We shed light on the creeping police crisis in Brazil. The rise of Brazil’s deepwater oil in international markets. And Vale’s billion-dollar losses in 2019.
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Understanding the crisis of Brazilian police forces
Demanding higher wages and better working conditions, law enforcement officers in the state of Ceará have been on strike since Wednesday. Following a violent showing that finished off with a senator trying to literally bulldoze a police picket line—and being shot twice—leaders of the protest sat down with the state government to negotiate, but turned down any proposal of a deal and will continue the strike—which, by Brazilian law, is illegal.
Violence. In the first 24 hours of the police strike, the state of Ceará registered 29 murders. During the early hours of Friday, two more killings were confirmed. The government is sending Army troops to contain the situation.
Why it matters. The current crisis underlies a deeper problem in Brazil’s security apparatus: the increasing politicization of police forces has essentially turned administrations into hostages of their cops.
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