"It felt like the whole neighborhood was one — everyone knew each other."
Lígia Ferro, Beatriz Lacerda e Joana Martins
Excerpt from the interview with Joana Martins conducted by Lígia Ferro and Beatriz Lacerda, on October 18, 2024, in Porto.
Joana Martins has been working in the Contumil area of Campanhã for eleven years, having started in the Contumil Neighborhood and later in the Engenheiro Machado Vaz Neighborhood, through the "Sinergi@s" Escolhas project, which she has coordinated for seven years. She holds a degree and a master's in Educational Sciences from the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at the University of Porto. In her role as coordinator, she has been dedicated to promoting the social inclusion of children, young people, and families in situations of socioeconomic vulnerability, through the implementation of intervention strategies and community strengthening.
In this excerpt, Joana discusses the main changes she has witnessed in the neighborhood where she works, the relationship with police forces, and the existing protection mechanisms, both among the population and with the Escolhas project itself.
[beginning of excerpt]
How do you see the transformation of the neighborhood over the years you've been there?
There were some years when I saw the neighborhood differently, when there were many more people in the street, much more socializing, kids playing — you'd see lots of children playing outside. It was... it felt like the whole neighborhood was one, everyone knew each other, everyone... you didn’t see violence, not... if there were conflicts, they were related to family history.
That was in your first years there?
Yes (...) even at night, the kids were still outside playing, and the parents would do something — while they were making dinner or so, the kids could be outside, and then after dinner, they'd go back out, especially during holidays. The kids would stay in the neighborhood playing until really late, which you don’t see anymore, right? Where I grew up, we couldn’t stay out late, there was always that fear, “Oh no, someone’s coming!” or “They’ll take us.” But not there — there was total trust in the neighborhood, everyone trusted everyone. Now, if we compare it to what’s happening now...
That doesn’t happen anymore?
No.
When do you think that changed?
It changed during Covid. That’s when this big shift started — there were fewer people in the street, we barely saw anyone outside socializing... because of what it was, right? Covid was a terrible time...
Do you think that broke connections, bonds?
(...) It broke the relationships between everyone. That kind of interaction just stopped. It was a big rupture. Now what’s happening is more at the level of criminal activity — it’s bigger, it’s more visible, it happens in broad daylight...
Since Covid?
Yes, it’s been growing more and more. They’ve become less afraid whether it’s day or night, and you don’t see children playing outside until late anymore — not in summer or other times. You see a few hanging out near the Sede [sports association], but they don’t leave that spot. They used to come to Sinergi@s and say “Oh Joana, we played hide-and-seek all over the neighborhood until two in the morning.”
(...)
Are there police interventions in the neighborhood?
Yes, and they existed before too.
What type of crime were you referring to, and how are police interventions handled?
One of the major crimes in the neighborhood is drug trafficking and “stashing.” We have some participants whose parents were arrested for keeping drugs at home. Their opinion of the police isn’t very positive because when the police come in, they break down the door, destroy everything inside the house, and arrest the father, right? They don’t knock... no. They don’t do that. And it happens in front of children, there’s a lot of violence in front of everyone, and the kids are traumatized. (...)
Is that something talked about by the project’s participants, the youth, the children...?
Yes, but you see, everyone knows each other there — especially the older ones, they pass by and say hi to us. It was a choice they made, getting into that world. Of course, we have many parents or guardians who come to us and say “My nephew is now part of this group — he chose that path. He was such a good player and could have followed that [career].” He was scouted by Porto or another club, he could be playing right now, but it’s the problem of easy money. It’s immediate.
And the perspectives they have aren’t the most hopeful, right?
No, and they’re very afraid to take risks. Even if they pursue a good field, they think “If I fail, that’s it. At least here, I’m in my territory, I trust the people around me, and I earn money to live my life.”
(...)
Regarding segregation of the neighborhood, do people from outside go there?
Yes, because near the Engenheiro Machado Vaz neighborhood, there’s São Roque and Cerco, and we also have kids and young people from those neighborhoods who come to us, and there are also relatives from other areas...
They come to the project, right?
They come to the project and not just that — they also come to meet with family or others at the Sede.
But there has to be that connection — with the project or family — is it a more closed neighborhood?
Hmm, I don’t think it’s a closed neighborhood. I think São Roque is more closed. There, you don’t see gatherings, you don’t see much social interaction — it’s a much quieter neighborhood, you don’t see anyone outside. In Engenheiro Machado Vaz, you still see people out, but you don’t see that same connection... that family feeling...
Yes, that community life where everyone’s out on the street...
Yes. I remember when I came here, one of the things I loved about this neighborhood was that people were outside, and we’d pass by with the kids and they’d talk to us and say “Hey Joana, this happened to me” or “Joana, want to stay here? Want to grab a coffee?” I feel like that familiarity isn’t there anymore.
So we can’t say the neighborhood is stigmatized. Do you think the children and young people living there feel a stigma?
Of course — it’s different, right? Living in a neighborhood, they know it’s different. I’ve felt it before when we go to other places and talk — they don’t like me saying it’s a social project, they don’t want to be seen as someone attending a...
And identifying the neighborhood?
That either. We can’t say it’s from Engenheiro Machado Vaz. It’s “Campanhã” — that’s still acceptable.
(...)
If you had to point out a difference compared to other neighborhoods, what do you think is specific about this one?
It’s more welcoming.
Is it? Even with all these problems?
And protective. Very protective. I think they include anyone who goes there, no matter their minority group — they will welcome you. And they’re very protective, especially of people they identify with, young or not. Even though we all know each other, they didn’t have to defend the Sinergi@s project when it was being robbed. But they made a point of protecting it. They went to the man who was robbing it and said: “Either you stop, or you’ll have problems here.”
[end of excerpt]