Following violent police raids on two of Rio de Janeiro’s northern favelas, the Penha and Alemao Complexes, there have been sharp criticisms of the city’s governing authorities. The raids, now known as Operation Containment, are the country’s deadliest in history with an estimated death toll of 122. Interestingly, disagreement among the national and state governments is a salient feature of the raids, as the two forces carry out legislative action independent from one another. Aside from prominent gangs that orchestrate criminal activity in the area, this article seeks to highlight the harmful nature of generalizations frequently made about the inhabitants of Brazil’s favelas.

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