ABSTRACT
This paper aims to reflect on the shift in the public security agenda in São Paulo, from a predominantly state issue to a central part of the electoral strategies for the City of São Paulo. The hypothesis developed is that homicides were considered the main public security problem in São Paulo between the 1990s and 2000s. However, with the reduction in the number of homicides, the scenario has changed. Crackland (Cracolândia), on the one hand, and the intensive increase in property crimes, especially cell phone thefts and robberies, on the other hand, have become central to the public security issue in the city. The reflection is based on a case study of the role of Crackland (Cracolândia), an area of open drug use in the city center, in the construction of an acute scenario of fear and insecurity among the population of São Paulo.
KEYWORDS:
Public security; Crackland (Cracolândia); Property crimes