We're actually standing right in front of the Pacification Police Station. Has that program worked in the favelas? GARCIA-NAVARRO: Well, I mean, the very HDMI-HDMI cable fact that we're standing here now - what was one of the most dangerous favelas in Rio - I think speaks to the fact that yes, it has had some success.
But let me put it into context for you. An NGO recently claimed that in the past decade, 10,000 people have been killed or "disappeared" by the police in Rio. And that is exactly what favela residents complain about with the pacification police. They say you've actually put people in our neighborhood that are killers; i.e. the police.
You have the case of Amarildo de Souza, and that's gotten a lot of attention here. He was 47, a longtime resident of a different favela, a bricklayer, a father, not known for any connection to the drug trafficking. He was picked up by police several months ago and hasn't been seen since. And so it speaks to the fact that it really has been a mixed bag. BLOCK: And a lot of people talk about that case of Amarildo. He's become a name. He's become a name everybody here knows. GARCIA-NAVARRO: He's become a rallying cry, in many ways. And also, it's really put the spotlight into many of the complexities that come with trying to bring many of these favelas into the realm of public security. BLOCK: OK, we've been focusing on the violent side of the favelas. But Lulu, these are also a really rich source of popular culture in Brazil, right?
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Oh, the favelas are alive in popular culture. They live in the imagination of Brazilians. We recently had our first telenovela - or soap opera - set right here in Alemao. But beyond this, this is a place where music and dance infuses the Brazilian culture. Take Passinho, which is a sort of cross between break-dancing and capoeira. It's really physical, and it's flourished after the pacification units have come in. You used to have sort of dancing here - baile funke - that was much more sexualized. And Passinho, the kids dance it. It's just much more athletic. And it's really taken off not only from here, but around the country.
BLOCK: Well, Lulu, thanks for our guided tour of the favelas today.