The data presented in this article are based on direct observation and extensive interviews with key persons in the suburb of Novos Alagados. Walking through the streets or talking with the residents inside their homes, the researchers witnessed aggression, armed robberies, and shoot-outs between delinquent gangs and police officers. During the field research conducted from December 1995 to October 1996, weekly meetings between the researchers were held to discuss preliminary results. Most Brazilian police are organized by the State government rather than by cities. There are two distinct police forces: the Military Police (MP) and the Civil Police (CP). The MP are in charge of policing streets and other public places. The CP are responsible for initiating investigations for prosecutors. Between the two police forces, the residents had more sympathy for the CP. The MP were less trusted because of their more rigid procedures, impersonal approach, and the use of force. Police abuses directed at persons and gangs perceived as criminals by the residents are supported; however, because police violence has its own dynamic, based on notions and policies that are socially and racially discriminatory, it is inevitable that innocent common people also become the objects of a police brutality that is not justifiable, even within the logic that approves of the brutal treatment of criminals. Although the law can be used to protect the common people, this law should also apply to the police and their methods. Promising approaches to this condition include measures to enhance the racial, sociocultural, economic, and educational awareness of the destitute youth of the city, amplifying and reformulating previously existing programs in government organs and nongovernmental organization, as well as mobilizing the energy of affected communities themselves through community groups. 39 references