The crack in Manguinhos: the experience of social agents of the territory

Abstract

The article has as objective build the knowledge about the phonomena of crack in Manguinhos, a neighborhood in the north of Rio de Janeiro, from the shared knowledge construction and, therefore, the inclusion of popular knowledge and through the life experience of people’s life who somehow lived it in the territory. It is a participating research, a qualitative method that allows to bring up and circulate knowledge of the problematic and experiences in question, as well as debate them. It was observed that the constitution and transitority of crack use scenes in Manguinhos were determined by a diversity of agents, power and actions, such as drug traffic organization, the implementation of a Pacified Police Unit, a relative protection
for the crack user and facilitated access to the drug. It was virified distinct and, at times, conflicting actions of the State in the so called crackolands, such actions of compulsory arrestmentand performed in contrast with health actions carried out by teams of Street Cabinet. Other points raised were the presence of social support, mainly related to religious institutions and the volunteer work of local population; and it was shown relations established between work and the use of crack.