May 14, 2006

São Paulo in Flames

Some of our US readers may be hearing news reports about the violence going on in São Paulo. According to the latest report coming accross my desk things are continuing to escalate.

According to Financial Times (one of many outlets reporting on this)Ç

Heavily-armed gangsters attacked police posts in Brazil’s São Paulo state for a second night in the worst wave of crime-related violence in the country’s industrial and business heartland in memory.

The response of São Paulo Mayor Gilberto Kassab was unbelievably bland:

“We are all indignant and in a state of mourning,” São Paulo city mayor Gilberto Kassab said on Saturday night. “It’s not a war. It’s a battle, which we will win.”

I'm sure the criminals, most likely a powerful gang called "First Command of the Capital" (PCC in Portuguese), are quaking in their boots. Especially since they are armed better than most police officers:

A total of 100 attacks have been counted since the gangsters armed with grenades and machine guns first struck on Friday night, hitting police posts and other targets in rich and poor areas of the city and other locations in the state.

Please be in prayer for the many missionaries working in and around São Paulo.

Posted by Andrew on May 14, 2006 4:21 PM.