Rio OKs walls against stray bullets
Thursday, June 2, 2005 Posted: 8:30 PM EDT (0030 GMT)
RIO
DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) -- State legislators have approved the
construction of 6.6-foot (2-meter) high walls along some main roads in
crime-ridden Rio de Janeiro to protect motorists from the cross-fire of
gangster shoot-outs.
The measure was taken in response to
frequent shootouts near the roads in which stray bullets have killed or
wounded people in passing cars.
In the latest, a gun battle on
May 24 between police and drug traffickers in the Mare slum, which
overlooks the Red Line expressway, caused chaos as frightened motorists
abandoned their vehicles or sped away in reverse. During the shootout,
which lasted several hours, authorities shut that road and the
neighboring Avenida Brasil.
The Rio state legislative assembly
approved a bill on Wednesday night calling for the walls to be erected
in areas considered as dangerous. Gov. Rosinha Matheus has 30 days to
approve it. It is not known if she will approve the measure.
Police
said such walls would not guarantee motorists' safety as they cannot
prevent robberies of drivers and passengers stranded in traffic jams.
Other critics said the walls were a way to segregate "favela", or slum,
dwellers from the rest of the comfortable beach front city.
"I
believe the construction of walls does not distance the favela (slum)
from the city, it just tries to prevent acts of banditry," said the
assembly's Constitution and Justice Commission head, Paulo Melo, on its
Web site.
Last year, deputy state governor Luiz Paulo Conde
caused a furor when he suggested that a 10-foot (3-meter) high wall be
built around the slums.
Known for its sunny beaches, lush
jungle-covered mountains and hedonistic Carnival bash, Rio is also
infamous for crime. The city has one of the highest murder rates in the
world, with over 40 killings per 100,000 people a year.
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Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
