The Rio Olympics 2016

Maxwell Britton October 11, 2012 Anth 210 Writing Assignment 1 Olympics Games 2016 The excitement that the city of Rio experimented upon the announcement of hosting the 2016 Olympic games appears to have been short lived. The descent of excitement began once drug traffickers shot down a police helicopter. The government responded by heightening the crackdown on the city slums of the favelas. As a result many of the favelas in Rio are now under police control (Jazeera).
The questions we are now asked is if the coming Olympics provided the motive for the increased importance that have been placed on controlling drug trafficking while also disguising as a strategy and justification to clean up the favelas of Rio? Or are the Olympics irrelevant and merely a beneficiary of the crackdown? It seems to me that the upcoming events in which the city of Rio have been presented with have become overwhelming. The Olympics are a very sacred event to host and having the honor to do such is a major responsibility (Watson).
With this I do believe that the Olympics are the primary motive for the government’s actions. The Olympics routinely bring hundreds of thousands of tourists to the host city and this is something that the city of Rio wants to take advantage of in showing off their city to the world (Watson). This is why I believe the government has decided to intensify their police presence in the favelas as a tactic to clean up and make their city more appealing.

The outcome of this has left thousands of individuals killed or imprisoned by the government. The favelas are where the majority of drug trafficking takes place as many times they are controlled and run by the gangs. As a solution the military police have gone in and taken over, resulting in thousands of deaths. It’s reported by the Human Rights Watch that the police of Rio and Sao Paolo have killed over 11,000 people since 2003.
When a reporter discussed these findings by the Human Rights Watch with the head of Rio security; Jose Beltrame, the findings weren’t denied and instead attributed to the difficulties faced by the police of Rio. However, when asked about the Human Rights Activists who claim there are additional killings by the police he was quick to respond. According to Beltrame these reports are always similar and are preconceived opinions that are not based on reason, as they don’t understand the reality of Rio.
The actuality, he explains, is there are areas in Rio that are dominated by criminal gangs equipped with assault rifles that the police are facing (Jazeera). Although it’s too difficult to determine which side is right, it is clear that too many lives are being taken. In conclusion I think it’s a positive thing for the city to put effort into controlling drug trafficking and also something that has been long due. However, it appears that many innocent individuals are being affected by these government actions and in some cases even been killed.
I think the government needs to take a strong look at the approach they have taken and determine if this is benefiting their city in the long run or it is a short-term solution for the Olympics. Bibliography Jazeera, Al. “Rio: Olympic City. ” Aljazeera . Fault Lines , 01/2010. Web. 12 Oct 2012. <http://www. aljazeera. com/programmes/faultlines/2010/01/201019104335683915. html>. Watson, Connie. “Can roughed-up Rio be ready for the 2016 Olympics?. ” CBSnews. N. p. , 08/2012. Web. 12 Oct 2012. <http://www. cbc. ca/news/world/story/2012/08/09/f-vp-watson-rio-olympics. html>.