Police, Corruption and Drugs

I wrote this a few days ago, but the past few days, my neighborhood has been on the city wide news for drugs, with police all over the place...

Yesterday was the last day of practices (we still have a bunch of games and then our camp before the year really ends) for the year for my escolinha de futsal (Soccer school) and so we had coaches versus kids game. Although there are only 2 coaches, Fabio (the head guy) and I, but there a lot of people involved in the project and so we put together a team and the kids were very excited to play against us. We managed to win all of our games, I think we played for about 4 hours in total and by the end of the day my legs were so heavy I felt like I couldn’t walk, but it was a good feeling. I feel like I have come such a long way in my 2 1/2 months here, I remember my first day at the soccer school, not so confident in my Portuguese, finding it hard to communicate with the kids and not even knowing the rules of futsal. Now, I feel like I can communicate what I need to, know the kids by name and feel comfortable joking around with them and having a good conversation and I think I am finally starting to play futsal better as an added bonus. All this to say that as I was heading home I was feeling pretty good about the day, but ready to take a cold shower, drink a lot of water (preferably clean and cold, but knew it would be from the faucet and room temperature) and just relax.
Earlier in the day I had wanted to go back to my house to get something during our soccer lunch break and noticed about 8 police cars outside my favela as well as a helicopter hovering overhead, I cautiously entered, passing several policemen on my way to the house, grabbed what I needed, said hi and goodbye to some house mates who made sure I carried my documents (here in Brasil everyone always carries documents b/c it can be dangerous not to have them if the police stop you, especially here in my neighborhood). I went back for the afternoon of soccer forgetting about the policemen, but as I returned to my house for the day about 6 hours later the police and helicopter were all still there. It is common to see cops in the neighborhood, but usually they just drive by or stay for a few minutes, but yesterday was obviously something entirely different. From talking to neighbors most of the time the cops just drive by, take the drugs and money from the kids that are selling and leave the kids themselves alone. This time it was clear that would not be the case.
I later learned that the helicopter was not from the police, but from the news and that all this had happened because of a news report. Apparently our favela was on the news the night before as a reporter had gone undercover and bought drugs here. He had apparently done it several times as well as filming the drug activity. Within 12 hours of its airing on the news the police arrived in force at the favela, swept the place clean and put on a nice show for the news helicopter hovering overhead. It all makes me so mad, the police knew that drugs were sold there, they would come by and basically steal from the drug dealers and keep the money/drugs for themselves, but now that it was on the news they had to make a show of it as if they didn’t know beforehand. It’s all so political that it makes me sick. As I returned to the neighborhood the entrance to the favela (one day when I have a bit more courage I will take some pictures, I just don’t want to look like a tourist here) it was surrounded by about 6 police officers with probably about 20 more waiting by the 10 or so police SUV’s that were parked outside the entrance. I cautiously approached not sure I wanted to enter the favela when I noticed the two guys who always sold drugs outside the community being handcuffed and carried off in the police cars. I realized that for a while I had carried animosity for them, but just recently had started praying for them as human beings, not just for the drug traffic to go away, but for them and I felt such sadness seeing them carried away. (As I now talk to the guys in my house it is unclear who if anyone was actually arrested, but I’m fairly certain at least one guy was, the cops often let people go for a bribe.) People don’t leave prison rehabilitated, the leave worse, I fear for their lives and for their souls. I don’t even know their names, I would say what’s up to them as I passed by, but I never had a real conversation with them and it just seems so wrong that they should be taken away. I know they sold drugs, I know they brought so much pain to others, but they are only just kids (18-22 years old), kids making dumb decisions and now will pay with their futures.
As I walked into the favela tonight and saw the police sitting outside I found myself sad to not see the guys out there and with animosity towards the police. I know that both sides are wrong, the police who normally steal from drug dealers and don’t care about the welfare of the people only the size of the wallet and the kids that sell drugs and make money illegitimately. It maddens me that they come and do this whole show just because it was on tv when they have obviously known about it all for a long time. The politics of it all is just sickening and my heart sinks to think about those guys spending a few years rotting away in jail.
Earlier in the day I was up on the roof of my house trying to find internet when I saw one of the guys I play soccer with a bunch and always try to talk to when I see him. He is the nicest guy, very intelligent and well mannered. He is probably about 20-21 years old and used to be involved in the ministry of our house and of an area church. He still talks fondly about a group of Americans that came down on a missions trip and worked at his old church. Now, he never goes to church anymore and I knew he was involved in the drug trafficking, but I wasn’t sure how. As I stood on the roof and saw him across the way I said hi and he cracked some joke that I didn’t quite catch and then proceeded to step on the roof of the house in front of him carrying a big clear plastic bag that I could see had the packaged drugs in them. He went to the place I have learned is their stash (which is quite visible from my house, but almost nowhere else) hid the bag underneath the roof in this little place they created and went back to his house. It was the craziest thing just how normal it all was for him, I don’t know what to say to him or how to reach him, to help him. Later in the day I saw him and felt a bit awkward, I think he felt it too. I would pray for wisdom with how to talk to him and to pray for his life too. I don’t want to put his name here just in case for some reason someone understands English and reads my blog from here, but please pray for him.
It is such a battle to make kids understand that trading their future for a few highs today is not worth it, but this is so hard for them to grasp. I would ask for prayers for those guys, prayer that God might work a miracle in their lives and that instead of growing a hate inside of them while they are in prison there might grow up in them a hope that there could be a better life out there an alternative life, a fulfilling and abundant life of faith in God. Please pray for them and for my neighborhood both so desperately needing the love and healing that only God can bring.