While the Brazilian national team suffered the worst defeat of all time, Magé—my hometown, located in the greater metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro—grieved yet another murder. The sadness and outrage experienced while counting Germany’s goals are metaphors of a much greater tragedy: the apparent ineffectiveness of state public security policies on the outskirts of the state capital.
Violence
In my hometown Magé, fear is the spirit of the World Cup
Fear hit me two days ago: Friends and relatives desperately called to warn me of deadly armed conflicts in Magé (my hometown). The “pacification” of Rio before the World Cup has increasingly meant the end of peace for us in Magé.