Brazilian responses to violence and new forms of mediation: the case of the Grupo Cultural AfroReggae and the experience of the project "Youth and the Police"

Abstract

This article discusses some aspects of the Brazilian response to urban violence, focusing both official public safety policies and actions of the civil society. The text identifies the lack of a national public safety policy, indicates successful governmental experiences carried out in some states and municipalities, and concentrates on the actions of the police. Analyzing the responses of the civil society, the paper is emphasizing the campaign for disarming the population and the role played by the media. It shows the appearance of groups of young people living in the favelas, organized in turn of cultural experiences that, in multiple aspects, are characterized as "new mediators" in society. These groups thematize violence and try to build new stereotypes dissociating them from the image of criminality. The article describes in particular the cases of the Grupo Cultural AfroReggae, of Rio de Janeiro, and the pilot experience carried out in collaboration with the Minas Gerais Military Police, called "Youth and the Police". The AfroReggae group is a typical example of such a "new mediator", and the initiative of carrying out a work in cooperation with the police opens new perspectives for the traditionally scarce participation of civil organizations engaged in public safety in cooperative projects with the police.

Morais do drama urbano: violência policial, discurso midiático e produção de contos morais

“…Por contraste, imaginar que o GCAR responde efetivamente à violên-cia e à desigualdade urbanas por si só não esgota a interpretação (Ramos 2006;2007;Dagnino, 1994;Durão, 2010). Esse último deve ser considerado um ponto de partida para a atuação e representação de lugares imaginados e de sujeitos morais (que almejam fazer um trabalho moralizante).…”

Negotiating Boundaries

“…In the 1980s there were efforts to introduce community policing in several favela areas in Rio. In Belo Horizonte an initiative called Fica Vivo, Staying Alive, attempted to promote greater understanding and respect between both young people from the urban periphery and local police forces (Ramos 2006a). Over the last few years, there has been increasing international attention paid to the 'pacification' of certain favelas in Rio at the hands of Unidades de Polícia Pacificadora (Police Pacification Units, UPPs) in preparation for the World Cup in 2014 and the 2016 Olympics.…”

Análise diagnóstica da política nacional de saúde para redução de acidentes e violências

“…Ressaltamos que existe um grande número de experiências de prevenção da violência ocorrendo em todo o país, e algumas delas têm sido analisadas (Gomes et al, 2006;Ramos, 2006;Njaine et al, 2006). Todas são intersetoriais, articulam ações do estado e da sociedade civil e contam com o apoio das universidades.…”