitor or resident of São Paulo or other locations in Brazil, safer and less likely to have a bad experience.

The fact is that there are people for whom robbing and stealing are the only choices they believe they have to survive in Brazil. We don’t have enough time or space to go through the hopelessness and poverty of some of these people’s lives. Lack of access to education and libraries and public health are all factors.

For these criminals, theft is their job. Full-time, every day. As expert as you get in avoiding crime, you have to remember that these folks spend every waking moment figuring out how to get money. They live it. But here’s the good news: the vast majority of the bad guys want your money or your stuff (as a way to get money) for drugs. They do not want YOU as a person. They do not want your kids. They don’t want to hurt you. They want money. Most of the crimes against individuals are crimes of the moment—they haven’t targeted you because you are blonde, or speaking English or carrying Hilfiger, or your husband works for a major European company. They are targeting you because you are distracted looking on your ipad, chatting on your cell phone, driving with your purse on the front seat, or leaving a bank, where there is some kind of probability that you are withdrawing large sums of money.

Starting this week, we are starting a series of posts about personal security and what you can do to be safe here in Brazil. Some of the advice is even pertinent to traveling anywhere outside your home country.

We are going to split up the posts into the following major subject headings:

1. Street smarts
2. Car smarts
3. School smarts
4. Home smarts
5. Security in specific places–foreigners
   1. Soccer games
   2. Shopping centers
   3. Feiras
   4. Rodoviaria/airport
   5. Parking
   6. Restaurants –arrastoes
6. Cool and scary stuff (tattoos, stats)
7. Kid smarts
8. Internet smarts
9. Elsewhere in Brazil, and other information

Ten years ago, São Paulo was the fourth most violent city in Brazil. As of April this year, it was the second LEAST violent city (source: Policia Militar). There are many cities of the northeast and coast that are more dangerous, and the reasons for this will come in our summary.

This is important information. If you are moving to, visiting or have family or friends visiting the country, please pass on these tips. We both are married to Brazilians and we want everyone to have a wonderful and safe sojourn in Brazil. Next post, we’ll take a look at street smarts.

Until then…. stay safe.

The Homicide Resurgence - São Paulo

On Tuesday night this week, an American friend and I went to a seminar titled "The Resurgence of Homicides." If you have followed my blog for any period of time, you know that the whole security theme interests me. Violent death, crime of any kind, and I am there. We were told about the seminar by a friend who mentioned that her friend, a Wall Street Journal reporter, would be on the panel. So it was about violence, involved a friend of a friend AND it was in a neighborhood where we could get a drink afterwards without possibly becoming one of the statistics. Complete win.

I arrived by taxi at the location. In the flyer, it said the seminar would be held in the Instituto Braudel. The address shown on the flyer was on a dark corner of a street with no sign of the Institute. All I could really see was huge heavy steel doors with a sign saying Fundaçao Armando Alvares Penteado*.  Ringing the bell, a little door opened up (picture Monty Python and the Holy Grail) with just the face of the guard showing and he of course says "pois não?" which means yes. No, he did not say "we don't want any" like in the movie. The door unlocks and creaks back. Two other security men in black with bullet-proof vests ask me a few pertinent questions and tell me to follow the person who was already down the drive in front of an old mansion. I am wondering if I should have brought my bullet-proof vest.

Just at that moment, my friend Megan came in and so we had our moments of cheek-kissing and chattering in English to the bafflement of the boys in black (the Black Block? The Blackie Blockie?). Finally we head up the driveway where there is not a single sign to show us where to go next. Well, the door of the mansion is open--let's go in. We stand around the pretty entryway then look up the spiral stairs and decide we'd better ask before parading around. We go back outside to the bemused glance of a fourth security guard who says pretty much "dopies, the event is down there in that over-the-garage kind of place." Okay, he was nicer but I know what he was thinking.

Yep the Institute is over the garage at this old mansion. We squish our way into a small entryway--it is now 5:55 pm with the event starting at 6 pm. We have plenty of time, we think, to grab some water, sign a book with fake names (just kidding!)  and head up the stairs talking loudly in English about our exciting lives.

At the top of the stairs is a single room. White plastic chairs are gathered around a square area with couches. The couches in turn surround on three sides a giant wooden lion in repose and an iffy "oriental" rug. Facing us is a table of 7 older men (okay, our friend's friend is younger than us) and it was complete silence as 30 people look at us. Clearly the meeting had started on time. Ooops. We were asked (in English) by the executive director, Norman Gall, (an American who has been here many years) to take a seat on one of the couches. We were more than a bit embarrassed at our gringo-style entry.

Unfortunately, with our late and loud arrival, I could not sneakily take a photo of the place. My favorite part, besides the giant lion, was the wooden armadillo placed on the head table in front of the master of ceremonies.  Fortunately it seems that the armadillo appears at all events because here is a photo of it at a past event, and the man in the middle is in fact the executive director of the Institute, Norman Gall. I might add that this director took a somewhat long nap during part of the seminar. Or rested his eyes. A lot.

And so it began with some statistics (the event was about São Paulo and the north of Brazil as well).  Some key takeaways were that homicides increase when there is a territorial battle, or as the speaker said, a "disequilibrio territorial." And then they just don't stop as a cycle of  revenge and honor killings is kicked off until finally an equilibrium is achieved again. That equilibrium is usually reached when there is one main player in the territory--that would be the PCC gang in São Paulo. Oh, and this is all because of drugs, right, you got that implicitly? Of course.

Next up was a self-described urbanist-architect named Fausto. He presented us with some facts of the urban "dream" that bring on violence:

1. Cities will always be filled with crime because the places are built for industry, not to respect nature. So the natural places to have recreation and fun are covered with asphalt and with no natural space to be neighborly, everyone retreats behind walls.
2. The rich elites tend to be less neighborly than the poor.
3. São Paulo was built without planning and there is an "inaccessibility of opportunity" now--the rich put the good stuff closer to them (libraries, good hospitals, etc) so that would increase the value of their land. The poor had to make do further afield.
4. Streets with three or four continuous blocks of walls without access to any kind of public space are the mostly likely to have crime take place.

He was a very interesting speaker. The only part I didn't understand was when he kept saying "aquelas coisas Chicago". Or those Chicago things. What was he talking about? Capone? No idea. Maybe I misheard him. 5 times.

The Recife security guy was next up. He said that there is a "mundo de guerra" or war world in the northeast of Brazil, except the city of Recife. The success in Recife has come from developing a list of "crime concentrations"--45% of the homicides were concentrated in 13 neighborhoods. Knowing that, the police could concentrate on those areas.  As they reduced current crime, they also created a new type of neighborhood gathering place. Six "Compaz" ("With Peace") locations were built--each of around 7000 sq meters with access to justice, leisure areas, mediation, and a mixture of other activities.

His final point is that we have to stop building "obra pobre" for "gente pobre".  Poor people need to have as much or better access to community services and recreation in order to stop the cycle. And he ended by saying that it made him sad that in schools there are campaigns to save whales and the environment or whatever, but there is no campaign to save people. And we need campaigns for that.

Then came the numbers guy from Estadão newspaper.  The news is good for all of us living in the southeast of Brazil. In 1996, there were 40 violent deaths per 100,000 people. Now there are 20. The numbers are now almost exactly opposite in the northeast. In fact if you leave São Paulo to live in Porto Seguro, Bahia, your risk of violent death increases 8 times. Guess I'll skip that vacation. He provided a link to a map with the risk of death in various places in Brazil but I didn't get it down. I will: it's on their site.

One of the next speakers talked about the cost of violence. The cost in cutting down young people. There is one area of Alagoas state where there are 1,000 deaths per 100,000 people in the 15-25 year old age range. That's a massacre.

After opening up the floor for questions, there were a couple of interesting moments. One man in the audience (and I will mention that he was black for no particular reason except he was one of only about three) got wound up by comments from a woman in the audience. She commented about the recent protests and violence around the country and how things were getting worse. The man then broke in, introduced himself as a university professor, and proceeded to tell us that the only reason it seems worse is that the violence and crime are now starting to affect the elite. That violence and death was always a part of the poor people's lives--his point was pretty much "welcome to our world" to the elites. He even started pointing a finger (literally) at us all. It was uncomfortable and emotional, and you could have heard a pin drop.

When the attention waned a bit from this, Megan and I decided we needed a drink. Two hours had passed and not a cocktail hour in sight. Clearly academics can chat all evening, and without applauding the flag (see my Conseg posts). We snuck out as best we could and refrained from chatting about our exciting lives until all the way out of the building. Then got out of the Black Block and down the street to a bar. Based on all of this scary stuff, I felt the need  to drink two caipirinhas too quickly and had a hangover for two days. I did, however, take a taxi.


*Note: Fundaçao Armando Alvares Penteado is shortened to FAAP and is a 12,000 student private university.

Murder and Mayhem - A Fresh Look at the Newspaper - São Paulo

I have a love-hate relationship with the biggest local paper here in Brazil called Folha de São Paulo. I find them biased, frequently ridiculous and sometimes plain old wrong (like naming Columbus as a city of Oregon rather than Ohio might be incorrect. Scratch the "might"). But I cannot resist every single morning opening up what my mom would call the "Murder and Mayhem" section, here called Cotidiano, or Daily Life. Mom used the term referring to the Metro section in the New York Times which was the paper we got where I grew up.

Murder and Mayhem is completely accurate as a moniker. There is pretty much never good news in Cotidiano. It's all hold-ups and kids killing parents, and cops killing bad guys and bad guys killing cops and cops who are bad guys. Once in a while, the news seems to be so continuously bad for the day that I start to laugh. And this happened this past Saturday...

The first story that struck me was the news that the government is going to invest a billion or so to block cell phone calls into penitentiaries. They literally cannot stop the cell phones from getting in. And they show a photo of two cut-open roasted potatoes that have cell phones inside--two cell phones apprehended when the policemen thought...hmmmm....roast potatoes from a visitor? Not mandioca or beans? Suspicious."

 

Okay, so I've just about gotten over my giggle at the potatoes when I see that 16,600 prisoners are being released so they can celebrate Father's Day (Sunday, August 11) and then report back. Ummmm, they wish to release them because they are such good role models for their kids that they should head home? Because clearly the first thing these guys are going to do is NOT head to the Corinthians game, and NOT have a beer with their buddies at the bar but rather give hugs and sweet kisses to junior. Sigh. Okay, that one was harder to giggle.

Then we got to the part about the first university opening up in a penitentiary. I love the idea of this--rehabilitating prisoners through higher education. An education most of them were denied as poor street kids. Maybe giving them a chance. But, as they say, read on. There will be 80 openings for students...that's great! The penitentiary has 769 prisoners! 10%! Oh, wait, oops. Just noticed that only 13 of the 769 have completed high school. I am guessing they will not be ready to take ENEM, the SATs of Brazil. So they are doing remedial high school classes for a few months until they have some ready to take their exams to get in. Fortunately, I think the competition at that edition of ENEM will not be fierce--you take the exam, congratulations!! You're in! Freshman class of 2018!! Yay! Oh, and then they are going to take a poll and see what all the students would like to study. I am hoping the administration will decline advanced circuitry and criminal justice type stuff. Maybe Peace Studies would be nice. Or Negotiations.

The bad guys of Paraiba are getting educated!

So, that's all going well.  Needing comic relief from the comic relief makes me flip the page to this picture:

Cadê a Faixa que estava aqui? Where is the pedestrian walkway that was here?

Sorry about the bad photo--almost fell out of my lounge chair at the club pool. Greenpeace, being the rogues that they are, have painted words on the ground near a pedestrian walkway that is so faded that you cannot tell it is there. "Where is the pedestrian walkway that was here?" Instead of just painting the pedestrian walkway for the city...that would have been nice, no? Pedestrian walkway...by Greenpeace. It could be a new sponsorship venue for the city...all the pedestrian walkways could be sponsored...Pedestrian walkway by Brahma! By Tylenol! By Nike! I must write a letter to Mayor Haddad (AH-DAH-GEE) about this one. I may have just had the brainstorm to save this town.