Police brutality in the Favelas - a backround article on 'Hora do Recreio'

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The noon sun burns on the corrugated iron roofs. The afternoon breeze carries many smells and sounds: from the smell of barbecues at informal street shops to the humming exhausts of motorbikes in the narrow alleyways of the favelas. Artistic illustrations are sprayed on some of the unplastered house walls. In these parts of the Brazilian metropolis, art and culture is everywhere, but at the same time, alongside life on the breadline, discrimination and marginalisation, there is a seemingly insoluble complex of problems of violence and organised crime: both of which are symptoms of a racist and classist system in which power monopolies exploit favelas in order to maintain and reinforce the inequalities of society.

Hora do Recreio (“Playtime”), einer der Dokumentarfilme in Generation 14+ Programm, hat mich sehr mitgenommen. Von unfassbar starken Protagonist*innen, berührenden Schicksalen bis zu toller Musik: verpasst diesen Film nicht! In diesem Film geht es um Schüler*innen, die über das Bildungssystem in Brasilien, über Gewalt, Rassismus, sexualisierte Gewalt, Homo- und Transphobie sprechen und diese Themen auch theatralisch bearbeiten. Der Film spielt in den Slums, in drei favelas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As I myself am the same age as the protagonists, lived in Brazil for five years and went to school there, I felt a direct connection to this film as soon as I read the programme description, even though I lived in a completely different reality to the young people in the film. But that's exactly why I wanted to do more research in advance on the subject of the film and the social, political and historical background of violence in favelas one of the central themes in the film. So in this background article, I will take you on a journey to research the emergence of favelas during the colonial era, their expansion at the beginning of the 20th century, police violence then and now, and the investigation into the murder of left-wing politician Marielle Franco in 2018 and what the truth about this murder reveals about the structural (politically and economically motivated) abuse of power, which is unfortunately not an isolated case in Brazil and worldwide.

In Rio de Janeiro, the former capital of Brazil, life in the so-called ‘favelas’ is the reality of life for a fifth of the population. (see Fabricius, Bauwelt)

Favelas are informal housing estates that wind their way up the inner-city hills in Rio, as well as spreading out along major arterial roads and peripheral regions of the city. The hills in particular are the areas of the city that had previously remained free from construction, as they are very risky to build and live on, due to the danger of landslides when it rains. People who have no other options build their own houses here. Living in favelas is one of the only ways to have a roof over their heads for as little money as possible and close to potential job opportunities.

Far away from state regulations and public access to infrastructure, residents of the favelas informally organise their own infrastructure: from water and electricity, to shops, markets, pubs and churches. Everything here is self-organised.

To understand the origins of the favelas and the structural problems that prevail there today, let's take a brief historical excursus:

The emergence of the favelas in Rio de Janeiro

Favelas in Rio emerged because of various factors, but two of them were very significant:

• The first favelas as ‘quilombos’

From 1550 onwards, the slave trade flourished in Brazil, with around 3 million people being trafficked from various African countries to Brazil as slaves. In rural regions of Brazil during this time (approx. between 1550 and 1888) there were ‘Fazendas’, estates of large landowners on which slaves were kept. The slaves who managed to escape from the fazendas found refuge in informal settlements, the so-called ‘Quilombos’, which were built hidden in the middle of the jungle.

Just as in rural regions, slavery also existed in the centre of Rio de Janeiro. The slaves who were able to escape in Rio fled to the hills in and around Rio. Thus, the favelasthat developed on these hills became so-called ‘urban quilombos’.

Even after the abolition of slavery in 1888, many ex-slaves, both from Rio and from rural regions, moved to the favelas in Rio. The favelas offered black people a place to live that was both cheap, usually centrally located and promised more security from the police. Rumba Gabriel, one of the leaders of the ‘Jacarézinho’ Favela , explains that: ‘’The reason the blacks settled high up on the hills was precisely because they were afraid of the police, who, taking on the role of theCapitães do Mato, would arrest these people.’ The so-called Capitões do Mato (‘captains of the forest’) were the ones who searched for and recaptured escaped slaves during the time of slavery.

• Political displacement of marginalised groups

At the beginning of the 20th century, Rio's city centre was full of large colonial-era houses that were divided into many small flats and rented out. Many people lived in these houses, mainly from marginalised and poor backgrounds, who worked in the city centre and had to accept the cramped, precarious living conditions to ensure their survival.

Under the government of President Rodrigues Alves and, in Rio, Mayor Pereira Passos, these tenements were demolished in the centre of Rio at this time. Alves and Pereira were targeting precisely these marginalised groups that did not fit into their ideal cityscape. The tenants were thrown out of their houses without any compensation and were forced to find a new place where they could live for as little money as possible in the centre of Rio. And that is exactly what the favelas offered. This resulted in a further large increase in the number of favelas.

Problems in the favelas today

The frequent lack of regulation of Favelaareas by the state, creates risks. 

Diese Unreguliertheit öffnet Raum für Menschen mit Macht, diese Verhältnisse für eigene Interessen auszunutzen. Rios Favelas sind von den bewaffneten Drogenmafias dominiert, die das Alltagsleben in den favelas are dominated by armed drug mafias, which make everyday life in the favelas dangerous. Related to this is the issue of police violence, which emanates from the civilian police, but in recent years also from informal paramilitary militias made up of ex-military or police personnel. During so-called operações (Operationen) der Polizei gegen die Drogenhändler*innen, finden kriegsähnliche Straßengefechte statt, bei denen auch unbeteiligte Anwohner*innen unter Beschuss geraten können, indem sie einen Querschläger, eine sogenannte “bala perdida(lost bullet). 

Statistics from 2021 compare the number of deaths caused by police violence in Rio between black and white people.

The blue bars represent the total population of black and white people in Rio as a percentage. The black bars show the percentage of black and white deaths due to police violence.

87.3% of those killed by police violence are Black people. Many of these killings are actually caused by ricochets, but studies show that the police are quicker to use their weapons precisely in these unregulated favela areas, where mainly black people and other marginalised groups live (see Amnesty International 2005). 

By looking at the murder of Marielle Franco in 2018, racism and right-wing structures within the police and paramilitary militias can be clearly linked to organised crime and right-wing politicians. There is a complex network of power monopoles in the underground, which together maintain a system in which marginalised groups are increasingly marginalised and fighters for social justice constantly put their lives in danger through their work.

The Murder of Marielle Franco

Marielle Franco was a black member of parliament who grew up in Rio, in the Maré favela. She has always campaigned for the rights of marginalised groups, especially black people, women and favela residents. She was elected to the city parliament in 2016 as a deputy for the PSOL (Partido Socialismo e Liberdade - Party for Socialism and Freedom). She stood for the fight against social inequalities, campaigned against racism, for women's rights, including the right to abortion, for a liberalisation of drug policy and for less police violence against favela residents.

On 14 March 2018, Marielle Franco and her driver Anderson Gomes were shot dead in their car on the way home. Only 6 years later it came out, that the murder was planned by Ricardo Barbosa, the then head of Rio's civil police, Chiquinho Brazão, a member of Rio's city council and Marielle's direct colleague, and Chiquinhos brother, Domingos Brazão, a member of Rio's Court of Auditors. 

The two contract killers, Ronnie Lessa and Elcio Queiroz, were both part of the militia at the time.

Three of the perpetrators were themselves part of the police force responsible for investigating the murder. And if even politicians are behind the murder, then it is clear that the investigation of the murder is being prevented as much as possible, so that it took 6 years to find out the truth about Marielle Franco's death. So far, however, only the contract killers have been convicted.

But why was she murdered?

Marielle hatte immer wieder auf die Unterwanderung der Politik, unter anderem auch der Stadtverwaltung Rios, durch die Miliz aufmerksam gemacht und diese öffentlich verurteilt. Als sie dann aber auch noch Ricardo Barbosa, und den Brazão Brüdern (die schon immer sehr eng mit der Miliz zusammengearbeitet haben) ganz direkt wirtschaftlich in die Quere kam, sollte sie zum Schweigen gebracht werden. Marielle hatte sich für die Nutzung eines öffentlichen Grundstücks für Sozialwohnungen eingesetzt. Dieses Grundstück wollten sich die Drei jedoch selbst aneignen, um ein eigenes privates Immobilienprojekt umzusetzen.

Marielle was murdered, but her memory remains and her courage is a role model and gives strength, as a short comment by a student in the film also shows.  

Unfortunately, the tragic and symptomatic story of Marielle Franco's murder is just one example of many. People who stand up against structural injustices are jeopardised by an entire system of people in privileged positions of power. 

But that is precisely why it is all the more important that the voices, opinions and realities of life of those who suffer under this system are heard and strengthened. That we, bit by bit, call to account the people who exploit social inequalities for their own personal gain and thus, slowly but steadily, uproot this deeply entrenched system. 

And in the film Hora do Recreio, it is precisely these people who are given space for their voices and tell their stories in such a great way. 

And we all have the opportunity to listen and be inspired:

Hora do Recreio will be screened 3 more times this Berlinale:

Tuesday 18.2. 13:00 – Zoo Palast

Wednesday 19.2. 9:45 – Filmtheater am Friedrichshain

Sunday 23.2. 19:15 – Cubix

Sources:

YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8lK1Q4kybA (Accessed: 16 February 2025).

Assassination of Marielle Franco (2025) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Marielle_Franco (Accessed: 16 February 2025).

Blasberg, M. (2024) (S+) Brasilien: Mutmaßlicher Mörder gefasst – gerechtigkeit für Marielle Franco, DER SPIEGEL. Available at: https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/brasilien-marielle-franco-mutmasslichen-moerder-gefasst-a-07348675-efd5-41ed-a0b1-f8f79e9b5331 (Accessed: 17 February 2025). 

Boas, P.V. (2024) Milícia, grilagem e lei: Por Que Marielle Foi assassinada, Segundo a PF, UOL. Available at: https://noticias.uol.com.br/cotidiano/ultimas-noticias/2024/03/25/motivo-morte-marielle.htm (Accessed: 16 February 2025).

Carvalho, I. (2020) Marielle, Jair and militias, a web of facts exposing the president’s underworld, Brasil de Fato. Available at: https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2020/03/14/marielle-jair-and-militias-a-web-of-facts-exposing-the-president-s-underworld (Accessed: 16 February 2025).

Fabricius, D. Die widersprüchliche geographie der favela. Available at: https://www.bauwelt.de/dl/755283/10793531_ba67a8bec6.pdf (Accessed: 16 February 2025).

Glüsing, J. (2017) Rio de Janeiro: Die gewalt in den favelas wächst wieder, DER SPIEGEL. Available at: https://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/rio-de-janeiro-die-gewalt-in-den-favelas-waechst-wieder-a-1150903.html (Accessed: 16 February 2025).

Helden der favelas: Diese Menschen Kämpfen für rio de janeiro (2024) https://www.prosieben.de. Available at: https://www.prosieben.de/serien/galileo/news/helden-der-favelas-diese-menschen-kaempfen-fuer-rio-de-janeiro-396471 (Accessed: 16 February 2025).

Herrberg, A. (2024) Drei festnahmen im Mordfall Marielle Franco in Brasilien, tagesschau.de. Available at: https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/amerika/brasilien-marielle-franco-mord-100.html (Accessed: 16 February 2025).

Home RioOnWatch. Available at: https://rioonwatch.org/?p=80148 (Accessed: 16 February 2025).

Home RioOnWatch. Available at: https://rioonwatch.org/?p=67248 (Accessed: 16 February 2025).

Marielle Franco (2024) Wikipedia. Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marielle_Franco (Accessed: 16 February 2025).

Nathanlopes (2024) Marielle FOI Assassinada por fazer o que lhe era devido, diz sobrevivente do ataque que Matou Vereadora, CNN Brasil. Available at: https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/politica/marielle-foi-morta-por-fazer-o-que-lhe-era-devido-diz-sobrevivente-do-ataque-que-matou-vereadora/ (Accessed: 16 February 2025).

Paralelo, R.B. (2023) Conheça a história das favelas no rio de janeiro, RSS. Available at: https://www.brasilparalelo.com.br/artigos/favelas-no-rio-de-janeiro (Accessed: 16 February 2025). 

Rio, N. do Caso Marielle: Quem Mandou Matar, Quem Matou e qual a motivação do crime; Veja Todas as respostas, O Globo. Available at: https://oglobo.globo.com/rio/noticia/2024/03/24/caso-mariele-quem-mandou-matar-quem-matou-e-qual-a-motivacao-do-crime-veja-todas-as-respostas.ghtml (Accessed: 16 February 2025).

William Reis Jacarezinho: A história da favela mais negra do rio de janeiro: William Reis, VEJA RIO. Available at: https://vejario.abril.com.br/coluna/william-reis/historia-favela-jacarezinho (Accessed: 16 February 2025). Quem Somos (2021) Observatório de Favelas. Available at: https://observatoriodefavelas.org.br/quem-somos/ (Accessed: 17 February 2025).