Protected by more than a thousand kilometers of distance between the Central Plateau and the Complexo do Alemão, the authorities in Brasília reacted to the serial killings in Rio de Janeiro according to the expected pattern. In the Chamber's plenary, a representative of Bolsonaro's supporters tried to get applause for the dead criminals. At the Planalto Palace, meetings were held to draw up a belated plan of action.

For the Rio government, the lined-up bodies represent a public display of the success of a police operation. However, for those accustomed to distrusting seemingly easy operations, the lack of details about the circumstances of the deaths suspends judgment on the case.

Was it an armed conflict or an execution? The answer is still some time away. Whatever the case, it doesn't resolve the public security crisis that plagues not only Rio, but also São Paulo and other large cities, where organized crime is right on the corner.

The acronyms CV and PCC are part of life in Rio and São Paulo. These organizations have spread throughout the country, and so far there has been no state action that has managed to stifle either group.

In Brasília, ideas generated under air conditioning also failed to convince society. There was a belief that changing the name of the Ministry of Justice to also include Public Security on the building's sign and documents would help. No practical effect whatsoever.

The current government has a proposed constitutional amendment (PEC) written and under consideration in Congress. In public statements, the president and his ministers have repeatedly stated that it is necessary to approve this text as a starting point to combat organized crime. They are slipping into the risky discourse that changing the Constitution is the panacea to solve the ills that afflict us.