General Olímpio da Silveira Avenue, between Conselheiro Brotero Street and Pacaembu Avenue, as well as the entrance to the Moinho favela in Campos Elíseos, have recently emerged as new hubs for crack sales and consumption in downtown São Paulo. This situation arose just four months after the homeless population was dispersed from Protestantes Street. At these points, addicts have established what they call a “crackland shopping mall,” where cachaça, crack pipes, clothes, and other items are openly displayed for sale under wooden crates or spread out on the pavement. On the steps connecting General Olímpio da Silveira and Pacaembu Avenues, crack is even sold in a drive-thru style, directly to users or passersby.
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More than 50 Users
Pedestrians walking past the scene, located next to a supermarket, now encounter dozens of drug users mingling with small-scale dealers. Reports indicate that more than 50 people, concentrated between Conselheiro Brotero and Tupi streets, have sparked growing complaints from residents and business owners. They cite frequent noise, litter, fights, and the smoke from fires set to melt copper wires. Residents say the group arrived only two weeks ago, but its presence has quickly transformed the area into a camp established along the bike path median that links downtown to the city’s west side.
Pacaembu Avenue
On Pacaembu Avenue, in the western zone of São Paulo, another cracolândia has been forming, with the number of users doubling within just a week. On Monday afternoon (01/09), more than 20 people, both men and women, occupied the sidewalk in broad daylight. Just a week earlier, on August 25th, only about ten users were counted in the same stretch near the intersection with General Olímpio da Silveira Avenue. The rapid growth of the group has raised alarm among local authorities and residents who fear the area is on the verge of becoming a permanent drug consumption hotspot.
Lack of Permanent Police Presence
Unlike in other areas of the city, such as Rua dos Protestantes, there is no consistent presence of the Metropolitan Civil Guard (GCM) or Military Police vehicles. This absence allows the addicts to occupy Pacaembu Avenue almost without interruption, leaving only when municipal cleaning teams arrive daily between 15:00 and 16:00. However, once these teams depart, the users quickly return, summing up drug use openly and without hesitation. The lack of continuous monitoring has reinforced the sense of abandonment felt by nearby residents and businesses.
Other Locations
Besides these newly identified sites, other longstanding points continue to host drug use. Roosevelt Square, particularly in its lower reaches, remains an active gathering spot, especially at night and on weekends when the Presidente João Goulart Elevated Road is closed to traffic. Another critical location is the intersection of Helvétia Street and Barão de Piracicaba Avenue, where the Military Police have standing orders to disperse crowds as soon as they appear. However, the strategy often results in a “back-and-forth” dynamic, with groups temporarily scattered only to reassemble again shortly afterwards, perpetuating the cycle.
Theft
Reports of thefts in the area known as “cracolândia” and around Praça da Sé, in downtown São Paulo, increased in May compared to the same month last year. This coincides with the month in which drug users who were based on Rua dos Protestantes in Santa Ifigênia dispersed. Currently, they are scattered throughout other parts of the downtown area, migrating from one street to another as civil guards or military police arrive. In the 3rd Precinct (Campos Elíseos) alone, the number of theft complaints increased by 15%. There were 681 reports in May, compared to 590 in the same period last year. Compared to April of this year, May saw 114 more complaints. Overall, the first five months combined saw a 15% increase compared to the same period last year (from 2,994 to 3,457 reports).
Analysis:
The emergence of new cracolândias in São Paulo, particularly around General Olímpio da Silveira and Pacaembu Avenue, reveals the cyclical nature of dispersal-based strategies in addressing open-air drug scenes. While police and municipal operations can temporarily displace users, the absence of sustained monitoring and social assistance leads to the rapid reconstitution of these hubs in nearby areas. This pattern not only frustrates residents and businesses but also undermines the credibility of public policy, as the problem becomes more dispersed and harder to control.
From a public security perspective, the current situation illustrates the limitations of enforcement-only approaches. The increase in theft complaints around Campos Elíseos and Praça da Sé confirms that the scattering of users is directly linked to a rise in opportunistic crimes, aggravating perceptions of insecurity in central São Paulo. A more effective strategy would require an integrated approach that combines policing with permanent territorial presence, urban management, and robust social programs aimed at treatment, housing, and reintegration. Without such measures, the city risks perpetuating a cycle in which cracolândias shifts from one neighborhood to another.
