During our three days of marching in the streets with Caju church during Carnaval 2013, some of the neighborhoods we passed through had been pacified in preparation for the World Cup in 2014 and Olympic Games in 2016.
The officers we encountered were friendly and helpful. Some even smiled and took pictures with their cell phones of the Caju church marching and proclaiming Christ! We thanked many of the officers for their work toward peace and shook their hands!
CLICK HERE to see a short video during our time in the streets during Carnaval. In the background, if you look carefully, you can see the "peace police".
This Sunday morning, the community of Caju is scheduled to be pacified! This will be the first step in the process of the recovery of Caju and the surrounding neighborhoods from drug traffickers that are in a strategic location---the gateway to the river, surrounded by the airport, Guanabara Bay and expressways of Brazil Avenue and the Red and Yellow lines.
The number of police involved will be around 400 men. This peace process in the region is expected to last at least until early 2014. The operation will include effective Special Operations Command, dogs, helicopters and tanks. They will also have the support of the Navy.
The sale of drugs is what sustains the gangs that are working in Caju. The neighborhood is also used as an escape route by drug lords.
We celebrate with Caju this pacification and the safer neighborhood that it brings them!
In His grip,
Diane and Jeff
Very Interesting! The word Pacified, aligns with the american word pacifier. Pacifiers keep babies from crying, generally because they want to eat, and their Mom's and Dad's feel they need to wait to eat, or do not really need the food they crave. This is an interesting analogy in my mind. Keeping the people in Caju from crying for the drugs they want, but are not good for them. Strange for me to make the lanquages comparisons, and the true meaning of the words may be bigger yet. I'm glad Caju is moving towards peace!
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