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Brazil sets new record for homicides

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Re: Brazil sets new record for homicides

#161

Post by malandrew »

lhorie wrote: post #154
malandrew wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Brazil is the example I use to explain to people why I'm in favor of the 2nd amendment and Stand Your Ground laws. When owning a gun is criminal, only criminals will have guns and everyone else will be unable to defend themselves. If ordinary citizens had guns, at least in their own home, the criminals would think twice about breaking and entering because they won't know which homes are armed.

In Brazil? I don't think US gun mentality works there. Have you seen what middle class houses look like in Sao Paulo? They have metal bars in all windows, tall spiked gates and tetra locks are fairly common. But that doesn't stop thieves from being crafty and daring. They rob people at gunpoint at busy intersections and ATMs in broad daylight, do flash kidnappings, etc. There was even a raid at a police headquarters…

I'm Brazilian.

Re: Brazil sets new record for homicides

#162

Post by avip »

marcosdumay wrote: post #151
avip wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do you think homocide rates are somehow correlated with legality of drug usage?

Because 80% of them are directly related to drug dealers. (Or at least that's what the news keeps saying here.)

Have you compared that number with countries where drug usage is legal?

Re: Brazil sets new record for homicides

#163

Post by megaman22 »

sctb wrote: post #104
megaman22 wrote: post #35

Latin American countries are a shitshow. Cynically I cannot but wonder what might be if they got their shit 6ogeth4t

We don't have any need here for a comment like this. Please say something meaningful instead, or nothing. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

It's really not hateful to say that people are terrible for expressing those beliefs

Re: Brazil sets new record for homicides

#164

Post by sumedh »

GFischer wrote: post #93
dbelchamber wrote: post #2

Eesh. If all of this is accurate, it is problematic indeed. I wonder how many of these homicides would cease to occur if drugs were made legal in Brazil (I wonder about this worldwide). I've never understood why it's difficult for people to understand the awful incentive structures that making drugs illegal puts into motion.

Here in Uruguay, marijuana is legal, and homicides are at an all-time high (higher than Argentina and very near to the rates in Brazil, we used to be at less than a quarter). I´m not sure if decriminalizing all drugs would change the equation much (there´s still smuggling, prostitution and other vices to lord over).

> Here in Uruguay, marijuana is legal, and homicides are at an all-time high

Are the homicides because of drug related issues? What about other drugs like cocaine and heroin?

Re: Brazil sets new record for homicides

#165

Post by sumedh »

jessaustin wrote: post #107

Something that never seems to come up in discussions of violence rates in the Americas is our history of colonial domination. The fraction of people who survived the onslaught of Old-World diseases were not equipped to effectively resist the influx of predatory Europeans. That was and is a very violent process. It's not over.

> Something that never seems to come up in discussions of violence rates in the Americas is our history of colonial domination.

because its not relevant to the topic being discussed.

Re: Brazil sets new record for homicides

#166

Post by lostlogin »

forinti wrote: post #73
lostlogin wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your first point is a good one. However I don’t think you can blame one administration with all this mess surely?

Crime reduction in 1992 (in the US) is attributed by some to Roe v Wade (1972). It took 20 years. The young people who are dying now (guns deaths hit the young and poor the worst) were born at the end of the 1990s and start of 2000s, which was a period of high unemployment and even famine (300 children died of malnutrition per day in 2001).

There is a competing theory to Roe V Wade, lead poisoning. A HN regular is the Mother Jones article, and it makes a compelling argument.

https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/02/lead-exposur...

Re: Brazil sets new record for homicides

#167

Post by superherointj »

Brazillian here. Living in country of Rio. I avoid going to Rio (capital) as much as possible. Tomorrow I'm visiting family there and the tension increases a bit because of uncertainty. I have watched robberies live, car stealing. Two of my neighbords were shot by a rifle in Rio when crossing "linha vermelha". My wife has been kidnaped once. This year her brother had his car shot 3 times. (He does Uber) My brother was almost hit by a lost bullet recently in Rio downtown, missed by 50cm. I could probably go on listing this sort of things endlessly. People from Rio are used to this and consider it the way life is. It is not like they like or accept violence but don't have the means of doing much about it. Brazil is a puppet state. Not sovereign. The state is dysfunctional. The violence problem can be tracked to state policies. But the state has no will to solve any of it. Just mask it and keep going (nowhere good for civilians). It is an actual goal of state to things to not work. That is the goal, and standard policy. Like the last 5 times tried to contact police for reporting ongoing (live) stealings all failed. Most times couldn't even report. There is a queue of calls that take a long time. And when they answer, they just tell you to mind your business. Now I even don't bother reporting anything. They won't do a thing. They don't care. In fact, they are just FOLLOWING ORDERS.

People are too powerless to influence the state in any meaningful way. At the end of the day the law/state is at the side of criminals. I wish Brazil would change ownership so policy could be changed.

Re: Brazil sets new record for homicides

#168

Post by tinco »

malandrew wrote: post #140
mrisoli wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm from Belo Horizonte and the constant anxiety is real, of course it's not a problem every moment but shows up in every situation. Waiting for the bus every day of the week for 15-30min, you're very exposed, and should be careful with your phone out, and some people learn your commute time, follow you, it's rare, but if you're not paying attention, it can happen. I personally used to(don't live there anymore) doubl…

Brazil is the example I use to explain to people why I'm in favor of the 2nd amendment and Stand Your Ground laws. When owning a gun is criminal, only criminals will have guns and everyone else will be unable to defend themselves. If ordinary citizens had guns, at least in their own home, the criminals would think twice about breaking and entering because they won't know which homes are armed.

When owning a gun is criminal, only some criminals will have guns instead of all of them. And defending yourself with a gun is idiocy.

Not that I am against the second amendment, I think some idealism in your constitution is great. Much better than the cynical heartlessness your country is ruled with today.

Re: Brazil sets new record for homicides

#169

Post by tinco »

rvr_ wrote: post #129
cust0m wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

how do you forgot the bank robery?

Well remembered. We have a whole ATM-exploding business in Brazil. Haven't heard of anything similar elsewhere in the world.

Exploding ATM's is also a problem in The Netherlands. It is probably a thing everywhere, I've been to ATM's in the US where you have to go through a glass door before you can get to the ATM, I think for this reason.
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