Proposed Rio slum barrier likened to Israeli security barrier

That's true, after looking up some photos, the wall is not solid the entire way around. The one in Rio would be however, so they must be using the solid part as the comparison piece for their argument.

It is a historic moment in the development of Rio. The drug barons with their headquarters in the slums uphill have spotlights like a supermarket in the night to scare police.  The police tries to enter the area, gets shot down by 10 year old kids earning $200 a month. I lived in a villa directly to the boarder of these slums. Next morning police returns with the helicopter shooting your sugar in the coffee cup on the terrace. So better to flee inside.Since then I know Rio gun fire not like on TV, sounds flat short, 3 - 5 dead, but who and why. can not go on like this.

The second point Chicken wire fence or wall with Palestine prison effect can cause more riots. The installation of wireless internet, a good idea. Creating contacts and Jobs. To balance the report, poor Brazilians just start with a cabine on the hills, don't own the land. Ten years later the city installs water  sewege for free. 20 years later the ancient slum cabine, now  house has a value of $15 to 20.000. As a non-Brazilian you can not live there. The way you walk, already robbed. So no watch, no camera, but $10 in the shirt to give or fight like I did; A busdriver let me jump in, to get away. Rio is a overcrowded place. The middle class has to live in protected towers, no fun at all. the drug barons own the hills. Good awarenes report.

Come on now. It is truly unfair to equate the two. One is keeping out poor people out of rich neighborhoods and another is keeping out terrorists from infiltrating and killing people in Israel. There is a difference. It always seems to be okay to use Israel for bashing on any topic.

I must send you some photos of the fence. It is interesting that 90% of the barrier is just a see thru fence that is on the 67 border. It is not until it gets close to Jerusalem that it changes to a wall because it is to easy to shoot through a fence near heavily populated areas.

I forgot that it is not your story. excuse me.

"Nunca vi cartão postal que se destaque uma favela, só vejo paisagem muito linda e muito bela.."

This is the slum of Ipiranga, located in the city of Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro.

Cami_Go has contributed a photo to this story.

I've been in the Favela two moths ago, and I can say that is a very interesting and sad place at the same time. It is important to be aware of this social problem, and to "feel" it just for one day. It helps us to open our eyes and be conscious about it.

The kids are amazing! All of them want you to take lots of pictures! It makes them feel really good. The most important thing is show them the pictures.

What else can I say? I just thing that is a good experience been there, go and learn something about it.

anagata has contributed a photo to this story.

I shoted this photo because I liked the new elevator that carry people up the hill in the slum.

amstel has contributed a photo to this story.

Hi, I'm brazilian, I used to live in Rio, and Karenke asked to use my photo here, so I let, I didn't know here. Your article is interesting, talking about Brazil without the commons cliches, even when the subject is a slum... I took this picture during my fotojournalism class in 2005. The teacher asked us to registrer the "Pão de Açúcar" (sorry, I don't know the name of this mountain in English), one of the most famous brazilian's post cards, but in a different way, looked by the slum. This one I took from "Campinho" (something like "little camp"), where they play soccer. It's a very beautiful place, with great people.

Márcia Mesquita has contributed a photo to this story.

Walls and fences no matter where and why do indicated not only a problem but more so a lack of willingness to solve it humanly and with justice as well as equality and fairness. Any Wall may it be in Israel or Rio is a disgrace to Humanity.

I do not know the details about what is going on in Rio but here the fence sits 90% on the 67 border with West Bank, formerly Jordan. It has saved lives for all concerned.

My photo is from another favela not directly related to the story (but this barrier idea is also used in another proposal for Favela da Maré), though I´d like to add news that Dona Marta is currently held as a "model" for continuing actions, 'cause it´s gone through recently being rid off drug trafficking.

BrnLng has contributed a photo to this story.

I have been photographing the Mata Atlantica since 1994 and find its spirtual beauty astounding!!! On the other side of the fence I now deeply believe that Brazils urban underclass has become a horrific plague of overpopulation and violence--a direct manifestation of anti civilization and anarchy.It is a culture of live for the moment and screw the future. Its total war between the Haves and Have Nots. In the end the Mata Atlantica will endure, but a horrific future awaits for Brazils urban culture. Yes they may have their Samba, Futbol, Churasco and Pinga-but for me they are brutal savages that nature will some day eradicate from the face of the planet!!!

robertcurtin has contributed a photo to this story.

Read above, as answer to the last message.

Mr Curtin, there are brazilians that  worry seriously about all this trouble and fight as they can against this. I am a 52 y o brazilian Rio de Janeiro-born but deeply imerse in the brazilian culture from North to South, and deeply knowing several other sides of brazilian people than this you are inducing here. (Excuse me the bad English, I speak and write more better in my original idiom)

I  accord with you in some points, it's a hard battle to come, but please be more gentle with human beings like you and don't forget to think about some questions before treat us all as "brutal savages that nature will some day eradicate from the face of the planet".

First of all... who are the "wise savages" that makes weapons for the great majority of wars now happening in the world? They don't live in the slum and the factories are not here. Who are the "rich savage bosses" responsible for one imense percentual of polution on our planet that never did nothing against this only to protect their wild hunger for money and profits that slaves this civilization to an horrific future that awaits all of us? Who are the "civilized savages" that, since the 50s, 60s and 70s, had stimulated and supported dictators and politics that slaughtered thousands and thousands of people that simply wanted to change exactly the conditions that ended heading us  to this situation that you are criticizing now treating us as you treat - in the sacred name of` his profits and gains? A tiny help for you to find who... They are the same that  impose to the world, through all kinds of media, a "brainwashing" culture of behavior massification, creating a giant "global market" to sell tons of trash culture, junky food and all this stuff to a band of brainwashed idiots that, thinking that are better than other people just because use this or that product sold by this system, end supporting and sustaining this kind of thought and atitude you criticize.  Be smart, please, the "culture of live for the moment and screw the future" based on HAVE and not in BE is the most important product sold by this "wise men" that command the world. Is an up-to-date way of life, the best, for them. A culture of fences, that doesn't give a dime to personal cultural traces and social fellowship that could transform a band of desperated hungry people or jealous rich idiots on a real nation. This is in the root of many facts that could  make things REALLY better for we, the savages that may be banned from the planet. Tks for the attention and excuse me , one more time, for my bad English.

I personally wouldn't compare this to the Israeli wall.

However, it does make me ask myself the difficult question "What's more important - protecting the forest or giving people space to live in?"

Protecting the forest means more overcrowding and less space for Donna Marta's expanding poor population to live in.

Protecting people means cutting down trees we desperately need.

My call? Oh, excuse me, the phone's ringing.......And no, I am not avoiding the question..