To win 'hearts and minds,' Brazil gives slums cable cars
| Rio de Janeiro
鈥� A local, slice-of-life story from a Monitor correspondent.
The bedroom-sized cabin rumbles as cables pull up the 45-degree incline toward the sprawling police station atop one of Rio de Janeiro鈥檚 鈥減acified鈥� favelas (shantytowns).
Rio鈥檚 slums have for so long grown up around hills that morro (hill) is synonymous with slum. Rio鈥檚 government built the hillside transport to win the 鈥渉earts and minds鈥� of favela residents weary of years of police and drug trafficker shootouts. It is part of a wider two-year policing plan. Rio follows Caracas, Venezuela; and 惭别诲别濒濒铆苍, Colombia, in its effort to offer transport to slums as a placating measure.
While providing curious tourists stunning views of the beach-side city, the cable car mostly benefits the favela residents. 鈥淚t鈥檚 better because it鈥檚 more practical, more comfortable,鈥� says a restaurant worker as she gets on for the free, 10-minute ride. Not even motorcycle taxis can get her up the steep, narrow streets.
