Those involved in the drug-trade (traficantes) are a powerful presence in the slum. They are the law. They are the ones who keep the order, the ones who no one wants to mess with. Two examples from this past weekend illustrate the variety of their functions, how they enforce their power, and the relationships they have with others (including us).
The first example is quite brutal. At 9pm on Friday night, just down the street from the Lighthouse, a man was beaten to death with sticks by the traficantes. Apparently the beating was so brutal that his head was severed. One has to ask several questions as to why the traficantes took this approach, 1) to beat him so brutally when they could have just shot him or stabbed him, and 2) to do it in the middle of the street in open public view at a time where there are tons of people out and around.
From what I have heard about this man, he owed the traficantes quite a bit of money, and had fled from the favela years ago in order to get away, and came back for some reason perhaps thinking enough time had passed that they wouldn't remember. It seems, based on the time, place, and method used by the traficantes, that they wanted to send a message to others in the favela, to strike fear into them and reinforce their power and the idea that no one should mess with them.
So the traficantes do bad things, though this is an extreme example. Someone who has been living here for years commented it is the most barbaric thing they have seen or heard of happening here. Yet, in an ironic sort of way, the traficantes actually help preserve peace in the slum, as long as there is one gang in power.
What? Traficantes preserve the peace? They want to avoid anything that would invite the police into the community. So, they have a law - no stealing from anyone else in the community. If someone steals from you, who do you call? The traficantes. And there is a high likelihood of the stolen object being returned to you. Calling the police wouldn't do much of anything, so people readily turn to the traficantes, who readily provide their services knowing that it enforces their power and keeps the police out.
Weekend before last, one of our staff members had his laptop stolen out of the office by a kid who came into grab his kite and carried out the laptop along with it. Some of our staff saw the kid running off with the laptop but didn't recognize him and assumed he wasn't from the community, because usually no one in the community is stupid enough to steal from someone else within the community. The person who had the laptop stolen went out into the community with our leaders and reported the stolen laptop.
A week went by, and everyone assumed the laptop was gone for good, that someone on the outside had taken it. Then this Sunday one of the traficantes showed up at our gate, saying that they had the laptop and asked for someone to go with him to get it. One of our leaders went up with him to the boca (drug-dealing alley), where he asked someone else to go get the laptop from his house. Our leader naively began to follow this person, before the traficante motioned for him to stay back (he obviously didn't want to invite him into his house). The boy he sent returned with the laptop and the traficante had fulfilled his community police duty.
Of course the person who had the laptop stolen was happy to receive it back, not only because of the financial value, but also because of the documents saved on it. But naturally we were concerned with what happened to the 12-year-old boy who stole the laptop. We were relieved to discover that the traficantes had mercy on him, telling him that nothing would happen to him if he turned the laptop over to them. He evidently turned it over readily and the traficantes kept their word.
The slum is really a different world with its own rules and laws and the traficantes are those with the most power. It is interesting that although they do bad things (acts of violence on top of drug-dealing), they really respect those who are trying to do good for the community and especially religious workers such as missionaries. I feel like those at the Lighthouse have favor with them even though our teachings condemn many of their actions. But perhaps witnessing to the traficantes can be a key to social tranformation here in the slum. At least we know we don't have to fear them because we have no reason to.
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