Cocaine Cowboys (2006)

Cocaine Cowboys chronicles the rise of the cocaine trade in Miami in the 1970's and 80's. The film uses first-hand accounts of those involved, as well as extensive news footage from the period, to illustrate how the drug-trade in Miami went from being centered around marijuana, to the small-scale importation of cocaine, and then into a multi-billion dollar industry comprised of an extensive network of smuggler, distributors, and dealers. Many Cubans, Columbians, and Americans were involved with smuggling drugs into the U.S. As drug-traders' wealth accumulated, millions of dollars went into legitimate businesses in Miami. Whereas in the late Sicties and early seventies, Miami was a small, economically stagnant town, the late Seventies and Eighties saw the city explode with project financed by drug money.  However, in the 1980's, the drug trade became extremely violent, ultimately leading to the fall of the "Cocaine Cowboys."

Cocaine use has an interesting history in the United States. For mush of the Twentieth Century, it was not very popular as a recreational drug, and most cocaine used came from medical supplies. Following the First World War, The U. S. took a leading role in discouraging cocaine's use and production worldwide. Although it was not a major issue for most countries The U. S. nonetheless aggressively pushed for its criminalization. Following the rise of American power around the world after World War II, most of Latin America was "compelled" to follow along, despite histories of local coca use. It took a while for illicit cocaine production to take off; it was not until the mid to late 1960's that cocaine smuggling into the U. S. came to be of note, and even then, it was minor to what it would become in the 1970's and 1980's. (Gootenburg, Paul. Pre-Colombian Era of Drug Trafficking: the Americas, 2007)

As we see in the film, cocaine became a big deal in America, during the the 70's and 80's. Coletta Youngers chapter "Collateral Damage: the U. S. War on Drugs and its impact on Democracy in the Andes, focuses on the American Governments response to the cocaine boom. According to Youngers, the strategy of combating drugs by taking actions in "source countries" (where the drugs are produced), begun in 1989 with the "Andean Initiative" of president George H. W. Bush, has had extremely negative impact on democracy and regional stability in Latin America, as well as encouraging human rights violations. These negative effects of U. S. drug policy are the result of the United States supporting corrupt military units in actions against civilians.

One aspect of the movie covers the corruption of local law enforcement in Miami. Many cops not only turned a blind eye, but assisted in drug smuggling operations. This kind of corruption reached so far as the White House, as it has been uncovered that under the Reagen Administration, that Contras operating in Nicaragua were receiving money and weapons from the United States... and sending back cocaine.

Bus 174 (2002)

Bus 174 (2002) is a documentary that takes a an extremely detailed look at an event in recent Brazilian history, the Bus 174 Affair. The film follows the event, in which a young man, Sandro, held several people hostage on a bus for over four hours. The film pieces together the story through testimony from the former hostages, the victims remaining family members and friends, and the police involved in the situation. While the events that occurred on the bus (which were broadcast on national television) form the crux of the film, it is the hijacker, Sandro's, background, as well as the struggles of other street youth, that are the real focus of the film.

The incident on Bus 174 begins with what was most likely a simple routine robbery. Sandro entered the bus with a gun, and demanded valuables from the riders(this kind of robbery is quite common in Latin American countries. A similar routine robbery is described in Alberto Salcemo Ramos' short piece The Drive-by Victim. Fortunately for Salcemo, his hold-up did not in the tragedy that Bus 174 did). However, the bus becomes stopped, the police become involved, and a standoff ensues. Reporters and news-cameras show up, ensuring that the situation will be seen by millions. Several of the hostages tell their side of the story, as well as some of the police officers present. The tragedy of the Bus situation is death of Sandro, and a woman named Geisa. The failure of the police to take advantage of opportunities against Sandro, leads to a situation were Geisa is shot by an officer, and Sandro, who is shortly thereafter smothered to death in a cop car. That this tragedy occurred, when it could have been avoided, speaks to the fact that "the weight and power of municipal authorities have been weakened significantly in cities where crime and overcrowding have made life a cheap, and disposable, commodity." ("I Saw a City Invisible", The City as Division, Mark D. Szuchman, p. 25)

Sandro took to the streets after witnessing his mothers death at a young age, . From there, he gets wrapped up in the bleak existence of a social outcast. Street children are a major problem for Brazil, because of their chronic crime, drug abuse, and violence, and the lack of resources at their disposal. Furthermore, they are looked down upon in general, if they are even noticed at all. Sandro was one of these kids. He began using cocaine and sniffing glue, and getting involved with theft. Hundreds of thousands of children live this way in Brazil, millions throughout the world. Another important event in Sandro's life was the Candelaria Church Massacre, where 7 street kids were gunned down. Sandro was one of the survivors, but the event would haunt him. At several points during the affair, he yells about being one of the survivors, while blaming the police for the deaths.

The film makes the point that this marginalized existence is one of the main factors that led Sandro to commit his crime. Furthermore, the film takes a lot at the awful and ineffective prison system of Brazil. The bleak prospect of a return to prison is possibly responsible for Sandro's decision to take hostages.

The film ultimately portrays Sandro as a social victim. Though a criminal nonetheless, it was a desire to be recognized by society, and receive validation, even if as the "bad guy", that led him to do what he did. The film points out the social structures and inequalities that perpetuate these injustices.