Police Build Wall in Rio

(ATR) A wall rises in the Vila Autódromo neighborhood next to the Olympic Park, built by Rio de Janeiro state police. So far there is no explanation why.

Vila Autódromo sits on the border of the land that became the Olympic Park. The favela was originally home to over 300 families, with a large majority of them relocated to a nearby apartment complex to make room for Olympic works.

According to the neighborhood Facebook page, military police came to the neighborhood and closed roads leading into it. Residents say the nature of the police visit was to build a wall that blocks the entrance of the favela from the Olympic Park. They say it will disrupt the flow in and out of the neighborhood.

City Hall would not comment to Around the Rings on the situation saying that the state government was responsible for police matters. Requests for comment from the Rio State Government were not returned.

Those who witnessed the construction say no reasons were given for the wall by the police. Requests for more information from residents via the Facebook page have not yet yielded a response.

"The troops are closing our street again and as always [we] haven’t been informed of anything," the Vila Autódromo Facebook page read earlier.

"They're closing down the street and won’t let anyone through!"

According to figures provided to ATR by City Hall, only 22 families remain in the area. Most are negotiating relocation but other families have told local media they do not want to leave the area.The favela is seen as largely peaceful.

Residents were fearful on Facebook that the police presence was a forced eviction,which residents say occurred during the construction of the Olympic Park.

Written by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro

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