The Candelaria Massacre

Download or read book The Candelária Massacre written by Julia Rochester and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On 23 July 1993, off-duty policemen opened fire on a group of street children who were sleeping outside one of Rio de Janeiro's most prominent landmarks--the Church of Our Lady of the Candelária. The incident became known as the Candelária Massacre and it roused the people of Rio to the streets in protest. Shortly before the shootings, the policemen picked up three boys and took them off in their car to be shot elsewhere. One of them, Wagner dos Santos, survived and his survival altered the political landscape of Brazil. This book tells his story--growing up in Rio's orphanages and gangland favelas; being shot during the massacre then being shot again a year later in attempt to silence his testimony; and being forced into exile for his own safety.