] Flavia Carvalho recalls unlocking the door to her ] computer software store here Tuesday when she noticed how ] utterly alone she was on a commercial block that is ] usually bustling by 10 a.m. Everything was closed: the ] shoe boutique, the art gallery, the colossal supermarket ] on the corner. ] ] Then, with a tap on the shoulder, a young man appeared, ] seemingly from nowhere, with a message all the more ] chilling for its casual delivery: Shut down your shop for ] the day, or else. ] ] "I thought: Oh, no, not again," Carvalho said. "Another ] day without business. But what could I do? He told me ] that anyone who opened would be shot or burned." |