Facing a 60 percent downturn in business from last year, hoteliers at Rio’s Copacabana beach have prevailed upon city officials to hire a beach sheriff to clean up the area that has seen an increase in illegal street vendors, beggars, prostitutes, drug users and thieves. The “sheriff” and his posse have started by helping the homeless find shelters and aiding street vendors in an effort to obtain permits and set up shop legally in a square off the beach. Many factors have caused the loss of business, including the implosion of the Argentine economy and the corresponding weakening of Brazil’s economy.
