Segregation in Rio?

At the end of my first week in Brazil, I have concluded racism exist in this country. I can honestly say from first hand experience that this country is not a melting pot of inclusion. As we boarded the bus to leave Rio De Janiero, I began to reflect on my week experience. The first thing that came to mind was the first meeting at PUC-Rio. The researcher presented information about the coverage of racial discrimination in the news media. And what I remember the most was that the police was the most covered. The police and security forces were either victim or offender. My initial thoughts when I heard this information was racial profiling just like the United States. But as I leave I realize there was a lot more than simple racial profiling. The newspaper research project revealed an apartheid system in Brazil. Everyday of my trip, the taxi drivers would slow down to drive by the police check point near on the way to our apartment. My first experience I thought I was just a normal police officer but it was more than that. In fact it was the military police at the base of the favella, a term used to describe a slum. The irony behind this is that popular story of Brazil, is that there was no “legal segregation of the races” however the military police post in Ipanema speaks to a different form of separation based on the same ideology. This ideology is based on white supremacy. While I have no empirical data that showcases the racial makeup of the favella and Ipanema, I can speak to my experience and the stories of other residents of Brazilian that showcase Ipanema as the white affluent area while the favella was black area. While many can attest the police present as way to preserve safety. However, the problem arises is that favellas are rampant across the city. In fact, I would say more people in Rio live in the favellas than small amount of people live in Ipanema and other similar areas. If the city was concerned about safety wouldn’t it be best to develop the favellas ? The military post serves as mechanism to patrol who enters whiteness(Ipanema)? The military post serves an example of how US and Brazil may have differences to perpetuate White Supremacy. In the US, Jim crow laws to mintain racial suboardination. On the other hand Brazil had no direct laws but used actions such as the police enforcement to showcase the law of the land.

Favelas