solacesoul

Physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals nowadays, due to HIPAA and other privacy concerns, are trained not to approach patients in public, and only acknowledge them once they approach the healthcare worker.
My urologist completely avoided me at the supermarket even though we crossed paths in the aisle. I circled back to say hello, and he explained that he does not approach or acknowledge his patients in settings outside the medical office due to patient privacy concerns. But if the patient acknowledges and approaches him, he will have a friendly exchange.
This is also probably the best approach for providers. 

Physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals nowadays, due to HIPAA and other privacy concerns, are trained not to approach patients in public, and only acknowledge them once they approach the healthcare worker.
My urologist completely avoided me at the supermarket even though we crossed paths in the aisle. I circled back to say hello, and he explained that he does not approach or acknowledge his patients in settings outside the medical office due to patient privacy concerns. But if the patient acknowledges and approaches him, he will have a friendly exchange.
This is also probably the best approach for providers. 

Physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals nowadays, due to HIPAA and other privacy concerns, are trained not to approach patients in public, and only acknowledge them once they approach the healthcare worker.
My urologist completely avoided me at the supermarket even though we crossed paths in the aisle. I circled back to say hello, and he explained that he does not approach or acknowledge his patients in settings outside the medical office due to patient privacy concerns. But if the patient acknowledges and approaches him, he will have a friendly exchange.
This is also probably the best approach for providers. 

Working guys.

This Rio vs. São Paulo battle is a bit tiresome, but it’s actually also a “thing” between the cities in Brazil. And it’s really just a matter of personal preference and picking your own poison. It’s like the perennial New York City vs. Los Angeles battle — two major metropolises with two markedly different personalities and lifestyles, and most people have a clear preference of either. Personally, having worked for long periods of time in São Paulo and having lived full-time in New York for a decade and a half, nothing more than a long, extended weekend in São Paulo (the NYC of South America, but really it’s twice as large, like NYC on steroids) is fine enough for me. On the contrary, I can spend months in fitness-centric, beach-oriented, sunny Rio before feeling like the walls are starting to close in on me. What’s truly great is that both of these wonderful Brazilian cities are within an overnight 1001 bus ride from each other — or if you’re a total travel snob or a fraidycat, just a 45-minute hop by flight from SDU to CGH.
I strongly advise anyone who is very concerned for safety and also looks like they have a target on their face or back (and if you have to think about whether you are a target, then you are, Blanche, you are!), to completely avoid any areas or cities where they are likely to be targeted. If it means that, for your own piece of mind, you need to avoid Rio de Janeiro, or Recife, or Salvador, or anywhere in Centro in São Paulo, including but not limited to República, then by all means, please do. It’s a big world out there. Go somewhere else. 

Working guys.

Working guys.

This Rio vs. São Paulo battle is a bit tiresome, but it’s actually also a “thing” between the cities in Brazil. And it’s really just a matter of personal preference and picking your own poison. It’s like the perennial New York City vs. Los Angeles battle — two major metropolises with two markedly different personalities and lifestyles, and most people have a clear preference of either. Personally, having worked for long periods of time in São Paulo and having lived full-time in New York for a decade and a half, nothing more than a long, extended weekend in São Paulo (the NYC of South America, but really it’s twice as large, like NYC on steroids) is fine enough for me. On the contrary, I can spend months in fitness-centric, beach-oriented, sunny Rio before feeling like the walls are starting to close in on me. What’s truly great is that both of these wonderful Brazilian cities are within an overnight 1001 bus ride from each other — or if you’re a total travel snob or a fraidycat, just a 45-minute hop by flight from SDU to CGH.
I strongly advise anyone who is very concerned for safety and also looks like they have a target on their face or back (and if you have to think about whether you are a target, then you are, Blanche, you are!), to completely avoid any areas or cities where they are likely to be targeted. If it means that, for your own piece of mind, you need to avoid Rio de Janeiro, or Recife, or Salvador, or anywhere in Centro in São Paulo, including but not limited to República, then by all means, please do. It’s a big world out there. Go somewhere else. 

This Rio vs. São Paulo battle is a bit tiresome, but it’s actually also a “thing” between the cities in Brazil. And it’s really just a matter of personal preference and picking your own poison. It’s like the perennial New York City vs. Los Angeles battle — two major metropolises with two markedly different personalities and lifestyles, and most people have a clear preference of either. Personally, having worked for long periods of time in São Paulo and having lived full-time in New York for a decade and a half, nothing more than a long, extended weekend in São Paulo (the NYC of South America, but really it’s twice as large, like NYC on steroids) is fine enough for me. On the contrary, I can spend months in fitness-centric, beach-oriented, sunny Rio before feeling like the walls are starting to close in on me. What’s truly great is that both of these wonderful Brazilian cities are within an overnight 1001 bus ride from each other — or if you’re a total travel snob or a fraidycat, just a 45-minute hop by flight from SDU to CGH.
I strongly advise anyone who is very concerned for safety and also looks like they have a target on their face or back (and if you have to think about whether you are a target, then you are, Blanche, you are!), to completely avoid any areas or cities where they are likely to be targeted. If it means that, for your own piece of mind, you need to avoid Rio de Janeiro, or Recife, or Salvador, or anywhere in Centro in São Paulo, including but not limited to República, then by all means, please do. It’s a big world out there. Go somewhere else. 

This Rio vs. São Paulo battle is a bit tiresome, but it’s actually also a “thing” between the cities in Brazil. And it’s really just a matter of personal preference and picking your own poison. It’s like the perennial New York City vs. Los Angeles battle — two major metropolises with two markedly different personalities and lifestyles, and most people have a clear preference of either. Personally, having worked for long periods of time in São Paulo and having lived full-time in New York for a decade and a half, nothing more than a long, extended weekend in São Paulo (the NYC of South America, but really it’s twice as large, like NYC on steroids) is fine enough for me. On the contrary, I can spend months in fitness-centric, beach-oriented, sunny Rio before feeling like the walls are starting to close in on me. What’s truly great is that both of these wonderful Brazilian cities are within an overnight 1001 bus ride from each other — or if you’re a total travel snob or a fraidycat, just a 45-minute hop by flight from SDU to CGH.
I strongly advise anyone who is very concerned for safety and also looks like they have a target on their face or back (and if you have to think about whether you are a target, then you are, Blanche, you are!), to completely avoid any areas or cities where they are likely to be targeted. If it means that, for your own piece of mind, you need to avoid Rio de Janeiro, or Recife, or Salvador, or anywhere in Centro in São Paulo, including but not limited to República, then by all means, please do. It’s a big world out there. Go somewhere else. 

no - actually you jumped into this thread to respond to @mixer17
this is how trolls do it: manipulate the conversation to start the political controversy that you really want…..& is now banned here.  
have you ever been to São Paulo or Rio ?  Let’s hear about that & how it compares re: personal safety to other places.  Or, extra precautions that may need to taken, or places to avoid when in Brazil. 

I guess what I was trying to say is you shouldn't need these maps if:
1.  You have prepared and listed down some destinations.  
2. You have EYES and COMMON SENSE.  
3. You have downloaded UBER into your phone. 

For me it's pretty simple,  if you're a tourist then be a tourist. Do the touristy things on your first trip. Feel things out. 2nd trip: more touristy things but maybe farther out. and So on and so forth. There's plenty to do and very little time.  The saunas will take up a lot of your time. If you feel like you have to go adventuring beyond the touristy areas on your first few trips, you probably haven't read up enough.
I don't quite understand why/how anyone would just happen to "wander" into a favela. Favelas look completely different than the rest of the city.  If you cannot distinguish between a favela and their rest of Copacabana or Ipanema, you have no business going to Brazil.  If you don't know what a favela looks like Google photos of favelas....
I really don't understand, how anyone would make this mistake. A dangerous place should feel and look completely different if you're observant. Sé doesn't have as many people walking around because it's a place you shouldn't be walking around. It's pretty obvious if you have went beyond boundaries because the streets will have significantly less people.  Paulista, Augusta, Oscar Freire, Freire  Caneca, Villa Madalena etc etc. has young and old, locals and tourists walking around, in a relaxed manner because there's little reason to be so guarded (stay a little bit guarded though)
Follow the rules. Keep to your Ubers; don't walk if you don't feel 100% safe about a place. Listen to the safety reports here (with a grain of salt, they tend to be overblown). Moreso, Listen to locals, they know what's unsafe and what's not.  For Example, I would never have known that Copacabana beach is not super safe during sunset, because this is when tourists are on the move back to their hotels and robbers take advantage. Learned this from an Uber driver.  I like to stay in moderately priced hotels and draw in Brazilians more than tourists because robbers are probably going to target the expensive, tourist heavy hotels. Copacabana Palace is a huge no-no unless you just plan to stay in the hotel and take Ubers.
Keep the over-confidence in check. 

Perhaps your Google Search is broken?
Prosecutors are already being overzealous with the new felony prostitution law in Texas, in spite of earlier legislative claims that the law was designed only to curb and fight sex trafficking.
Earlier this year, the Department of Homeland Security had made almost four dozen (46) arrests for felony sex trafficking in North Texas.  However, it was soon discovered that those arrested on federal felony charges as traffickers were actually individuals who thought they were dealing with sex workers (prostitutes) for consensual sex.  They were “johns” looking for a “date,” and not players in the business of trafficking people.
Another bogus 'sex trafficking sting' led by Homeland Security agents
REASON.COM The Department of Homeland Security is playing vice cop, again, while pretending that the agency...  

It’s now (new law as of 2021) a felony in the State of Texas — the second most populous state in the USA — to engage or offer to engage in an act of prostitution. First-time is 2 years in jail and a $10,000 fine. Second time is a third-degree felony with even harsher penalties.
 

agree & that makes sense.  

it’s easy to identify favelas and place them on a map for reference.  much more difficult to show areas of dangerous street crime because that likely fluctuates a bit - except in SP, maybe for the area in front of Se, which seems entrenched.
last time i was in SP, i visited Se/Cracklandia & Luz during the day. However, I was with two Brazilian friends from SP and even they were extremely cautious and wanted to get out of there fast.  
A gringo (anyone not Brazilian) who doesn’t speak Portuguese venturing into these areas (high crime areas and/or favelas)  is a recipe for disaster.  But, I’m absolutely sure many will do it anyway. 
 

Agreed. 
 
It’s that “it hasn’t happened to me (yet), so it must not be true” mindset that is so dangerous, because it lulls you into a sense of complacency, when it’s important to remain vigilant. 
 
Yep. Every one I know as well has experienced at least a petty theft on the street or a mugging — no matter their size, gender or color.
Ask any attendant of last weekend’s Celebration of 100 years of The Copacabana Palace how that went. Over 500 arrests on the street and beach for theft and assault. 
 
The areas around the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema are especially target-rich environments for the ladrãozinhos, but ironically, the Zona Sul / South Zone neighborhoods are still the safest neighborhoods inside the city limits of Rio. A casual or unseasoned tourist would be foolish to stay outside of Zona Sul — unless they have a very specific reason and are staying with someone who knows what they’re doing and where they’re going. 
 

I suppose these maps are a good starting point for tourists and others who aren’t frequently there. But they seem incomplete to me when discussing street crime. For example, this portion of the map includes the eastern part of República but not the western end starting at Rua Aurora going to the Chili Pepper Hotel, in the Vila Buarque neighborhood and towards the big Santa Cecília bus station — those surrounding areas are very dicey and dangerous for a solo traveler. Not a favela in sight. 

It’s absolutely possible that both things can be and are true at the same time:
Most people who live in favelas are honest, hard-working people of little means AND favelas are dangerous places mostly run by heavily-armed drug traffickers that strangers and non-residents (especially males) have NO business going into unaccompanied by a resident.

correct - also it’s interesting to look at the maps of favelas in Rio & São Paulo for comparison, that was compiled by US Embassy in Brazil.
Maps of U.S. Citizen Caution Areas - U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Brazil
BR.USEMBASSY.GOV The caution area maps shown below were created to help U.S. Citizens travelers avoid potentially... In Rio, there are several favelas directly adjacent to tourist areas in Copacabana & Ipanema - and others in Zona Sul.  The favelas are literally on top of the areas where wealthy foreign tourists gather in a very small geographic area.  
By contrast - there are no favelas anywhere close to areas in São Paulo where most tourists stay.  This partially explains the crime differential tourists may experience between Rio & SP, with Rio being more dangerous or more simply where a tourist is more likely to be a crime victim.
Of course, if a tourist in São Paulo ventures into the more seedy areas like Republica although not technically a favela - the likelihood of crime greatly increases. 
It’s really not complicated- although seems to be an endless subject of conversation here.  Your chances of being a crime victim are exponentially greater in Rio, compared to SP, assuming you stay & move about in areas that are common to most tourist visits.  
The wild card, of course is how careful or careless the tourist may be.  All things being equal, SP is way safer. 

Sorry, but for safety reasons of forum members who will visit Rio, I must make corrections to the above:
The street leading to the favela is NOT PAST sauna 202, walking from the beach to the sauna.  That uphill street leading to the favela is BEFORE you reach sauna 202 traveling from the beach area toward sauna 202.  
I make this correction because I do not want to read about a forum member(s) accidentally taking the wrong street that leads to an unfavorable event after entering a favela. 
Again, the described street that leads to a highly dangerous favela is before you reach sauna 202, not past that sauna (walking from Copacabana beach or area). 
Another correction I want to make is that the uphill street in question (that leads to the favela) is NOT near the  downtown beach area of Copacabana.  Sauna 202 and that uphill street (that leads to the favela) is about five or six blocks from the Copacabana beach but less than half a block from sauna 202.
Safety is critical to having a great vacation in Brazil.  
 

15 to 20 feet in? In all fairness, that’s less than the width of the first building. Certainly not enough to make a valid judgment about traveling alone as a stranger inside an unfamiliar anything, much less a favela.

Yep. 
Although this AP report is 8 years old, it could have been made yesterday!
Note: other Brazilian cities like Salvador have this bus problem, too.
 

Wow. You scare pretty easily. I don’t find anything remotely scary or intimidating about Junior. 

Agreed. 
 
It’s that “it hasn’t happened to me (yet), so it must not be true” mindset that is so dangerous, because it lulls you into a sense of complacency, when it’s important to remain vigilant. 
 
Yep. Every one I know as well has experienced at least a petty theft on the street or a mugging — no matter their size, gender or color.
Ask any attendant of last weekend’s Celebration of 100 years of The Copacabana Palace how that went. Over 500 arrests on the street and beach for theft and assault. 
 
The areas around the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema are especially target-rich environments for the ladrãozinhos, but ironically, the Zona Sul / South Zone neighborhoods are still the safest neighborhoods inside the city limits of Rio. A casual or unseasoned tourist would be foolish to stay outside of Zona Sul — unless they have a very specific reason and are staying with someone who knows what they’re doing and where they’re going.