Living in the Crossfire

Maria Helena Moreira Alves is retired from the University of the State of Rio de Janeiro. She twice received a Tinker International Fellowship to teach at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has worked with various human rights organizations, trade unions in Latin America, and nongovernmental organizations. She is the author of State and Opposition in Military Brazil. Philip Evanson is Associate Professor Emeritus in the Department of History and former Director of the Latin American Studies Center at Temple University. He collaborated with author Rose Marie Muraro on the book Memorias de uma mulher impossivel.

"Living in the Crossfire is a comprehensive study of the violence that has become a daily fact of life for residents of the slums of Rio de Janeiro. Relying on an extensive set of oral and personal histories, this exciting book offers recommendations for containing excessive violence generated by the state and points to the underlying social and economic problems of the inhabitants of the city's slums. This insightful case study provides not only an in-depth analysis of the history of public security and human rights in Brazil during the past twenty years but also a behind-the-scenes understanding of the complex and sometimes contradictory reasoning of a broad array of policy makers struggling in very different ways to address these problems." -James N. Green, Professor of History and Brazilian Studies, Brown University "After years of waging war on the population of the favelas, the authorities in Rio de Janeiro are in the process of adopting a different model of engagement based on community policing. Through interviews with community leaders and public security officials, the authors explore the extent to which such a transformation is possible. Living in the Crossfire is a must read for anyone interested in the issue of violence in Rio de Janeiro and beyond." -Robert Gay, Professor of Sociology, Connecticut College "[A] timely look at Rio de Janeiro's favelas... Most of the book consists of interviews with favela residents, police and government officials. The community members' interviews are most compelling as they detail not only the violence and threat of violence they live with daily but also the strong sense of community and hope for better days... Verdict: An important book for sociology and human rights collections that will also appeal to readers interested in crime and politics." -Library Journal

• Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Part I. Rio de Janeiro: The Marvelous City and Its Communities 1. The Decline of Poverty and the Rise of Violence 2. Living in the Favelas in the Twenty-first Century 3. Communities under Fire 4. Voices of Hope and Renewal 5. Voices of Community Leaders Part II. Voices of Public Security Officials 6. Security for Whom? 7. Voices of Police Officers 8. Voices of Government Officials Conclusion Notes Glossary References Index