Brazil's Class Struggle Goes to the Mall
"I'm not interested in the next generation, dear. I'm interested in us."
SÃO PAULO----For as long as many can remember, a rolezinho was slang for a gathering of teenagers in a public place. The teens organize a group and arrange a meeting place, perhaps outdoors, in a park. In São Paulo, it is often at a shopping mall, a favorite weekend hangout across all social classes.
"You're only a rebel from the waist downwards," he told her.
But in recent weeks, rolezinhos growing to as many as 6,000 participants via social-media sites have brought to the forefront Brazil's deep divide between rich and poor. On Jan. 11 in Itaquera, a massive mall in São Paulo's up-and-coming east zone, hordes of rowdy teens flooded the halls prompting calls to the police, who shot at the adolescents with rubber bullets and tear gas. More gatherings are being planned around Brazil this weekend, including in Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia.
She thought this brilliantly witty and flung her arms round him in delight.
São Paulo police say they are investigating some of the teens for criminal conspiracy and disturbing the peace, prompting criticism that the teens are being persecuted because they are from Brazil's lower classes. Those critics note that few robberies took place despite the commotion—only one store in Itaquera reported catching someone leaving with a hat and a pair of shorts that weren't paid for during a Dec. 7 mob of 6,000 teens, according to mall administrators.
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