World Cup 2014: Brazilian Police Raid Slum To Secure Stadium (PHOTOS)

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- Brazilian police are raiding another slum dominated by drug trafficking gangs in an ongoing program to bring peace to areas near Maracana stadium ahead of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.

Photographers and cameramen from The Associated Press on the scene have seen hundreds of police officers and troops invading the Mangueira shantytown, backed by helicopters and several armored vehicles.

Rio state public security director Jose Beltrame said in a televised news conference that police have taken control of the slum without exchange of gunfire.

Seventeen other shantytowns have already been pacified by security forces taking over the city's poor communities.

Maracana will host the World Cup final and the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics.

Comments

[timosides]

10:49 AM on 06/21/2011

Here's a thought, pay these "lords" in 2014 to peace the fu*k out and be ghosts during the W.Cup, it's gotta be cheaper and with less bloodshed.

[Danny de Gracia II]

09:17 PM on 06/20/2011

Using the police to tear up a place in preparation for a sports stadium ... if that's not evil I don't know what is.

[Bob Morrow]

09:50 PM on 06/20/2011

The stadium was built in 1950. They still use it, they will use it for both the World Cup and the Olympics. I'd suggest that's a heck of a lot less 'evil' than building a new one, wouldn't you agree?

The police didn't tear up anything! They moved in so the drug gangs would move out. The people in the slum are happy they are there.

[arlandbaee]

02:24 AM on 06/22/2011

Do you actually believe that's the end of it?

[arlandbaee]

02:40 AM on 06/22/2011

Using an army to invade a foreign country, kill hundreds of thousands of people and destroy a nation.

Or how about, using a hurricane to force a massive migration of the poor out of new Orleans.

Or how about, using politics and police to take over a poor Michigan city to build a beach side golf course.

Are you kidding?

[thstolbe]

07:54 PM on 06/20/2011

rio can't carry my chicago's jock strap when it comes to overall infacsturcture!the won because south america has never hosted an olympics!

[thstolbe]

07:52 PM on 06/20/2011

the people that like to visit rio de janerio, brazil and those perves that like brazil ladies for cheap sex!rio's not an olympic city unless poltics is involved which it was!

[mspender]

08:10 PM on 06/20/2011

you're beginning to sound like a sore loser.

[thstolbe]

01:58 PM on 06/27/2011

ok you're right! after learning that chicago has layed off 2000 teachers this past week.rio derserves the 2016 games!i wanted my city to host them because i'm an olympic tv watcher and have been to atlanta in 1996.chicago has corruption problems and if they hosted the games where's the money going to come from?rio you have to give them credit because they are better organized and want the games much more.what mayjor daley would have done was hire his freinds sons and daugthers to build the venues and other jobs.chicago has money problems starting with laying off public school teachers which has been over 8,000 in the past 2 years.the way chicago public schools hires people like ex-cons and a fired police officer!so give the games to rio de janiero because their planing not structure was far better than chicago's!

[thstolbe]

07:47 PM on 06/20/2011

ha ha ha.....ha looks like crime is getting worse in rio dispite getting the world cup and olympics!rio got the olympics because south america has never hosted an olympics.rio got the world cup because brazil was the only country that bidded.rio can't carry my chicago's underwear when it comes to overall infacsturcture!politics and bribery got them the world cup and olympics too.rio's best area's are 10 times worse than chicago's west side!

[worldtraveller]

06:40 PM on 06/21/2011

Bribery!!!! from a Chicagoan.. ROFLMAO!

[thstolbe]

02:07 PM on 06/27/2011

ok there's bribery in chicago too.there are teachers losing jobs in the thousands because the chicago school don't want to pay them anymore.i change my mind and say rio is better fitted for the games not chicago because of the treatment and abuse of public employees and chicago has laided off people.so this city is half broke and are doing anything the can to get money by raising taxes to giving out parking tickets on purpose.i will get use to watching rio de janiero games in 5 years!

[bushwickfreddy]

04:16 PM on 06/20/2011

Meanwhile these neighborhoods have been filled with crime for decades--glad to know that the safety of tourists is more important than the citizens who have had to live with crime and poverty for generations.

[marignymitch]

02:34 PM on 06/20/2011

Future shock is no longer in the future. And that includes USA.

[allpromaterials]

02:17 PM on 06/20/2011

Why in the world would such a complex be built in such a place?"??

[mspender]

08:11 PM on 06/20/2011

wow, magic

[Ballu]

01:26 PM on 06/20/2011

There is not even a one pic showing the "BAD" guys... Gov terror in full swing...
(No shoot out, seems like.. the photos are captured by pros with best action effects and people are standing on the side & watching the army parade...)

[mspender]

08:14 PM on 06/20/2011

Going after drug dealers in an attempt to bring peace to a crime-ridden neighborhood is government terrorism? What exactly else is the police force for?

[worldtraveller]

06:41 PM on 06/21/2011

Bravo!

[MMRDO]

12:20 PM on 06/20/2011

This makes sense, you can't have shootouts outside of a big event like this.

[phdpamela]

11:33 AM on 06/20/2011

Haha. I wonder if they're going to spend hundreds of thousands beautifying the area, like we do in the States, instead of using that money to help those poor people.

[LivingDebtFree]

11:13 AM on 06/20/2011

Same thing can happen in the US with the court system. It was ruled that private property can be obtained by the government if there is a better use for it.

[phdpamela]

11:30 AM on 06/20/2011

Eminent Domain. Was SUPPOSED to only be used for the states hwy system. But as usual, there are loop holes and they can take whatever they call the NEEDED now.

[LivingDebtFree]

01:52 PM on 06/20/2011

Yup. Give the government an inch and next thing you know, you're pregnant...

[Lloyd Cata]

07:55 AM on 06/22/2011

US imminent domain not only for 'public project', the USSC ruled that they could take your property to increase the "tax base", so McD's could bulldoze your house if the city thinks they would pay more taxes.

That's 21st century 'feudalism', but who cares because this is America and your 'free to protest' even if your not free to do anything about it - it's the LAW!

[ramman]

10:55 AM on 06/20/2011

I told you so I told you so. The moment it was announced that Brazil got the bid, the Gov. would began a plan to weed out the undesirables and here it is in action. I also stated that there would be a blood bath where as the crime element there will not just lay down and it would be far worse before it gets better there. I couldn't believe that the media tried to put Chicago's crime and compare it to Brazil when there is no contest being that Brazil is many, many times worse.

[Bob Morrow]

11:06 AM on 06/20/2011

There is no such blood bath going on. If by 'undesirables' you mean the drug gang, then yes, they are trying to remove them, and the actual people who live and work in these favelas are overwhelmingly supportive.

[ramman]

12:14 PM on 06/20/2011

OMG you actually don't know do you? I mean about how deep and serious crime is in Brazil. You don't even know about the street kids with no place to stay and no gov. program to help the children with no families to speak of and how the gov. has written them off and are very upset with them because of the pick pocketing that hurts tourism and the so called death squads made up of former law enforcement who hurt and even murder these kids while the gov. turns it's back and looks the other way.

[allpromaterials]

02:21 PM on 06/20/2011

barry has all kinds of agreements with those folks so you can be ready for a Brazillian to be moving in next door to you soon. You be nice to them too. They are your brothers and sisters. Share.

[Bob Morrow]

03:47 PM on 06/20/2011

Ah yes, the "Obama gave billions to Brazil" story - right?

Never happened.

The administration supported Brazil getting a loan from the Import-Export Bank to purchase drilling equipment from American companies who hire American workers. It is a loan, not a gift, Brazil has to pay it back. If Brazil didn't buy the equipment from the States they would have just bought it from the Europeans or the Chinese, both of whom were willing to sell it to them. So you'd rather "Barry" hadn't supported helping American companies and American workers? The only other thing Obama really said was that once Brazil starts pumping oil that the United States would like to be a customer. Since, even if you drill all over the US you still can't fill our needs without importing oil, and I have my doubts that Americans are suddenly going to cut back on what they use, would you rather continue to import oil from the Saudis or Libya instead?

[mspender]

08:29 PM on 06/20/2011

Brazilians will be moving next door because "barry" made agreements with "those folks"??

Is this what the voices on talk radio tell you or just those in your head?

[TYRANNASAURUS]

10:19 AM on 06/20/2011

PHOTOS: Brazilian Police Raid Slum To Secure World Cup Stadium...........

They've got a lot of slums to deal with and I really think they started too late.....the Olympics is going to bring many more poor from other cities hoping to grab loose tourist cash.

[thomashusted]

10:09 AM on 06/20/2011

If Brazil can do this why can't Mexico??

[synergie]

10:14 AM on 06/20/2011

No financial incentive, and their drug cartels are better armed with American made weapons.

[allpromaterials]

02:22 PM on 06/20/2011

sshhhhhh. barry don't know about that.

[looneydoone]

10:39 AM on 06/20/2011

Mexico is mired in the US Dept of State funded (1.6 billion Merida Initiative) proxy "drug war" at present. Once Mexico extricates itself from that (18 months and Calderon is gone) hosting a World Cup might be possible. Olympic Games ?? A wasteful expenditure of public funds better spent on infrastructure.