(NEWSER) - They’re called “ecobarriers,” but critics say the walls being erected in Rio de Janeiro aren’t there to protect trees. The 10-foot cinderblock walls are supposed to prevent Rio’s favelas, or shantytowns, from expanding into the rainforest, but critics say they’re really a means of segregating the poor people who live there, buffing the city’s image and Olympic hopes. “They want to cage us like animals,” says one favela-dweller. More»
