“This was about more than semantics; it represented a dangerous shift in perspective.Rio was not at war, I pointed out; and even if it were, wars have rules.”

“It didn't take much prompting for Cariocas who were sick of living with violence to advocate violence as a solution.”

“Really, what is the law when it stands in the way of what the government wants to do?”

“Killings by cops on the job continued to rise. . . . they became an institutionalized way for police to settle scores."We stopped being peacekeeping police and turned into troops at war," Mário Sérgio said.”

“This was about more than semantics; it represented a dangerous shift in perspective.Rio was not at war, I pointed out; and even if it were, wars have rules.”