Brazilian police helo shot down by drug gang

[Cron]

Two police officers died as a result. There's tons of footage on the internet of buses and houses set on fire as a result of all the drug cartel related violence. It's like a friggin' war zone down there.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2009/10/17/2009-10-17_brazilian_drug_gangs_shoot_down_.html

 

[picklesuit]

Looks like an ingenuitive way to deliver the Olympic Flame...

 

[Schnugg]

Agree, nice choice for the Olympics.

Brazil was a really bad crime nightmare when I was in Rio on cruise. (way back when)

 

[FlyinRock]

I visited with helo units a number of years back (2000) in both Rio and Sao Paulo. They are professional guys but like here, limited in what they can do and the drug people have a bigger budget!
I think its going to be a disaster with the Olympics there. I'm sure the gangs are already salivating............ The largest slum in the world is in Rio Janiero between downtown and the airport. The slums in Nairobi seemed to me to be not far behind (2009)

 

[Cleonard19]

I visited with helo units a number of years back (2000) in both Rio and Sao Paulo. They are professional guys but like here, limited in what they can do and the drug people have a bigger budget!
I think its going to be a disaster with the Olympics there. I'm sure the gangs are already salivating............ The largest slum in the world is in Rio Janiero between downtown and the airport. The slums in Nairobi seemed to me to be not far behind (2009)

Could just take Atlanta's approach. We (meaning Atlantans) went ahead and just built the entire Olympic site IN the largest slum in the city, and just made sure to go over budget enough that the entire slum had been demolished/consumed and moved 10 miles south to where the media never saw it.

Didn't anyone inform you that it doesn't matter what your ethical transgressions are as long as they are committed while putting your city billions of dollars in debt for some good press coverage and a temporary redistribution of wealth for a 14 day event?

 

[GroundPounder]

If I'm not mistaken, Rio has the largest fleet of civilian helicopters in the world. A large percentage of the population that is affluent will use the charter helicopters as someone in New York City would use a taxi.

Most of the high rise buildings have a landing pad on the roof and many people will fly to work from their rooftop and go the whole day without being out on the street.

I met a police officer from Brazil when I worked the 96 Olympics; he said that kidnappings were very common among the middle to upper classes. It was very hard for him to conceptualize anyone that would drive about in a BMW / Mercedes / Porsche, etc without it being armored. As bad as Atlanta was, and is, we don't know how good we have it.

 

[Cleonard19]

As bad as Atlanta was, and is, we don't know how good we have it.[/FONT][/COLOR]

concur.

 

[ChunksJR]

... built the entire Olympic site IN the largest slum in the city, and just made sure to go over budget enough that the entire slum had been demolished/consumed and moved 10 miles south to where the media never saw it.

True that! Best thing that ever happened to my alma mater...aka the olympic village.

 

[scoolbubba]

It was very hard for him to conceptualize anyone that would drive about in a BMW / Mercedes / Porsche, etc without it being armored. As bad as Atlanta was, and is, we don't know how good we have it.

I've heard similar things from a friend who spent some of his childhood up thru the mid 90s in South Africa. His dad drove an uparmored Benz everywhere.

 

[snake020]

Rio is not that bad... if you are in the right part of the city. If they can keep it towards towards Zona Sul (south side) it shouldn't be too bad, but realistically they'll end up putting it by the favelas Zona Norte which is the worse part.

They execute Carnaval pretty well each year; the Olympics shouldn't be a total disaster.

 

[Cleonard19]

True that! Best thing that ever happened to my alma mater...aka the olympic village.

GSU or GaTech? 'Cause Tech owns the village now that GSU have their own dorms near campus. That happened quite recently (last two years?)

 

[ChunksJR]

GSU or GaTech? 'Cause Tech owns the village now that GSU have their own dorms near campus. That happened quite recently (last two years?)

Ma Tech baby --- Yeah, it's changed exponentially.