I Visited The World’s Largest Open Air Crack Market

sou Pao Brazil is home to the world's largest openair drug Market called Candia where the police have no control thousands of homeless people Gather in public to use crack cocaine leaving the city in shambles with no shelter running water or sanitation is residents grapple with dire living conditions I got in touch with a nonprofit that helps Feed the Homeless and lift them out of poverty together we're going in to document life on these streets and see why crocolandia ranks as one of the most dangerous places on Earth for many people sa pao's Candia is symbolic

of the country's drug problem with the highest number of crack users in the world just one hit can cost as little as a few cents making it very affordable for lowincome users it's my first time visiting sou Pao and right off the bat I'm noticing a few interesting things for one the city is massive it's actually the largest city in all of South America and two it is incredibly diverse here thanks to its substantial immigrant population this place is so interesting you have Jews walking around you have Asians like fancy restaurants but just right over

those buildings is crackland neighborhoods change like this how are you where are you barel I'm bar nice to meet you bro we are here in tenad it's a organization it's a NGO main focus is to fight the hungry in the in the state today we deliver around, 1500 hot meals a day this in a big operation we have today around 500 volunteers they come every hour and a half a week they prepare food they give people they can't come eat here they receive at home we have a a project called Meals on Wheels this kitchen

could make 2,000 hot hot plates a day easy it's crazy dud here is people where where people come to eat every day more than the food that they get over here it's the dignity we have volunteer to speak to them give them love speak give them attention sometimes it's more important than food these cars they deliver food they deliver food every day to hundreds of families we're squishing Brazilian style isn't it crazy that this really nice Jewish Community lives right next to this massive crack open air crack Market unfortunately unfortunately that's crazy I just drove

by and I was sh I was literally shocked it's sad because these people they need they need help they need the serious help they are in drugs they need to be put a clinic there's a huge police station right next to it and they just stand outside they don't go inside they make sure that there's no violence they may but I think there's we need to try to make a deeper heal in Hebrew tenyad means extending a hand for this charity extending help to those in need is their everyday Mission and it's pretty cool to

see a thriving Jewish Community out here with a beautiful synagogue but they're not the only ones advocating for change in Candia we are now on our way to meet up with a nearby Christian NGO that has a similar mission to provide meals for the hungry and reduce harm through music and worship but I'm still feeling anxious about entering the open air drug Market all of us need to put on yellow shirts to identify ourselves as volunteers it kind of feels like we're about to enter a war zone all right we are getting out right now

into the streets got to keep my bag secure there's no gangsters controlling this street here this is crack this is this is crack oh I almost just stepped on this guy look at them they're all talking right in between people one 2 three that's literally insane so this is B see how unfortunately people live in the streets s Paulo it's a very interesting it's you see people leaving in the street sleeping here waiting for a plate of food where I live every day in the morning I wake up in front of my building two people

in the street they don't bother they don't nothing but they here because they want orientation yes orientation hi hi they see take take they come to grab you if they see so we have to be careful they could come take it your phone and your camera we're told to leave our stuff oh my God I can't believe I'm doing this right now it's all my camera equipment dude bro look look where look look I'm putting I'm going to put it right here here look where where did you put it let me see lift up here

that's where I put my phone man I'm scared I have a zipper pocket that I'm putting it right here they are hungry for for drugs they don't like have knives they're not going to like stab me they're just going to steal it doesn't it doesn't need to why they steal to sell and to have money to buy to buy TR when we're going to go inside in the left side is where they sell the the drug where the trafficking where the dealers are over there don't look to them don't give a look to them I'm

going to look only at you guys just follow follow him follow him let's follow him what's your name anak clada yeah have you been inside Candia many times many times few many times crazy everything's going to be okay the police make an action sometimes in the morning they try to to take somebody there so I'm just I'm following you guys that's it I'm not going to I'm not going to do anything I'm just following you guys don't expose so much the camera [ __ ] this is intense Candia is directly next to the city's busiest

train station that looks straight out of a movie if you come to Sou follow as a tourist you might not even realize that the main attractions like this concert hall are uncomfortably close to this sketchy neighborhood since the 1990s the increasing drug use presents serious health risk to the community as well as spreads diseases like HIV AIDS and hepatitis NOS like the ones I'm with play an important role in supporting these highly vulnerable individuals but the situation is complicated due to the increasing development and popularity of sa Pao as the city evolves volunteers are worried

that those already suffering will get left behind whole street over here is to be the C to they they moved it they moved it the police is always moving them a lot of a lot of police going around and what do they do here is to bring bodies for what reason they kill people in you know in the in the in the dealing of the mafia they to kill people here and this to the capita this to the this is our users this is our users there really a fight right in front of me on

the street [Music] Jesus Christ dude oh my God not fun I I don't want to see this beating his head into the street I I asked him why he doesn't stop the fight he said the it's not the orientation but looks like she wants to die they are totally Dro and they're totally totally drugs you don't like to see that I mean I can see I I have a high tolerance for seeing anything but that was pretty intense what is this nice building right here this is a very nice theater called Sala s Paulo it's

one of the nicest theaters I've seen our organization did already here at many many concerts it's in the middle of the CRA in the worst place and you have a nice nice European style building you know the area is to be nice here unfortunately the drugs kill the whole area it's just cracker there many different [Music] drugs all people inside there they used to be doctors used to be lawyers used to be they came into to to to the drugs to crack they cannot live they stay there they they they they sell everything they have

S you have people with degrees over here like living here they're in in in the in in the craia but now they just do crack and their stuff just crack directly on the other side of crackia is a nice church that looks like you're in Europe hello Europe it's crazy to walk on these streets and just see the walls like graffiti you can just smell in the air it's hard to point my camera forward right now so I got to kind of film up and walk against the wall here oh man this is one of

the most intense places I've been in my entire life it's like something you don't want to see and something you don't want to think that exists but it exists and these are real humans with real lives with parents and kids and hopes and dreams police are literally on every corner here patrolling but they don't go inside like here's another police car right herez look at that man look at that what a collection of trash right there this is a central train station that's why I told you everybody a lot of trains so we're right in

the middle of the city right in the middle of the city and it's to be a nice place I'm talking about 50 years ago we're going to go in the middle it's going to be tight we're going to go in the middle don't don't it's going to be like a lot of people think it is see that's what I'm talking about he's doing look he's what he's doing he was openly doing crack he's literally doing crack on the middle of the street what is that stick is that how they smoke it or is that how

they inject how they inject it how they they they some some people do like crazy man we hide the camera now okay we are now entering it's very intense already I'm not going to go in you going to go inome dude that is insane holy [ __ ] do these people have knives and guns or no they do nice can we can we talk to the police so they can watch us if something happens yeah as we approach the outskirts of Candia we have a chance to interview some police officers why don't you guys go

in there why do you just kind of stay on the outside and look around the police could go inside they could go in wherever they want but has to be an operation has to be something just to go into to cause there has to be an operation are you scared that you'll get attacked if you go inside no he's not scared but he has to make sure that the SEC the security for for the civilians for the police it's it's good so them we not recommended to go in he said a lot of sickness inside

there a lot of we don't recommend people to there's many many many disease yeah yeah yeah he said they live like people like bodies they forgot to die dead bodies but they forgot to dead please take care of yourself all right I respect you for being here interview with the police check told me you guys cannot go there alone you guys are crazy so you can see in this park there's still people doing crack openly it's like the outskirts here he he a he's a user of the CRA can I ask him a question how

long have you been living here 91 92 that's when I was born I was born in ' 91 can you tell me what it's like to to like live here it's stressful and why small like CRA but he's not canot have a any anymore anymore hey bro what's your name how are you are you okay what's it like to live out here complic why it's a life where you're trying to know more things it's not even the adct the the addiction The Cure is inside of us last last day of your life cous by your

are you scared of the police the police they don't mess with you is respect really hey thanks for sharing I appreciate it [Music] man I feel I can see that in his eyes you can see that he wants help but yeah I'm checking out you're freaking out you haven't been in here before not inside really not inside after the gates I'm checking out where are we going to go like when we go inside just walk cross we're going to cross careful with your camera be careful with your camera stop stop stop have you walked through

you're a badass I'm not there's police look there's police oh there's police everywhere on the outside so they don't go inside why are there oh my God look at all the police bro that's crazy holy [ __ ] we're going inside put put in the back put in your pocket put in your pocket and just like that we've entered Candia what I'm seeing are hundreds of addicts sitting openly in the street wrapped in blankets and puffing on crack pipes some people are roaming around eyes wide open and frantic searching for stuff to sell they're mostly

thin and sick looking with faces Twisted from years of drug use trash is scattered everywhere and the smell of body odor is hanging in the air as we keep walking the police are watching us nearby just a few steps away they're keeping a close eye on on everything but don't intervene with the drug deals happening in plain sight instead they focus their attention on other crimes like robbery but who's to blame here there are no good guys just chaos hey barl how do you feel right now not feeling good but crazy dude that is insane

bro how do you feel walking through that street scary but everything's gone everything be okay I feel I feel they are normal people but they are lost it's scary and never it's not it's not world it's you you you're in a dark place literally everyone is openly smoking crack they have these metal every every person in there it's crazy to me that the police are surrounding this whole area but they won't go inside could see kids from 13 years old here smoking crap by night is double triple of people here because now they go all

over the city to to grab it's completely insane right it's completely insane they are soless yeah they are soulless yeah how do how do you give back to the community what what do you give them well well we give them food and clothes and we can do them M like we do our best what experience yeah man my heart is racing is your heart racing thank God you were scared I said I was scared why do you think Sal Paulo has such a big gap between rich and poor like what's the reason for that it's

missing a lot of uh uh government help government so social help uh Medicare I'm working on an NGO so I see oh you very very rich or you poor like like you have to wait online for three years to get an ad doctorate appointment it's missing more work from government to help these people to get to to the government doesn't care because they are rich themselves and they just don't give a [ __ ] how can people watching this video how can they help pay more attention when you see something try to help people try

to you know go through good institutions that they're doing good work be involved be involved of of of of taking care of people looking for people to help it could help in many many giving you time giving you money giving ideas spreading the good world out there there's so many so many ways how how to help today dude thank you for this experience I mean I don't know if I should say thank you but I I'm happy to see how you're helping the community we're trying to make this world better that's that's our purpose here

by now I've seen all that my eyes can handle and it's time to leave crocolandia interviews with the homeless reveal a city struggling with deep rooted issues not limited to crime and addiction tensions with the police lece underscore the urgent need for more effective Solutions while my experience in crocolandia fills me with sadness it also fuels the determination to advocate for change thank you to all the volunteers for taking me around these streets and thanks to you guys for watching this video [Music]