Social Exclusion, Armed Actors and Urban Violence in Rio de Janeiro

This work deals with urban violence in Rio de Janeiro during the last 20 years. After a brief discussion on the emergence of the favela phenomenon, it is argued that violence in Rio de Janeiro is the accumulated result of three trends: the systemic exclusion of favelados population, specially young males; the state's absence or inability to preserve law enforcement & citizen security due to escalating violence or police corruption; & the organization of an "alternate" order & "perverse" integration mechanisms by way of drug-trafficking & gangs. These latter are part of complex hidden networks involving neighborhood organizations & local policies. The case of the favela Vila Cruzeiro illustrates the physiognomy of violence & its impact on the daily life of the city's poor dwellers.