It should be
clear by now that Rio de Janeiro does not have the capacity to host its own
population, much less a never ending series of mega-events. During a week of
record heat there have been widespread power outages, water cuts,
transportation breakdowns and absurd scenes of violence. All this while Lord
Mayor Paes is off in South Africa taking over the the C40 mayors´ conference
from Billionaire Bloomberg. The list of
insanities in Rio these past weeks has combined with the incredible heat to
make me even more irritable than usual when talking about the city. But let´s
go by parts.
First, the city
has been made hotter and hotter by its horrible architecture, dedication to the
car and lack of connectivity with the water. The most recent horror in the
infinite list of heat creating buildings is by the recently deceased Oscar Niemeyer.
The picture says almost all you need to know about this new monstrosity at the
Fundação Getulio Vargas on the Praia de Botafogo. A big black glass box
reflects
afternoon sun onto a treeless esplanade of white concrete. The red
sculpture out in front is a reminder that Niemeyer was an expert at creating
heat islands unfit for human circulation. Even if it were humanly possible to
deal with the space, the kind folk at FGV have made sure that no one can enter
it by erecting fencing on the access routes and posting private security 24/7. This
kind of building and urban design is so common in Rio as to go unnoticed most
of the time – but then no one asks why we have power outages after we cut down
all the trees and cram ourselves into air-conditioned boxes that cut off
external air circulation. I know ol´ Oscar was a decent enough fellow, but he
has really made life a living hell for generations of Brazilians. With one of
the most iconic views in the world, he opted for a building with no windows! The
heat index in some parts of Rio was 57 celsius yesterday.
 |
| Hotter than Hades, uglier than sin. |
Second,
violence, violence, violence. Brazilians love them some violence. MMA is one of
the most popular sports and much
like American Football can be considered a cultural representation of how
the country functions. Remember when Eduardo
Paes had his bodyguards hold back a disgruntled citizen so he could punch him
in the face? This is an interpersonal reflection of the obsession with MMA
and the normal way that people in Rio try to resolve their anger. Get on a city
bus and see what I mean.
Another example?
On one of the wealthiest streets in Flamengo there has been increasing
insecurity due to a number of robberies committed by young kids. Part of this
insecurity comes from the abandonment of the Edificio Hilton Santos which was
previously occupied by live people but has been turned into yet another festering
element of Eike Batista´s crumbling empire. The area in front of the building is
deserted, and poorly lit and overgrown, making it an ideal place to steal cell
phones and wallets. Of course, the police are never anywhere to be seen, busy
as they are sitting in their cars with the engines running to escape the heat.
So a group of middle class vigilantes decided to take matters into their own
hands. They chased down a young black kid, stripped him naked, cut his ear with
a knife and locked him to a light post with a bicycle lock – around his neck. The case has been alternatively celebrated or
decried in government and media. Just what Rio needs are gangs of upper-middle
class men acting as judge and jury over the lives of poor black kids. Oh wait,
that basically describes the justice system anyway.
More violence?
How about the invasion of a hospital by
armed gunmen who robbed patients in their beds! How about the invasion of
the Morro do
Juramento by the Rio Military Police that left 6 “suspects” dead. The
motive was payback for shots fired against the UPP units in the Complexo de
Alemão. The Guarda Municipal of Rio continue to beat up street vendors in the city center in preparation for the World Cup.Want more? How about the video showing police
beating up a fan in the bathroom of a stadium. Or the 100 Corinthians fans
that cut through the fencing around the team´s training site and invaded
practice, throttling several of the players. There are widespread reports of
inhumane conditions for Haitian workers at the Manaus World Cup stadium. Yesterday
there was yet another death on Rio´s
BRT Transoeste line.
Add to this the
power outages and water shortages all over Rio de Janeiro and one wonders what the
city´s top executive is being lauded for in South
Africa this week.
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