BRASIL: Police And Army Invade Rio Slum Near World Cup Soccer Stadium.

AFP

With the support of helicopters and 14 armored carriers, hundreds of police and soldiers invaded Rio's hillside Mangueira favela/slum neighorhood...located near the famous soccer stadium Maracana.

The massive forces encountered no resistance because gangs had fled as the government continues to pacify areas ahead of the  2014 World Cup.

BRASIL: Police Try Peace In Rio's Slums.

NYTIMES/ By ALEXEI BARRIONUEVO :
"For decades, the City of God (notorious Rio favela/slum) — whose brutal past was immortalized in a 2002 film — was one of the city’s most fearsome neighborhoods, so dangerous that even the police rarely dared to enter.
Those days seem long gone. Drug dealing remains, and in at least one area, outsiders can enter only with permission from local youths who patrol the streets.
Still, the men with the big guns are gone, or at least have been driven underground. And life is returning to the streets."
How is this done?
"The peace officers are central to that effort, flooding in after the military police clear the streets in gun battles that can last weeks. Their job is part traditional policing, part social work. They devote themselves to winning over residents scarred by decades of violence — some at the hands of the police."

BRASIL: Retaking Rio's Slums.

THE NATION/ Christian Parenti/
Long Form Article/

"The black police helicopter floats above Rio. Ahead of us looms the huge mountaintop statue of Christ, arms outstretched to the city; below us lies the long, wide expanse of Ipanema Beach. Inland from the posh neighborhoods on the water rise abrupt mountains of solid rock topped by lush jungle. Stacked up haphazardly along these steep slopes are the favelas: the densely packed unplanned neighborhoods of the poor and working classes. If the contrast of white beaches and dark mountains defines Rio's postcard-perfect geography, it is the surreal inequality of luxury condos overlooked by impoverished slums that defines Rio's social landscape. Originally built by squatters from the rural northeast, and named for a hardy weed of that region, the poverty- and crime-plagued favelas are the open sore on Rio's welcoming smile." (Foto: Rocinha favela)

Gangs Still Control Rio's Slums.

AP Via MIAMI HERALD/
There are 2 million slum dwellers in Rio and they say that defeating the criminals is almost impossible.
"The police are playing a game they have already lost," said vegetable seller Roberto Lima. "They have to make their efforts, we understand. But they are working outside the reality that they don't control this place."

View: Rio's Drug War Claims 2 Police And A Helicopter.

GUARDIAN/UK/10 Images/
A gun battle erupted in a Rio favela and a police helicopter was shot down, killing two officers.
The battle began in Morro dos Macacos in northern Rio, controlled by the Amigos dos Amigos (Friends of Friends) drug faction.

1,000 Lose Homes In Sao Paulo Favela Fire.

LAHT/
About 1,000 people lost their homes and four were overcome by smoke inhalation after a fire in a favela in Sao Paulo. Some 350 families lost their dwellings in less than three hours as the fire destroyed the wooden structures. The blaze started late Sunday afternoon and needed some 70 firefighters to contain it.

New Documentary Gives Insight About Brasil's Favelas.

LAHT/
The documentary, titled "Complexo-Universo Paralelo” (Complexo-Parallel Universe),was filmed by two Portuguese brothers, Mario and Pedro Patrocinio, who went into the most dangerous “favela” in Rio de Janeiro (Complexo do Alemao) and discovered a surprising “universe” of sensitivity and strength. Complexo do Alemao’s violent, dangerous reputation began with the slaying of Brazilian journalist Tim Lopes in 2002, when he was captured and cruelly tortured in reprisal for his investigative reporting of “funk” dances.

Rio Police Find Two Secret Drug Runner Clinics.

From the LAHT.

Rio Police Take Over Two Slums...Peacefully.

From The Latin American Herald Tribune.

The favelas(slums)of Babilonia and Chapeu Mangueira were recently occupied- peacefully- by Rio police.

The drug dealers fled when they heard 100 police would be stationed there.