A big Brazilian flag can be seen from the intersection of San Pablo and MacDonald avenues in Richmond. Smart BR Coffee, a Brazilian restaurant-coffee house at 4820 Bissell Avenue, has the flag painted covering the front of its building. During World Cup matches, the restaurant’s parking lot fills up and cheers can be heard from the street in the middle of the day.

In addition to a Brazilian flag outside, the café flies fabric flags of the U.S., Mexico, Honduras and South Africa both inside and outside the building. “Welcome,” reads one big sign hanging on the interior. There’s a wall covered with flyers, postcards and cards advertising the many Brazilian events and businesses all over the Bay Area.

A crowd watches the Brazil vs Chile game at the Smart BR Coffee in Richmond. Photo by Veronica Moscoso.

“I come here to eat typical Brazilian food, find friends and community and watch the game,” said Cesar Menezes, a Richmond resident and Brazilian immigrant whose work maintaining soccer fields is flexible enough that he can come and watch the World Cup at Smart BR Coffee.

Menezes was one of about 60 people who showed up at the restaurant to watch Brazil’s national soccer team play Chile at 11:30 a.m. on Monday. Most of the spectators were Brazilian and were wearing the team’s T-shirt, caps or some item that represented their country.

Opened just eight months ago, Smart BR Coffee is a spot where Brazilians who live in or near Richmond come to have a little taste of home. Richmond has only three Brazilian restaurants, but different Brazilian communities organize events to make sure they gather together with their compatriots.

The Brazilian Consulate in San Francisco estimates that there are 40,000 Brazilians living in the Bay Area. “We don’t really know because we don’t have them registered,” said Rosana Sa, Assistant for Cultural Affairs from of the Brazilian Consulate.

The high rents in the Bay Area have led many Brazilian immigrants to choose to live in Richmond because housing is more affordable. Menezes said that’s the case for his friends and himself. “I found a cheap place in Richmond and it’s a nice place,” he said.

Two printed Brazilian newspapers — Brasil Best and Brazil Today — circulate in the Bay Area. Three of Richmond’s Christian churches — the Bay Area Brazilian Church, The First Presbyterian Church and the Church of the Living God — offer Portuguese-speaking ministries.

Olavo Dourado, owner of Smart BR Coffee, happy to show World Cup matches at his restaurant. Photo by Veronica Moscoso.

William Silva, or “Pastor William,” as his parishioners from the Bay Area Brazilian Church know him, said that Brazilian immigrants usually work in construction, as baby sitters, drivers, delivering newspapers and in the hauling business. “They work hard,” he said.

Olavo Dourado, owner of Smart BR Coffee, said that he was one of the first Brazilians to move to Richmond 23 years ago, and that during the past 20 years the population grew. However, “about 30 percent had left in the past two or three years,” Dourado estimated, saying that the recent economy here had pushed some immigrants to go back to their home country.

Eddy Delima immigrated from Brazil 24 years ago. He’s seen the growth and decline of the Brazilian population, too. Delima is member of Saint John the Baptist, a Catholic church in El Cerrito. On Sundays his church offers mass in Portuguese. According to Delima, about 140 Brazilians are members of this church, and half of them are Richmond residents, including himself.

Delima was one of the organizers of Festa Junina, a traditional Brazilian June Festival related to St. John the Baptist’s holy day. The festival took place June 5 at Richmond’s Veteran’s Hall, where more than 500 people showed up to enjoy the Brazilian food, live music, costumes, and a play. Delima said that events like these are important because, “We want to celebrate our culture and keep it alive.”

Acording to Delima, Brazilian immigrants work too hard and don’t have much of a social life, so his hope is that, “if they are feeling homesick, they can come to the event and have fun for one day,” he said.

Maria Rodman watches the World Cup and cheers for Brazil at Smart BR Coffee. Photo by Veronica Moscoso.

“We get together to celebrate because we are lonely,” said Thais Silva, owner of Pikanha’s steak house, a Brazilian family-owned restaurant in Point Richmond. She said that Brazilians like to hear happy music and to feel at home with one another because, “We miss our country.”

Pastor William says that most Brazilian immigrants in Richmond are young people in their twenties who left their families behind. “They work so hard that they don’t have a life anymore,” said the pastor.

Like Delima’s church, Pastor William’s Bay Area Brazilian Church also organizes events, like a Brazilian celebration this past Saturday that included capoeira, food and music. “People started to came at eight in the morning until eight at night,” he said. His church has a TV screen where parishioners can watch the World Cup games — they had one last Sunday, when Brazil was played the Ivory Coast, which was followed by a barbeque.

Maria Rodman, who was born in Brazil and is now a U.S. citizen, has lived in the country for 38 years. She came from Berkeley to the Smart BR Coffee to watch the match against Chile together with other Brazilians, “We are patriots, we like soccer games and we like to cheer up together,” she said. Brazil beat Chile 3-0.

More than 300 people, nearly all black men, simultaneously canvassed the city in small teams Saturday.

They focused on 23 of the city’s most troubled neighborhoods. They delivered bundles of Bibles along with health, education and public resource literature door-to-door at apartments and homes.

They also clasped hands with residents and led them in prayers.

Rev. Andre Shumake, one of the event’s organizers, estimated that volunteers made contact with about 3,500 households Saturday.

The event was in response to a Feb. 14 church shooting that shook the community and drew national attention.

On Sunday, eight days after the rape of a 15-year-old girl put Richmond in the spotlight, religious leaders at local churches denounced the crime and offered prayers for those involved.

Across the city, church leaders and congregations discussed healing, the community’s moral compass and ways of addressing the crime with church youth groups.

Pastors of several churches met earlier this week to plan the themes they would address this weekend. Pastor Jim Heden of Hilltop Community Church, an Assembly of God congregation located at 3118 Shane Drive, said the discussions prompted tears from some of the pastors.

After Heden delivered his sermon, “God’s Antidote to Damaged Emotions,” to at least 250 churchgoers, youth pastor Corey Rose emphasized the importance of ritual in healing.

“Spiritually, everyone looks to the church during hard times,” Rose said.

At Independent Community Church, located at 601 S. 16^th Street, speakers addressed how healing can come after abuse. The church is planning to hold a prayer vigil on Monday, Nov. 2 at 1 p.m. at a church across the street from Richmond High School. Ministers from other Richmond churches have been invited to attend.

“We will be praying for the school, the young lady, her family, the perpetrators of the crime, and Richmond,” Elder Raymond Landry said. “Lord knows we need help in this city, and God is in the helping business.”

St. Cornelius parishoners at mass.

At St. Cornelius Catholic Church on 28^th Street and Macdonald Avenue, the focus of a packed, midday Spanish-language mass was the Feast of All Saints. But the Rev. Filiberto Barrera also called on the more than 900 people in attendance—including many teenagers preparing to receive the sacrament of confirmation—to pray for both the rape victim and those who assaulted her.

“We pray for our city of Richmond, convulsed by violence and by this madness of the attack on the young girl,” said Barrera in Spanish, adding that prayers should also be sent to the young men who contributed to the crime and their families.

Once a year, Barrera said, a psychologist from Los Angeles visits the congregation. Barrera added that he considers it a blessing that the psychologist is coming this Friday, as it is likely that he will discuss issues like safety with parents and youth.

Barrera said that recently another local teen girl had been raped by three men after they put a drug in her drink. Her friend, who was part of the confirmation class, was also drugged but managed to get away from the men in time.

“The reality of abuse is that it happens a lot,” Barrera said. “I feel really powerless. I told the kids they need to be careful. All people have dignity. Women should not be used as sex objects.”

Rose said that at Hilltop Community Church, he is focusing on the way youth are thinking about the rape.

“If it was on my mind, I know it was on their minds 10 times more,” he said. “Kids are just sick about it.”

As are many adults.

“We’ve been embarrassed, because we live here,” Elder Landry said. “We invite people here, to our church, but when we say it’s in Richmond, it’s like, they only know it for the 47 murders, or for the rape.”

“Pray for Richmond,” he said “Lord, help Richmond.”

Ryan Phillips, Alex Weber, Ian Stewart and Carah Herring contributed to this article. Katherine Griffin translated quotes from the St. Cornelius mass.

Powerful gospel performances lifted the spirits of audiences during “How Sweet the Sound,” the search for America’s best church choir. The 11-city tour stopped at the Oracle Arena in Oakland Oct. 10 and featured eight local choirs, singing for the title of Best Regional Choir. The winning choir will go on to Detroit for the tour’s finale Nov. 7.

Tina Bradford-Landry's gospel choir performed at last year's "How Sweet the Sound" competition.

Richmond’s Independent Community Church won the People’s Choice Award during last year’s competition. Although no Richmond choirs were selected to participate this year, Independent Community’s choir director, Tina Bradford-Landry attended the show to experience the audience’s perspective.

“This [event] is important because it brings the community, the churches and all cultures together,” said Bradford-Landry. “The energy [is] in here and the spirit of God is in here, so I’m being blessed here just looking on.”

East Oakland Faith Deliverance Center was the evening’s big winner, earning the title of Best Regional Choir, as well as Best Large Choir and the People’s Choice Award. The Best Small Choir Award was given to Apostolic Community Life Center from Salinas.

The other participating choirs were Mt. Zion Assemblies from Fresno; Abundant Life Ministries, the East Bay Church of Religious Science, Genesis Worship Center and Jubilee Christian Center, all from Oakland; and the Pentecostals of the Bay Area from Pittsburg.