Featured Post from Georgia Southern University

Bye-bye Bonnie and Clyde – Brazil is taking bank robbing to a whole new level

Sep 9, 2021

2 min

The media coverage reads like a scene out of a Michael Bay movie. Bank robbers using drones, strategically planting bombs across the city and taking hostages and placing them atop getaway cars.


It’s surreal … but in Brazil, over the top bank heists are becoming the new normal. And the media are looking for experts to try and explain just what it is going on. That’s why the Daily Beast recently contacted Georgia Southern’s expert on Latin America, José de Arimatéia da Cruz, Ph.D.



In the predawn darkness last Monday, a group of about 20 heavily armed commandos seized control of the downtown financial block in Araçatuba, a mid-sized Brazilian city in the eastern state of São Paulo. They then proceeded to rob three banks, while the surveillance drones they had deployed kept watch over head.

When the heist was complete they accosted several bystanders, shot a man who had been filming them on his phone, and then bound the hostages they’d taken to the tops of their getaway vehicles so as to dissuade police from interfering with their escape….

Since 2015 these kinds of attacks have become so common that Brazilians even have a name for them: Novo Cangaço, which roughly translates into English as “New Struggle.”

The name refers to a “social banditry” movement that flourished in Brazil’s hardscrabble northeast in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The original Cangaço sought to battle back against widespread poverty and inequality. It involved Robin-Hood like figures who plagued wealthy landowners, donated to the poor, and pushed the government to jumpstart economic reforms.

“The New Cangaço’s modus operandi is similar” to that of their predecessors, José de Arimatéia da Cruz , Ph.D., told The Daily Beast. The tactics might be alike, but the strategy between the old and new incarnations are quite different, according to da Cruz, who is originally from Brazil but now teaches international relations at Georgia Southern University.


“The difference today is that the traditional cangaceiros [peasant bandits] were fighting against politicians. The Novo Cangaço today are attacking banks and are most basically interested in money for different purposes.”



This is a sensational chain of events – and if you are a reporter covering these escalating crimes in Brazil – then let us help with your stories.


José de Arimatéia da Cruz is available to speak with media regarding this topic — simply reach out to Georgia Southern Director of Communications Jennifer Wise at jwise@georgiasouthern.edu to arrange an interview today.


Powered by

You might also like...

Check out some other posts from Georgia Southern University

World Cup 2026: Georgia Southern University Experts on the Game Behind the Game featured image

2 min

World Cup 2026: Georgia Southern University Experts on the Game Behind the Game

Atlanta is one of the World Cup's biggest host cities. Georgia Southern faculty across economics, health sciences and international studies are ready to speak to the stories behind the tournament. Featured Topic The Atlanta Advantage: Regional Economics of Hosting the World Cup What it means for local businesses, tourism, and the long-term economic legacy of a host city Atlanta's World Cup moment is as much an economic story as a sporting one. Georgia Southern University economics professors Michael Toma, Ph.D., and Anthony Barilla, Ph.D., can speak to tourism revenue, infrastructure investment and what host cities actually gain — and manage —- when the world comes to town. Experts Michael Toma, Ph.D. - Regional Economics and Development Anthony Barilla, Ph.D. - Economics and Public Policy Featured Topic Playing Across a Continent: The Physical Demands of a 48-Team Tournament What elite athletes face competing across climates, time zones and a month-long schedule 48 teams. Multiple cities. Almost no recovery time. Georgia Southern health sciences and kinesiology professor Samuel Wilson, Ph.D., and sports psychologist Brandonn Harris, Ph.D., can explain how a World Cup schedule affects the human body and how elite teams prepare for it. Experts Samuel Wilson, Ph.D. - Health Sciences and Athletic Performance Brandonn Harris, Ph.D. - Kinesiology and Exercise Science Featured Topic More Than a Match: The World Cup as Cultural and Political Exchange How the world's biggest sporting event becomes a stage for diplomacy, identity, and soft power When 48 nations converge on American soil, the game is only part of the story. Political science and international studies expert Christopher M. Brown, Ph.D., can speak to the geopolitical dimensions — national identity, soft power and what it means for the U.S. to host global soccer for the first time in a generation. Experts Christopher M. Brown, Ph.D. - Political Science and International Studies

National Tick Collection Provides Front-Line Defense Against Emerging Health Threats featured image

2 min

National Tick Collection Provides Front-Line Defense Against Emerging Health Threats

A recently published article in Grice Connect highlighted the national importance of the U.S. National Tick Collection, housed at Georgia Southern University's Statesboro Campus. Home to more than one million specimens representing nearly every known tick species, the collection serves as a critical resource for researchers, public health agencies, and disease surveillance efforts studying the spread of tick-borne illnesses. The collection, owned by the Smithsonian Institution and curated at Georgia Southern University, is one of the largest and most comprehensive tick collections in the world. Researchers use it to identify emerging threats, track changes in tick populations, and better understand the diseases these parasites can carry. As concerns about Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses continue to grow, the collection provides scientists with an invaluable resource for monitoring species distribution, studying disease vectors, and supporting public health preparedness. It also plays an important role in training future researchers in a field where specialized expertise is increasingly needed. Lorenza Beati, Ph.D., is curator of the U.S. National Tick Collection and associate professor at Georgia Southern University.  Her research focuses on tick taxonomy, genetics, evolutionary relationships, and the role ticks play in transmitting diseases that affect both humans and animals. View her profile The article underscores the collection's growing importance as researchers work to better understand the complex relationships between ticks, pathogens, wildlife, and human health. As environmental conditions change and tick populations expand into new regions, resources like the U.S. National Tick Collection are helping scientists stay ahead of emerging public health challenges. The collection has been entrusted to Georgia Southern since 1990 and includes more than 1 million specimens and more than 125,000 accessioned lots. Beati said the collection is probably the largest curated tick collection in the world. While she said there may be a larger collection elsewhere, she said Georgia Southern’s collection remains especially important because it is active, used for research, and supported by curatorial work. “By having two curators here, we really keep the collection very active,” Beati said. “We publish a lot, we do a lot of research on our samples. We have visitors coming from all over the world to work with us.”  June 13 - Grice Connect Covering? We can help! Lorenza Beati is available to speak with media about tick-borne diseases, tick identification, vector ecology, disease surveillance and the critical role scientific collections play in protecting public health. Her expertise can help audiences better understand the growing impact of ticks on human and animal health, as well as the research efforts underway to address these challenges.

Georgia Southern University expert available for interviews about Marilyn Monroe’s 100th birthday and her enduring legacy featured image

1 min

Georgia Southern University expert available for interviews about Marilyn Monroe’s 100th birthday and her enduring legacy

June 1 marks Marilyn Monroe’s 100th birthday. Despite her death in 1962, Monroe remains an icon of American pop culture. Amanda Konkle, Ph.D., researches film history, stardom and celebrity prominence. Konkle is an expert in Monroe’s rise to fame and her lasting relevance in modern style. She published the book “Some Kind of Mirror: Creating Marilyn Monroe,” along with several research papers detailing Monroe’s unique status in American history. Konkle can speak to how Monroe connected with audiences during her life by creating a new ideal of feminine power that defined an era. She can explore how Monroe’s acting methods mirrored society’s anxieties and desires, and why they still resonate today. Konkle is available virtually or for in-person interviews at the Armstrong Campus. Simply contact Georgia Southern's Director of Communications Jennifer Wise at jwise@georgiasouthern.edu to arrange an interview today.

View all posts
Powered by