WEBVTT - Inside Rio’s Gang Controlled Favelas 0:00:01.720 --> 0:00:02.840 Causer Media. 0:00:06.760 --> 0:00:11.160 You're listening to the Away Days podcast on the ground outside, 0:00:11.520 --> 0:00:17.520 reporting from the underbelly with me Jake Hanrahan. To watch 0:00:17.520 --> 0:00:22.520 Awaydays documentaries, go to YouTube dot com slash at away 0:00:22.600 --> 0:00:31.920 Days TV. This is part two for Velo Government, Episode one. 0:00:33.200 --> 0:00:36.320 The podcast is the production of H eleventh Studio and 0:00:36.400 --> 0:00:49.479 call Zone Media. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I'm stood at 0:00:49.479 --> 0:00:52.479 the bottom of a long winding road that leads uphill 0:00:52.520 --> 0:00:56.040 into the maze of Flete Fogutero, A sprawling fora Vella 0:00:56.160 --> 0:01:00.720 under the control of Brazil's oldest gang. In the near distance, 0:01:00.760 --> 0:01:02.840 I can see the shanty town built up on top 0:01:02.880 --> 0:01:06.560 of itself. The tropical backdrop of the nearby mountains and 0:01:06.680 --> 0:01:10.000 valleys is peppered with misshapen blocks of di white housing. 0:01:10.800 --> 0:01:13.080 Edges and right angles are ben skewed with like a 0:01:13.120 --> 0:01:17.000 Doctor Zoos illustration. Each building is linked by a spider's 0:01:17.040 --> 0:01:20.640 web of illegal power lines, all maintained by Favela residents 0:01:20.680 --> 0:01:25.240 without permits. Here at the bottom of the hill there's 0:01:25.280 --> 0:01:29.200 a crossroads where Foravella motorbike taxis hang out. There are 0:01:29.280 --> 0:01:32.120 around two dozen young lads ready to take who or 0:01:32.160 --> 0:01:35.640 whatever they're told to up into the forvela. They wear 0:01:35.640 --> 0:01:39.160 a mix of football shirts, flip flops, and basketball shorts. 0:01:39.800 --> 0:01:42.200 They're looking at me as if to say, what the 0:01:42.240 --> 0:01:45.960 fuck are you doing here? This area is anrgo zone 0:01:45.959 --> 0:01:50.040 for tourists, the government, and the police. The whole area 0:01:50.160 --> 0:01:53.520 is run by a criminal organization known as Red command 0:01:53.920 --> 0:02:02.120 or in Portuguese Commando for Melo CV. Of negotiation between myself, 0:02:02.400 --> 0:02:05.880 a friend and a photographer originally from the favelas. One 0:02:05.880 --> 0:02:09.120 of the big CV bosses has given us permission to 0:02:09.280 --> 0:02:13.680 enter Fogutero. Once you're up the hill and in the neighborhood, 0:02:13.960 --> 0:02:17.639 CV is the de facto leadership in every way possible. 0:02:18.480 --> 0:02:21.080 We're here to make a documentary to show what life 0:02:21.120 --> 0:02:23.520 is like in the favela when a gang takes on 0:02:23.560 --> 0:02:26.920 the role of a government. You can watch the documentary 0:02:26.960 --> 0:02:31.440 now at YouTube dot com slash at Away Days TV. 0:02:33.160 --> 0:02:35.560 A local lad is assisting us with a blessing from 0:02:35.600 --> 0:02:38.240 the gang. I dare say, if he wasn't with us, 0:02:38.480 --> 0:02:40.560 we'd be robbed and sent on our way home already. 0:02:40.880 --> 0:02:43.760 But Cev's word is solid here, so we're left alone. 0:02:44.919 --> 0:02:48.240 The local who will call Carlos hands a few notes 0:02:48.280 --> 0:02:50.640 to one of the motorbike riders and tells him something 0:02:50.680 --> 0:02:53.720 in Portuguese. The rider nods at me and pulls his 0:02:53.720 --> 0:02:55.880 bike up to the bottom of the hill. The other 0:02:55.919 --> 0:02:59.000 taxes watch on, grinning and whispering to each other. By 0:02:59.040 --> 0:03:01.040 now they're all sat on the seats of their bikes 0:03:01.280 --> 0:03:05.600 and chatting about the gringos. Me and my team humid, 0:03:05.880 --> 0:03:10.320 noisy in everything smells like gasoline. Carlos signals to me, 0:03:10.760 --> 0:03:14.600 we're ready to go. Okay. I approach the motorbike and 0:03:14.639 --> 0:03:17.200 climb on the back. The rider is perched over it 0:03:17.240 --> 0:03:19.840 and leans on the handlebars naturally, as if they're part 0:03:19.880 --> 0:03:23.800 of his extended anatomy. He's made this trip a thousand 0:03:23.800 --> 0:03:27.480 times before, but probably never for some journalists from the UK. 0:03:28.560 --> 0:03:31.840 Philip Fogatro is not one of those media friendly fora 0:03:31.919 --> 0:03:36.000 VELAs the YouTubers paid to create danger slop content inside 0:03:36.040 --> 0:03:40.160 of This is the Wild West when it comes to rules, regulations, 0:03:40.360 --> 0:03:43.880 laws or safety. Carlos tells me the last time someone 0:03:43.880 --> 0:03:46.360 tried to film up there without permission that was shot 0:03:46.440 --> 0:03:48.560 dead by the gang. He says it was a couple 0:03:48.640 --> 0:03:50.920 riding through on bikes with gold pros attached. 0:03:51.480 --> 0:03:52.920 This place is no joke. 0:03:55.560 --> 0:03:57.920 I let the rider know I'm ready, and he pushes 0:03:57.960 --> 0:03:59.960 off the kickstand and revs the bike up the hill, 0:04:00.160 --> 0:04:03.640 moving fast through a series of alleyways, winding roads, and 0:04:03.720 --> 0:04:07.440 half built streets. As we move up higher into the favela, 0:04:07.800 --> 0:04:11.200 a blur of residents and gangbangers was passed. The road 0:04:11.280 --> 0:04:15.000 is battered with potholes and uneven tarmac. The bike bounces 0:04:15.080 --> 0:04:18.240 every few feet. There were no helmets for passengers, at 0:04:18.320 --> 0:04:20.599 least not for me, so I'm held on tight, hoping 0:04:20.600 --> 0:04:22.640 we don't crash into the one hundred and one different 0:04:22.640 --> 0:04:24.839 obstacles and sharp angles with zip passed. 0:04:25.960 --> 0:04:27.160 After about five. 0:04:26.960 --> 0:04:29.599 Minutes, we're fully up the hills and on an even 0:04:29.640 --> 0:04:36.760 plateau where the favela branches off into all different directions. 0:04:45.040 --> 0:04:48.120 We're high up now, inside the Favella. I can see 0:04:48.120 --> 0:04:50.680 the city's tall buildings of the metro area and the 0:04:50.720 --> 0:04:55.480 distance from here, all glass and metal. Down there, Brazilians work, 0:04:55.480 --> 0:04:58.160 they're nine to five's, pay their bills and hang out 0:04:58.160 --> 0:05:02.320 on the beaches up here, solicit firearms, bricks of heroin, 0:05:02.640 --> 0:05:07.479 and regular gang shootouts. Short motorbike taxi has transported me 0:05:07.800 --> 0:05:14.719 from one world to another. This is the Favela. Carlos 0:05:14.800 --> 0:05:17.200 arrives on the back of another motorbike and guides us 0:05:17.240 --> 0:05:20.160 through a series of narrow alleyways. Here the only thing 0:05:20.200 --> 0:05:23.559 you need to start building is cement. Over the years, 0:05:23.600 --> 0:05:27.599 this has created a ghetto metropolis with random drainpipes, satellite 0:05:27.600 --> 0:05:31.960 dishes and stairs that lead to nowhere. Pavela construction is 0:05:32.080 --> 0:05:37.400 unlike anything else. We moved through to a small corner 0:05:37.440 --> 0:05:40.520 with three alleyways leading in all directions up a slope. 0:05:40.920 --> 0:05:44.400 Cev graffiti is sprayed red on the walls. Piles of 0:05:44.440 --> 0:05:46.560 rubbish are gathered up along the side of the road. 0:05:47.120 --> 0:05:51.279 There's a small benched off area made of bricks and concrete. Here, 0:05:51.440 --> 0:05:55.080 three young men and with semi automatic rifles are posted up, 0:05:55.120 --> 0:05:59.280 chatting into their walky talkies. The static melts in and out, 0:05:59.320 --> 0:06:02.560 with inderside of Portuguese chirping from the other end. 0:06:03.320 --> 0:06:05.520 The gang has this whole place on lock. 0:06:06.000 --> 0:06:09.560 An intricate system of radio signals and constant patrols has 0:06:09.560 --> 0:06:12.680 them in charge of all entrances to the neighborhoods they control. 0:06:14.480 --> 0:06:18.360 The young gunmen seem pretty chilled out considering we shake hands, 0:06:18.360 --> 0:06:20.920 and one of them seems eager to chat. His name 0:06:21.000 --> 0:06:24.640 is Chico. He's maybe twenty years old. He stood in 0:06:24.680 --> 0:06:27.760 a pair of flip flops, a red basketball jersey, and 0:06:27.800 --> 0:06:31.640 a camouflage balaclava. He's also holding a rifle almost as 0:06:31.720 --> 0:06:35.839 big as he is. Carlos explains to me that exactly 0:06:36.040 --> 0:06:40.560 where we're currently standing is nicknamed the Place where Bullets Fly. 0:06:41.200 --> 0:06:44.800 He could have told us this beforehand. Basically, this is 0:06:44.839 --> 0:06:48.800 a very hot intersection where gun battles regularly break out 0:06:48.800 --> 0:06:53.040 between either rival gangs or the police. Chico walks out 0:06:53.040 --> 0:06:56.039 into the junction and points to a large white building 0:06:56.040 --> 0:06:58.320 at the top of a hill in the distance, a 0:06:58.440 --> 0:07:02.440 huge blue wall protec exit. It's surrounded by jungle foliage 0:07:02.520 --> 0:07:04.680 on what looks like a little tram moving. 0:07:04.520 --> 0:07:07.160 In and out. Chico explains what it is. 0:07:07.680 --> 0:07:11.680 There is light snipers up there, there are police snipers, 0:07:11.880 --> 0:07:15.080 and from this direction ravel gangs come down to confront us. 0:07:15.840 --> 0:07:19.000 At all times, day or night. These areas are guarded 0:07:19.080 --> 0:07:22.080 by men like Chico. We move off through the alleyways 0:07:22.120 --> 0:07:24.880 to find a safer place to talk. As we do, 0:07:25.040 --> 0:07:27.720 young children randomly show up to see why the gringlows 0:07:27.720 --> 0:07:31.080 are here. They seem completely unfazed at the masked men 0:07:31.120 --> 0:07:34.520 with rifles hanging out on their corners. We climb over 0:07:34.560 --> 0:07:37.239 a small wall and into a sheltered alleyway that doubles 0:07:37.280 --> 0:07:40.840 as someone's outside patio. People look out from their windows, 0:07:40.960 --> 0:07:44.560 not really alarmed, just seeing what's going on. Chico seems 0:07:44.560 --> 0:07:47.160 as relaxed here as he did in the place where 0:07:47.160 --> 0:07:47.760 bullets fly. 0:07:48.360 --> 0:07:48.440 Me. 0:07:48.640 --> 0:07:51.720 I'm much happier to have some concrete between us and 0:07:51.760 --> 0:07:55.080 the police snipers with their barrels aimed over this neighborhood. 0:07:55.960 --> 0:07:58.080 Do you see yourselves as like the security of this 0:07:58.240 --> 0:07:59.200 fabella fun? 0:07:59.840 --> 0:08:04.080 Just yeah, I think so. We're here to protect each other. 0:08:04.720 --> 0:08:07.760 We stop residents getting scammed by the government. If we're 0:08:07.800 --> 0:08:12.560 not in the community, the community is finished. We're out here. 0:08:12.840 --> 0:08:14.960 It's our choice. We stay strong. 0:08:15.000 --> 0:08:15.200 You know. 0:08:16.360 --> 0:08:18.720 Drug dealers are the ones who help because the government 0:08:18.760 --> 0:08:24.440 is shit, straight up. They steal everything. They're bad. We're 0:08:24.440 --> 0:08:27.600 not good, but we only kill our enemies. The media 0:08:27.640 --> 0:08:30.560 says we kill civilians, but we don't. We only kill 0:08:30.600 --> 0:08:35.800 other criminals, criminals against criminals. CV isn't destroying anything in 0:08:35.880 --> 0:08:39.480 Rio dejan Ero. If CV didn't exist, what would happen 0:08:39.480 --> 0:08:42.760 to the favela residence? The police would come here, charge 0:08:42.760 --> 0:08:47.840 protection fees, humiliate people, disappear, people make curfews, not us. 0:08:48.320 --> 0:08:48.960 We leave them be. 0:08:49.720 --> 0:08:52.000 We even hold parties for the community. 0:08:52.040 --> 0:08:54.120 What's it like living here? What's it like growing up here? 0:08:54.160 --> 0:08:57.000 It looks to me like there's no presence from the 0:08:57.040 --> 0:08:57.800 government at all. 0:08:57.840 --> 0:08:58.720 What's it What's it like? 0:08:59.480 --> 0:09:02.280 When I was young, all I did was play football. 0:09:03.040 --> 0:09:05.720 I followed a different path. But when the police entered 0:09:05.720 --> 0:09:08.079 the community here, a lot of things went to ruin. 0:09:08.760 --> 0:09:12.400 My brother entered the gang life, so I followed back. 0:09:12.440 --> 0:09:14.320 Then I had a dream to get out of this place, 0:09:14.880 --> 0:09:17.199 but the police destroyed my life when they killed my brother. 0:09:18.080 --> 0:09:20.560 He was shot in the back. Then the cops executed 0:09:20.600 --> 0:09:23.680 him close up. From then on, I said to myself, 0:09:24.160 --> 0:09:27.000 they'll only get rid of me by death. So after 0:09:27.040 --> 0:09:28.640 that they fought and fought. 0:09:28.800 --> 0:09:29.000 Fuck. 0:09:29.040 --> 0:09:33.120 I'm sorry the ever, none of this will change our lives. 0:09:33.840 --> 0:09:36.520 Any day we could die. If God puts it in 0:09:36.600 --> 0:09:38.520 my heart to leave, then I'll leave. 0:09:40.200 --> 0:09:43.840 As nice as that sentiment is, very rarely does anyone 0:09:43.960 --> 0:09:46.920 exit the life of a favela gang member by anything 0:09:47.040 --> 0:09:52.280 other than death. CV's presence is felt far and wide 0:09:52.360 --> 0:09:56.800 across Brazil. The gang has gained over twenty five thousand 0:09:56.840 --> 0:10:01.840 members in the forty years they've been active, so symbol 0:10:01.840 --> 0:10:05.640 as nasionaes. It all began in Brazil in the nineteen seventies. 0:10:06.520 --> 0:10:10.600 US backed military dictatorship controlled the country with an iron fist, 0:10:11.160 --> 0:10:17.520 extra judicial killings, force disappearances, mass censorship. Armed rebels rose 0:10:17.600 --> 0:10:21.560 up and began fighting back. Police were killed and riots 0:10:21.600 --> 0:10:25.680 broke out. Before long, Rio's prisons were full of battle 0:10:25.679 --> 0:10:31.760 hard and leftist gorillas, specifically at the Candido Mendez penal colony. There, 0:10:31.840 --> 0:10:35.079 militants shared cells with local criminals who had also been 0:10:35.120 --> 0:10:38.079 locked up by the Junter, all under the same roof 0:10:38.520 --> 0:10:42.320 all facing abuse in the prison, the two groups joined 0:10:42.400 --> 0:10:47.119 forces to protect themselves, rebel fighters in league with street criminals. 0:10:47.520 --> 0:10:50.000 It was an effective alliance that gave birth to TV. 0:10:51.240 --> 0:10:55.160 Brazil's military Junter ruled from nineteen sixty four to nineteen 0:10:55.240 --> 0:11:00.880 eighty five. In that time, CVS spread like wildfire. They 0:11:00.920 --> 0:11:04.560 were highly active inside and outside prison. They got into 0:11:04.600 --> 0:11:08.959 drug trafficking and became a highly violent organization. By the 0:11:09.080 --> 0:11:12.599 end of the dictatorship, CV controlled around seventy percent of 0:11:12.640 --> 0:11:15.679 the drug trade in Rio and became a serious problem 0:11:15.720 --> 0:11:20.280 for the state and the favelas. Though CV became the state, 0:11:21.240 --> 0:11:24.480 these shanty towns, initially built by former slaves in the 0:11:24.520 --> 0:11:28.400 eighteen hundreds, have long been abandoned by the government, and 0:11:28.480 --> 0:11:32.720 so a mix of violence, intimidation, and genuine community support 0:11:33.120 --> 0:11:36.640 led CV to become the de facto authority of their favelas. 0:11:37.559 --> 0:11:41.960 This meant they had to keep the police out. In Brazil, 0:11:42.080 --> 0:11:44.880 the security forces have been corrupt for a long time. 0:11:45.840 --> 0:11:49.120 They're often involved in organized crime themselves and of the 0:11:49.200 --> 0:11:54.480 natural enemy of the countless different gangs of Brazil. Now 0:11:54.559 --> 0:11:58.600 in twenty twenty five, CV is a huge international criminal 0:11:58.720 --> 0:12:04.680 enterprise involved in drug trafficking, weapons dealing, armed robbery, kidnapped 0:12:04.679 --> 0:12:08.760 to order murder, for higher money laundering, you name it. 0:12:11.240 --> 0:12:15.000 Curlos takes us deeper into the Favella. We move sideways 0:12:15.040 --> 0:12:17.800 through an alleyway so narrow I think I'd almost get 0:12:17.840 --> 0:12:21.240 stuck if I walked forwards. The walls are sloped at 0:12:21.240 --> 0:12:24.559 different angles. The further we move along, CEV graffiti is 0:12:24.600 --> 0:12:28.800 sprayed up every six feet or so. Eventually we emerge 0:12:28.880 --> 0:12:32.360 another intersection where a dozen or so CV gang members 0:12:32.440 --> 0:12:35.280 are gathered on a corner. They're all armed with a 0:12:35.320 --> 0:12:39.559 mix of long barrel rifles, oozies and pistols. They move 0:12:39.640 --> 0:12:42.000 in and out of the area on motorbikes, a lot 0:12:42.120 --> 0:12:44.480 nicer than the ones we rolled up in with the taxi. 0:12:46.520 --> 0:12:48.959 Due to the layout of the favela and CV's control 0:12:49.000 --> 0:12:51.920 of it, the gang is able to do business completely 0:12:51.960 --> 0:12:54.800 out in the open. They're all cutting up weed into 0:12:54.840 --> 0:12:58.319 small clingfilm squares and combining blocks of what I think 0:12:58.480 --> 0:13:03.480 is wrapped coke into with duct tape. The boss of 0:13:03.520 --> 0:13:07.840 this group, a guy nicknamed No Joke Fat Sexy, is 0:13:07.880 --> 0:13:11.120 watching over the operation with an M sixteen rifle slinked 0:13:11.160 --> 0:13:15.720 over his shoulder. He's on his phone organizing. Music is 0:13:15.720 --> 0:13:18.080 playing from a blue to the speaker, and the gang 0:13:18.120 --> 0:13:20.520 members are pouring out drinks for each other. It's just 0:13:20.600 --> 0:13:24.480 business as usual. About ten feet across the road from 0:13:24.520 --> 0:13:27.800 the open air drug emporium is a small local butchers. 0:13:28.280 --> 0:13:30.600 A few residents are queued up waiting to buy meat. 0:13:31.160 --> 0:13:34.040 Children move in and out of the area. My head 0:13:34.080 --> 0:13:36.800 over to the gang and Carlos introduces me to everyone. 0:13:37.280 --> 0:13:40.160 I shake hands with the gunmen and drug manufacturers, and 0:13:40.200 --> 0:13:43.400 whilst they seem a little confused, they're generally pretty friendly. 0:13:44.040 --> 0:13:46.280 They seem baffled as to why we'd come all the 0:13:46.320 --> 0:13:49.959 way from England to philat Fogato, even when we explained 0:13:50.000 --> 0:13:53.480 that we're making a documentary. We hang out for a 0:13:53.480 --> 0:13:55.840 while and the gang bangers start to show off their guns. 0:13:56.360 --> 0:14:00.000 These are heavy duty firearms, either stolen from rival gang 0:14:00.080 --> 0:14:03.960 and police, or smuggled into Brazil from the US, Paraguay 0:14:04.000 --> 0:14:07.240 and Venezuela. Randomly, one of the gang members puts an 0:14:07.360 --> 0:14:10.920 M sixteen rifle in my hands. Whilst generally I believe 0:14:10.960 --> 0:14:14.280 in gun rights and I'm definitely pro firearm, I am 0:14:14.320 --> 0:14:16.640 not comfortable holding a gun whilst out in the field 0:14:16.679 --> 0:14:19.960 reporting if that's not my role. I'm a journalist and 0:14:19.960 --> 0:14:22.920 never a combatant. I look around for someone to hand 0:14:22.920 --> 0:14:25.760 the firearm off to, as the CV gang members laugh 0:14:25.800 --> 0:14:28.720 at my awkwardness. So if I'm not sell a spot 0:14:28.720 --> 0:14:31.840 where they're all selling various drugs for some reason, I've 0:14:31.840 --> 0:14:33.960 just been handing this rifle and I don't really know what 0:14:34.000 --> 0:14:34.200 to do. 0:14:34.280 --> 0:14:37.440 Now you on this, someone take it man. 0:14:40.280 --> 0:14:40.720 Quickly. 0:14:40.840 --> 0:14:42.720 One of the guys takes the gun away from me 0:14:42.800 --> 0:14:45.080 and I thank him. He hands me a little plastic 0:14:45.120 --> 0:14:48.600 cup and pours me a drink. Of sprite at his feet. 0:14:48.640 --> 0:14:50.680 He has a bag of drugs the size of a pillow, 0:14:51.040 --> 0:14:54.000 all wrapped in tape and plastic. If I had to guess, 0:14:54.040 --> 0:14:56.800 I'd say it's some kind of heroine precursor or just 0:14:56.840 --> 0:15:01.880 a huge sack of opium. Even I into semi autonomous cells, 0:15:02.280 --> 0:15:05.400 CEV is active in drug trafficking all over the place, 0:15:05.760 --> 0:15:08.800 from here in Rio to the Paraguay border, the Amazon 0:15:08.880 --> 0:15:13.080 region and beyond. They're constantly fighting rival gangs for control 0:15:13.160 --> 0:15:16.960 of the drug trade. As we sit around drinking sprite 0:15:17.000 --> 0:15:20.680 watching gang members compare guns, I noticed two young boys 0:15:20.680 --> 0:15:23.480 across the street. They're both leaned up against the wall, 0:15:23.560 --> 0:15:27.360 intently watching the scene in front of them. Drugs, guns, 0:15:27.680 --> 0:15:31.000 gang life. They look not even ten years old. Yet, 0:15:34.240 --> 0:15:36.600 before I can think about it too much, the sound 0:15:36.640 --> 0:15:38.720 of a gunshot and in the distance breaks the good 0:15:38.720 --> 0:15:42.720 of your atmosphere. Then another and another. There's some kind 0:15:42.720 --> 0:15:46.280 of shoot out. The ringleader, Fat Sexy quickly jumps on 0:15:46.320 --> 0:15:48.440 his motorbike and zooms off down the road with a 0:15:48.480 --> 0:15:51.040 walkie talkie. The others wrap up the drugs and the 0:15:51.080 --> 0:15:54.920 jeep arrives out of nowhere. Fat Sexy returns and starts 0:15:54.920 --> 0:15:57.440 telling the others to go get the rifles. 0:15:58.440 --> 0:16:00.320 Three or four of the CV footsole just. 0:16:00.280 --> 0:16:03.920 Hop on bikes and race off, presumably to get the 0:16:04.000 --> 0:16:07.600 other rifles. The scene is tense and erratic, but at 0:16:07.640 --> 0:16:10.880 the same time somehow controlled. It's clear that the gang 0:16:10.880 --> 0:16:13.480 members deal with this regularly and know what to do. 0:16:14.000 --> 0:16:16.640 For the past year, CV has been moving on the 0:16:16.680 --> 0:16:21.400 turf of their rivals. Gun battles breakout, often just as 0:16:21.440 --> 0:16:24.040 I'm sat on the wall observing the madness, wondering if 0:16:24.040 --> 0:16:26.520 we'll have to run for cover soon. A CV foot 0:16:26.520 --> 0:16:29.200 soldier in a balaklava moves next to me and loads 0:16:29.240 --> 0:16:33.280 up his klashnikov with a DIY extended magazine, two mags 0:16:33.280 --> 0:16:37.920 welded together at each end. If it doesn't jam, he 0:16:37.960 --> 0:16:40.520 can probably shoot sixty rounds without having to be low. 0:16:41.200 --> 0:16:44.200 He gestures for me to follow him, ushering us away 0:16:44.240 --> 0:16:47.880 from what looks to be a mobilization of CV versus 0:16:48.000 --> 0:16:51.440 whoever it is shooting nearby. They don't want us getting 0:16:51.480 --> 0:16:58.360 in the way of a gang's shootout. Rio de Janeiro 0:16:58.600 --> 0:17:01.760 is gripped by a violent stre between many different gangs, 0:17:02.160 --> 0:17:04.359 each of them fights for control of drug routes and 0:17:04.440 --> 0:17:08.600 territory in the city's sprawling for VELAs. In Rio, CV 0:17:08.800 --> 0:17:12.160 is the most notorious and most powerful. The gang controls 0:17:12.160 --> 0:17:16.960 the majority of the drug trade here. Recently, a serious 0:17:16.960 --> 0:17:19.919 conflict broke out between them and another gang called First 0:17:19.960 --> 0:17:25.560 Capital Command or PCC. PCC's main turf is the city 0:17:25.600 --> 0:17:28.800 of sal Paolo, over two hundred miles away from Rio, 0:17:29.840 --> 0:17:32.960 much like CV, though they're active all over the country. 0:17:33.720 --> 0:17:37.439 CV and PCC had a truce recently, but it's fallen 0:17:37.480 --> 0:17:39.720 apart spectacularly. 0:17:39.119 --> 0:17:41.120 In a storm of deadly violence. 0:17:42.400 --> 0:17:46.560 Another major criminal faction in Brazil is Pure Third Command 0:17:47.040 --> 0:17:51.359 or TCP. Relatively, they're a lot newer than CV, forming 0:17:51.400 --> 0:17:54.440 in the early two thousands after splitting from a previous 0:17:54.520 --> 0:17:59.480 a larger criminal group over various disagreements. TCP is a 0:17:59.480 --> 0:18:03.760 whole other story in itself. They've fused brutal gang violence 0:18:03.800 --> 0:18:07.960 with extreme religious Pentecostalism, perhaps and away. 0:18:07.840 --> 0:18:09.040 Days for another time. 0:18:10.440 --> 0:18:13.399 Another serious gang in the Rio area is Friends of 0:18:13.520 --> 0:18:19.199 Friends or Amigos dos Amigos ADA. These guys formed in 0:18:19.280 --> 0:18:23.880 nineteen ninety eight, coming together as defectors of CV. They 0:18:23.880 --> 0:18:27.760 split off and formed their own gang. ADA has carved 0:18:27.760 --> 0:18:30.280 out its own territory in parts of the North and 0:18:30.400 --> 0:18:34.200 West zones of Rio, including Rockina, one of Rio's most 0:18:34.320 --> 0:18:40.119 famous favelas. Ada is enemies with both CV and TCP. 0:18:40.840 --> 0:18:43.720 The three gangs are all sporadically at war with each other. 0:18:45.200 --> 0:18:50.720 Complicating this situation even further are the criminal militias. They're 0:18:50.760 --> 0:18:54.200 different to the gangs in that they're paramilitary groups made 0:18:54.280 --> 0:19:00.520 up of ex police soldiers and even firefighters. Talk about 0:19:00.560 --> 0:19:18.200 them a lot more later on. The CV gang member 0:19:18.240 --> 0:19:21.280 with the two worlded together magazines, quickly brings us up 0:19:21.280 --> 0:19:23.440 a hill out the way of where the gunshots were 0:19:23.480 --> 0:19:26.040 ringing out. He tells us he goes by the name 0:19:26.320 --> 0:19:26.520 f T. 0:19:27.080 --> 0:19:27.480 Simple. 0:19:28.200 --> 0:19:30.960 We passed through a small neighborhood where four young girls 0:19:30.960 --> 0:19:33.359 are hanging out, sat on a step as if nothing 0:19:33.359 --> 0:19:36.960 has happened. They're all dressed in different pink outfits and 0:19:37.040 --> 0:19:40.200 probably range in age from seven to about ten. They're 0:19:40.200 --> 0:19:43.520 incredibly cute. As we moved past them, they seem totally 0:19:43.560 --> 0:19:46.840 oblivious to F. T, who is casually walking by, holding 0:19:46.880 --> 0:19:49.760 his rifle and wearing a dark balaklava. 0:19:49.960 --> 0:19:50.720 It's midday. 0:19:51.760 --> 0:19:53.880 The wave at the young girls and they wave back 0:19:53.920 --> 0:20:01.760 and begin to giggle. He They remind me of some 0:20:01.840 --> 0:20:06.879 of my own family back home. They're all smiles. The 0:20:06.920 --> 0:20:09.600 sadness of this, of course, is that they're completely used 0:20:09.640 --> 0:20:13.280 to gun battles and gang members. There's no way they 0:20:13.280 --> 0:20:15.840 didn't hear the commotion down the road. But for them, 0:20:16.040 --> 0:20:19.480 I guess it's just another day. As with the rest 0:20:19.520 --> 0:20:21.960 of the poverty and the favella, the children here are 0:20:22.080 --> 0:20:28.280 hit hard due to decades that inequality, neglect from the government, 0:20:28.480 --> 0:20:33.080 and constant violence. The situation has become an ongoing crisis. 0:20:34.160 --> 0:20:38.480 Amongst the children here, there's malnutrition, poor sanitation, and limited 0:20:38.520 --> 0:20:43.040 access to health care and education. Schooling in the favelas 0:20:43.160 --> 0:20:46.600 is very sporadic, to say the least. They have barely 0:20:46.680 --> 0:20:51.320 any money and very high dropout rates. Some kids are 0:20:51.320 --> 0:20:56.879 pulled into gang activity simply to survive. Gangs offer money, food, 0:20:57.000 --> 0:21:00.320 and a sense of belonging. Others are sadly victim teams 0:21:00.359 --> 0:21:03.520 of violent police raids or crossfire when gang battles break 0:21:03.560 --> 0:21:04.160 out like. 0:21:04.200 --> 0:21:04.760 We just saw. 0:21:06.240 --> 0:21:10.520 Much more basic services like clean water, rubbish collection, and 0:21:10.640 --> 0:21:16.880 even electricity are often inconsistent. This instability has severe impact 0:21:16.960 --> 0:21:20.879 on mental health and development. Those most ill equipped to 0:21:20.880 --> 0:21:30.879 deal with such hardships are, of course, the children wow 0:21:32.800 --> 0:21:36.240 CV two FT leads us to a high point where 0:21:36.240 --> 0:21:39.880 there's an open square, two concrete benches, and a concrete 0:21:39.960 --> 0:21:43.639 table that has a chessboard crudely built into it. This 0:21:43.840 --> 0:21:47.320 area offers an incredible view of the sprawling favelas all 0:21:47.359 --> 0:21:50.439 around us. As far as the eye can see, there 0:21:50.520 --> 0:21:53.560 are makeshift buildings that are meant to last forever. The 0:21:53.640 --> 0:21:57.040 shanty towns cover every hill and valley for miles and 0:21:57.119 --> 0:22:01.639 miles around. It hits me, this is what the gangs 0:22:01.680 --> 0:22:06.399 are fighting for, control of a never ending concrete fortress. 0:22:07.200 --> 0:22:10.520 FT watches over it like a proud homeowner. Whilst it 0:22:10.600 --> 0:22:13.480 might seem ridiculous to some if you go up here 0:22:13.520 --> 0:22:16.680 and you're in a gang, controlling your turf is everything. 0:22:17.640 --> 0:22:20.320 Dozens and dozens of these young gang members are killed 0:22:20.440 --> 0:22:24.080 every month trying to maintain their monopoly. To do so, 0:22:24.119 --> 0:22:26.960 it gives you the spoiled fruits the domination of the 0:22:27.000 --> 0:22:31.600 favella has to offer, like some kind of favella. Real 0:22:31.720 --> 0:22:37.959 estate agent FT proudly describes the demographic of the area. 0:22:38.000 --> 0:22:40.280 Here is the same gangs over there. Here we are 0:22:40.320 --> 0:22:43.720 CV over there is the same faction, but another favella. 0:22:44.160 --> 0:22:47.320 Over there, they have a different boast to us. It's divided. 0:22:47.680 --> 0:22:51.000 Here is for the tales, where we are over there 0:22:51.119 --> 0:22:54.560 is moro dos prazers. I'm down. There is the border 0:22:55.960 --> 0:23:00.320 once to he divides the two favelas. Yes, this is 0:23:00.359 --> 0:23:00.840 for it. 0:23:01.000 --> 0:23:03.240 What's it like living here and growing up all in 0:23:03.280 --> 0:23:05.120 this favella? Do you ever get to leave? Or you're 0:23:05.200 --> 0:23:06.240 just here all the time? 0:23:06.960 --> 0:23:09.359 Man? I stay in the fabella a lot. I moved 0:23:09.359 --> 0:23:11.960 here very young. Those of us raised here have few 0:23:12.000 --> 0:23:15.800 opportunities in life. That's why I started doing all this. 0:23:16.800 --> 0:23:19.160 It's normal for us seeing all this since a young 0:23:19.200 --> 0:23:22.440 age in the foravela. Even if I'm not on lookout 0:23:22.560 --> 0:23:26.439 or not working, I'm always with my friends twenty four 0:23:26.560 --> 0:23:30.359 seven on hours foot. We're always waiting for the unexpected 0:23:30.400 --> 0:23:36.160 to happen. We're always ready, always waiting for it. That's 0:23:36.200 --> 0:23:37.200 our life day today. 0:23:37.400 --> 0:23:39.240 If you didn't have to be here doing this, what 0:23:39.280 --> 0:23:40.159 would you prefer to do? 0:23:40.920 --> 0:23:44.800 Oh, I'd be a musician. A musician I tried in 0:23:44.840 --> 0:23:48.119 a different moment in my life. I dedicated myself to it. 0:23:48.600 --> 0:23:51.359 I have crime for a while to apply myself. I 0:23:51.440 --> 0:23:55.199 didn't get far. Maybe I was impatient enough. In the end, 0:23:55.720 --> 0:23:58.119 I came back ended up here. 0:24:00.119 --> 0:24:03.240 As Ft explains his lost dreams of becoming a musician, 0:24:03.720 --> 0:24:06.800 I can see a deep sadness in his eyes, albeit 0:24:06.880 --> 0:24:10.000 through the slit of his balaklava. He is in his 0:24:10.080 --> 0:24:12.600 twenties and has been a member of CV for a 0:24:12.640 --> 0:24:17.520 long time. Unfortunately, FT is no doubt a killer, and 0:24:17.560 --> 0:24:21.159 I'm not excusing random acts of gang violence. But for 0:24:21.200 --> 0:24:24.000 a moment you can almost see an innocent side of FT, 0:24:24.680 --> 0:24:27.320 deep down in his soul when he talks about his 0:24:27.400 --> 0:24:32.080 forgotten ambitions. Just like anyone else, he once had dreams 0:24:32.119 --> 0:24:34.720