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I lived in a favela in Rio Comprido controlled by comando vermelho (tropa 17) all 2019/2020.. I used to visit my gf and her family, at first but then when the p

I lived in a favela in Rio Comprido controlled by comando vermelho (tropa 17) all 2019/2020.. I used to visit my gf and her family, at first but then when the pandemic happened I rented the 'apartment' underneath their 'apartment'. Everyday I would walk past the the checkpoint with like a 15 year old guy with an extened clip glock behind a makeshift cement barrier. The internet situation was pretty weird, some telecom, that I could barely get any info on made a deal with the comando to provide everyone with internet. every month I would walk up with my gf further up the hill where the C.V. headquarters were and we would pay I think about 20 dollars to the boss, this big fat black guy with a revolver and a metal cash box, and a list on paper of all the families that paid, and what speed/tier they paid for, I opted for the 30 dollar a month ultrafast bandwidth(i didnt notice a difference), but it was fast enough for my gf who was Gold in League of Legends to have 40 ping. This was not one of the major telecoms, and they had some sort of deal with the C.V. and when the internet would fuck up the Commando even had technicians https://imgur.com/a/J9QjBuQ https://imgur.com/a/J9QjBuQ here is the favela across the way from the checkpoint CV is selling drugs on a ping pong table, one day when my gf+her family was out of town I just had to go see what the deal was and bought a little bit of everything https://imgur.com/a/DD1xeh6 https://imgur.com/a/DD1xeh6 CV stands for Comando vermelho(red command) and PR stands for the favela Paula Ramos.. CV also made money from the little busses that i took to come and go, the other way they make lots of money is selling gas, and selling guns to bandits. EDIT: Also forgot to mention I never felt unsafe at all, and have been robbed only outside of the favela.. If there is any crime or stuff like that the comando would kill the robber or thieves. I only felt unsafe when the police/bope would come on raids, because they didnt get their monthly bribe.

verhaust 5y ago
Thanks for the local insight. I found it very interesting. How did they handle the pandemic? Where did you end up moving to and what was the reason you decided to move?
- poisonarena 5y ago
  Well.. when the pandemic first started people were more wild, we all had masks and hand gel everywhere before they started doing it even in USA. My gf's parents were evangelical christinans so they believed all sorts of wild stuff, and I just went with it. After a week or two the family got more lax because of birthdays and family events and it was pretty much unavoidable, we all got covid. I was coughing for a day, and my gf couldnt taste anything for a few days, the rest of the family was fine. maybe a month after that,everyone said fuck it and things went back to normal more or less. It was pretty funny seeing the Comando enforce mask wearing when the government didn't. I ended up not staying with my gf, COVID and cabin fever and living under her parents house really screwed up our relationship.
nwatson 5y ago
I spent four years in Rio Comprido/Tijuca and left when I was six, Rua Conselheiro Barros near Rua do Bispo, not quite the favela there. I lived in various other places in Brazil too and got to visit and stay in many of "sketchy" places because of my parents' work.
- poisonarena 5y ago
  we probably walked around the same areas of Rio Comprido, I used to take the bus down from Paula Ramos to go to the grocery store and ATM every week or take the bus to the lagoa for jogging. I think most of Rio Comprido is safe, there is bandits but they go to copa to rob people im sure
guythedudebro 5y ago
Great comment, what are the drugs?
- poisonarena 5y ago
  quite a bit of marijuana wrapped in saran wrap, and clumps of cocaine in little plastic tubes. The weed is pretty poor quality(oldish filled with seeds), but I like poor quality weed because I don't like to be too stoned. I am not an expert on coke, and tossed it after a few sniffs, I think it was pretty good quality, and at 2-3 dollars a gram its a steal, but I didn't want to be nuts when my gf's parents came back the next day. They are also evangelical christians and probably not okay with my curiosity so i flushed it.

verhaust 5y ago

Thanks for the local insight. I found it very interesting. How did they handle the pandemic? Where did you end up moving to and what was the reason you decided to move?

poisonarena 5y ago
Well.. when the pandemic first started people were more wild, we all had masks and hand gel everywhere before they started doing it even in USA. My gf's parents were evangelical christinans so they believed all sorts of wild stuff, and I just went with it. After a week or two the family got more lax because of birthdays and family events and it was pretty much unavoidable, we all got covid. I was coughing for a day, and my gf couldnt taste anything for a few days, the rest of the family was fine. maybe a month after that,everyone said fuck it and things went back to normal more or less. It was pretty funny seeing the Comando enforce mask wearing when the government didn't. I ended up not staying with my gf, COVID and cabin fever and living under her parents house really screwed up our relationship.

nwatson 5y ago

I spent four years in Rio Comprido/Tijuca and left when I was six, Rua Conselheiro Barros near Rua do Bispo, not quite the favela there. I lived in various other places in Brazil too and got to visit and stay in many of "sketchy" places because of my parents' work.

poisonarena 5y ago
we probably walked around the same areas of Rio Comprido, I used to take the bus down from Paula Ramos to go to the grocery store and ATM every week or take the bus to the lagoa for jogging. I think most of Rio Comprido is safe, there is bandits but they go to copa to rob people im sure

guythedudebro 5y ago

Great comment, what are the drugs?

poisonarena 5y ago
quite a bit of marijuana wrapped in saran wrap, and clumps of cocaine in little plastic tubes. The weed is pretty poor quality(oldish filled with seeds), but I like poor quality weed because I don't like to be too stoned. I am not an expert on coke, and tossed it after a few sniffs, I think it was pretty good quality, and at 2-3 dollars a gram its a steal, but I didn't want to be nuts when my gf's parents came back the next day. They are also evangelical christians and probably not okay with my curiosity so i flushed it.