Stick 'Em Up
January 13, 2004

This happened last week ...

I was just on my way home from the center of the city when I got to witness something I really would have preferred not to see. I was sitting on the bus, listening to some music on my iPod and looking out the window, people watching, as I always do. We were at a red light (around 8:30pm) and I saw a street kid (maybe 14 or so), dirty, dressed only in shorts and a t-shirt come up to an SUV that was right next to the bus. He knocked on the window of the car and seemed to be asking the guy for money. I was directly behind and above the kid. I guess the driver said "no", and the next thing I knew the kid pulled what looked like a .45 caliber or 9mm pistol from his shorts, banged in on the window and demanded the guy's money. The guy quickly cleaned out his wallet, opened the window, handed the kid his cash and the kid skipped off. Almost the whole bus was watching the thing. After the kid ran off the driver actually looked up and me like, "Did you see that shit?". I've heard about these occurrences all the time (called "assaultos"), but never actually saw one. It was scary enough just to watch it! I can't imagine how that guy's heart must have been beating.

The bus rolled off and the chatter began. "Did you see that", several people were asking each other. One woman said to me, "Look at this place we live in". Then you could hear all of the personal stories being told, etc.. But oddly enough, the people actually seem to enjoy telling these stories .... war stories, I guess. I told the woman (a bit more "middle class" looking) who was sitting in front of me reading what had happened. She barely responded and then just went back to reading!

As we continued on my mind just kept replaying that image of the kid with that gun. His complete disregard .... for everything. A young life with so little to lose that he has no qualms about yanking a piece like that out early in the evening in the middle of a crowded street. I thought about the value of my iPod and Plam Pilot in my bag ... probably at least 10x the value of the bread he took from that businessman.

Then, with each passing block I found myself more easily distracted again .... one beautiful woman, two beautiful women, etc., etc.. That word came to mind, the word I think best describes Brasil (and definitely best describes Rio) ... contradiction ("contradição"). How can a place be so beautiful and so ugly all at the same time? Well, it can!

I tried to imagine the "old Rio". Rio in the 20s and 30s ... man, it must have been something else! Then I started thinking, "how can I live here". Shit, "how can people raise a family here"? But back in the "wonderful, safe, first world" of the USA you've got High Terror warnings" and fears of horrific acts against the country... just because of the Americans, etc... Which is worse? I really don't know. Well, I could go on and on about this comparison, but I won't now.

So, I finally saw my very own scene right out of Cidade de Deus (City of God). It's real folks ... oh, very, very real, and not a bit funny.

Posted by Scott at 01:41 AM