Don't Cry For Me Pernambuco

To anyone reading this weekend's and today's reports on violence in São Paulo, fear not, Recife is safe from these acts. São Paulo is currently under seige by one of the cities' largest drug factions. The rebellion is in reaction to the decision to move the gang's already jailed leaders to a more isolated prison and take away their cell phones, thus decreasing their ability to continue to control the drug trade. So far, eighty people have been killed since the weekend, in an almost even split between gang members and the police plus a few civilians caught in the crossfire. The role of Brazil's drug trade and gangs are complex, perhaps a post for another time....