Through the Eyes of Crime

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBERT F. ZIEHE

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© Robert F. Ziehe • MMXII • Rio de Janeiro • Brazil All Rights Reserved No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution or information storage retrieval systems—without the written permission.

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There are times when we need to look at things differently.

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After months of negotiations and conquering trust, I was finally allowed to accompany a gang of

drug-dealer from the Muquiço Favela in Rio de Janeiro while doing their daily business. My objective:

learn about their life, their thoughts, their habits, their plans, their dreams and their fears.

In September of 2008 my assistant I were allowed into their community. With us nothing but a camera,

tripod, microphone, spare batteries, a backpack with some clothes to change and the desire to produce

some great material for what I whished to become a mind breaking and never before seen documentary.

We spent hours talking and filming, taking depositions, making notes, getting to know these strange

people. We learned about their backgrounds, listened to the story of their life’s, their reasons to be

there. We discussed the way society sees them and heard what they think about society.

We got closer, on a very strange way.

Late at night we realized, that we didn’t bring enough tapes with us. So we left and agreed to be back

the very next day at noon to continue our venue.

That night the community was taken over by rival gang and we never made it back.

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Muquiço – Rio de Janeiro - 2008

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Our main concern is the

Community. If we don’t take

Care for it, who will!

We don’t go out there

Looking for trouble. We

don’t go to the streets to

sell our stuff. The addicts

come here to buy it.

We just want to mind our

Own business.

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At the beginning we were just one gang. We had principles. We were one

big force working for the same cause.

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“Caco” joined us when he was just a little boy. Eight years old.

You have no idea what kind of trouble he was for his mother.

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We are people just like anybody else. We have family, father, mother, brothers and sisters. Many of us have kid’s to take care of. We don’t want

the children to be involved. We want a better life, exactly like you.

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This is our home!

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We are always ready. We have to be. If we blink, our rivals take this place and we loose our home.

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“Boca de Fumo”

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These are our girls, our “Piriguetes”. They work for us packing our material and selling it to the addicts. They take goods care of us and

we of them. This is how it works here. We care about each other.

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Here we work and here we fight

and if necessary, here we die!

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Our enemies, this is how I welcome them!

I am from “Sagas” gang! If someone tries something,

This is what he gets!

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And than we went training

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Bullets are real. People are real. Their stories are real.

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Through The Eyes of Crime A feature documentary, yet to be released.

Opinions in this book do not necessarily represent the opinion of its author.

Many of the people shown in these pictures are probably dead, incarcerated or still in business. A few, very few, got out of this life.

Crime does not pay of! If you have the chance – study! Stay away from trouble.

Do not believe everything your hear or read. Always seek for facts and answers yourself.

Love! It is our only hope.

Robert F. Ziehe – Photographer