The recent murder of Osmar Paiva Camelo, one of the most active representatives of community associations in Maré, the largest set of favelas in Rio de Janeiro, worries those who follow the state's security policy, especially in so-called “pacified” communities.
In June, the population of Maré witnessed the arrival of a large contingent of soldiers, equipped with heavy weapons and armored vehicles. However, there is still a lack of understanding about the objectives that this territorial control intends to achieve in communities occupied by military forces or already equipped with UPPs. Who is being protected? What violence is being faced?
Osmar's death is not an isolated event. Attacks by military police; episodes of misconduct by PM agents in the occupied territories; practice of violent approach of residents; police control over the use of public space and events are persistent.
In order to advance in the construction of a public security policy in Rio de Janeiro, it is necessary to analyze the facts, identifying those that are part of a line of action and thinking that did not incorporate public security as a fundamental right of all people.
Realizing the right to public security in Rio requires considering the power relations established by different segments of criminal groups, which control daily life in these territories. It is necessary to understand how social relations are organized in those places where the State has failed to mediate and regulate certain demands and activities. Above all, it is necessary to act with police intelligence and with the active participation of local populations and their entities.
In this perspective, there is an urgent need to reposition basic institutions such as residents' associations. In the recent past, they have been active as instruments of struggle to guarantee basic rights. Its leaders, forged in these processes, were at the forefront of the mobilizations that resulted in important conquests for the populations. Although, at times, leaders have been accused of adopting clientelistic and non-transparent practices, their importance persists. The murder of community leaders must be treated as a serious attack on the collective organization of these populations.
The strengthening and qualification of associations, in processes free from paternalism and clientelism, are essential to encourage the participation of residents in reflecting on the development of their localities and in conquering the right to security. For this reason, the murder of the president of Morro do Timbau Association needs to be clarified so that it does not become a symbol of impunity and discredit in the authorities. It is necessary to interrupt the climate of violence and fear that still exists in the so-called pacified areas of the city.
Eliana Sousa Silva
Director and founder of NGO Redes da Maré, researcher in public security and visiting professor at the Institute of Advanced Studies at USP
Atila Roque
Executive Director of Amnesty International Brazil
This article was originally published at O Globo on September 27 of 2014
