The new state governor has asked Brasilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for federal troops to help contain the violence in Rio de Janeiro. An article in the Guardian (UK) online describes Rio as the most violent city in Brasil, with an annual murder rate of 50 per 100,000 people.
The other DrC and I were there in February and went to the final night of Carnival in a cross-town nighttime taxi ride. We saw lots of police but absolutely no violence or even any untoward behavior. Rio has one of the most striking natural settings of any city on the planet. The Guardian's article would make you believe Rio is a war zone...it isn't.
Favelas are squatter slums that cover hillsides near the heart of Rio. Several members of our party took a guided tour of one of the largest favelas and suffered only heat and humidity. We were told that favelas are ruled by drug lords and their machine gun toting gangs. Perhaps it is control of these poor neighborhoods that the governor seeks.
