The current scenario of criminality in Rio de Janeiro evidences a reconfiguration of the lines of forces, producing a chain in which several criminal groups interact with each other and with the forces of (harmonious or disharmonious) order in search of territorial control and economic resources. Drug trafficking extorting residents, militia selling illicit drugs, and mutual cooperation agreements between both, show that the borders that operated the distinction between them reveal that the boundaries that operated the distinction between these two organizations have been resignified, producing complex situations and assemblages. This research seeks, from a methodological approach that combines analysis of media and documentary discourse with interviews and conversations with residents, to understand how the practices of the Liga da Justiça militia have changed over time and what are the contexts and consequences of these changes for residents of the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro.
Keywords:
Militia; Liga da Justiça; violence; West Zone; Rio de Janeiro