I feel in two minds about Rio getting the Olympics. I think that all the redevelopment may remove its charm, the people will lose their innocence and it will not solve any of Rio's problems. They have already spoilt Copacabana beach with ugly and expensive glass/steel structures replacing the charming old wooden beach huts and getting rid of the iconic HELP disco. All for an event which will last just two weeks and leave a lot of "never to be used again" facilities. And then there's Rudolf Guliani arriving to "clean up the town," as if their wasn't enough violence already. Politicians just love their grand projects.

nice work and research. keep it up!

It feels good hearing from a foreigner who had been to Rio before, that, even if there's much to be improved still, at least those who live in the shanty towns are feeling safer, and that even the journalist was. Keep up with the good work, Cariocas!!!

I hope one day all the Rio de Janeiro is like Santa Marta.

My question is what about Santa Marta allowed the police to establish a headquarters in the favela? There must have been a unique set of circumstances or assistance from the neighborhood association to allow for regular police presence.

When I lived in Rio, I found that most residents of favelas were more concerned about police presence than those of the drug traffickers. The traffickers kept a type of justice, along with providing public services. While these benefits came at the end of an automatic weapon and at the cost of many lives, the Government would not have provided them at all. Only when politicians need block voting in an election do they come through with promised public services for these impoverished neighborhoods.

I would like to see the crime rate and amount of drug trafficking prior to the police headquarters. An attempt to something similar in Rocinha would be nearly impossible. Until we properly understand the situation in Santa Marta, the Brazilian government will not be able to "pacify" the favelas.

This is the only way out of the mess previous governments left us, Rio citizens. This is hope , people deserve to live in decent areas and if you let anyone build anything anywhere we will have more slums and more sewage and more despair. Government has to step in to help and protect not only nature but people first. I do not think that people are allowed to build wherever they choose in California or other Us State, there are regulations to follow. The wall in the slum is one way to help them from themselves. In another town São Paulo, a family that lives on a slum just lost 4 children due to excess mud and rain putting their slum house down. How many more children need to die because of lack of goverment action? Better offend some and defend most.

Thank you for starting the discussion on the walls. I hope that a solution of soft power is used in the future.

If this system can fix the favella problem, great, hopefully they can cookie cutter the idea...good luck